Artiste Jewelers — Local services in New York

I called earlier in the day and asked about watch battery replacement. I came in at 7:10pm (they close at 7:30pm, and they said a watch battery would be quick to replace, which was what I was expecting.)

The store was empty except for the salesperson and the manager peeking from the back room. I showed the saleperson the watch, and he gave me a price (reasonable price) but wanted me to leave my watch until the next afternoon. I asked why, and he said "we are closed." Not only were they not closed, but I was possibly the first customer they had the entire afternoon, from the look of the shop.

I could tell he recognized my watch was a limited edition 26 year old watch, which gave me pause when he asked me to leave it. I told him I had traveled 40 minutes to get to the shop, and that I wasn't leaving a watch overnight for a battery change - I suppose he thought I was a tourist or just stupid enough to leave a rare watch to disappear overnight or to be replaced with a counterfeit watch.

If I was purchasing one of their overpriced watches, I'm sure they would not have been closed. Then again, if I was purchasing a watch, why on Earth would I travel to an obscure watch store with a very limited selection of vintage watches, and many new run-of-the-mill watches I could get at Macy's for 30% less than their prices?

There is a reason why the store was empty. I hope the salesperson remembers that his statement of "we are closed" was premature - most likely foreshadowing the early demise of their business.

Nothing to see here -...

This is the WORST jewelry store on every level: repairs, prices and customer service. I have had 4 items repaired there over the years and each time I had a horrible experience. I kept going back because it was convenient. However, after my last experience I will never go back there. First, the customer service is horrible. They are rude, and very slow to assist you. Moreover, on the one occasion I had to bring something back in because the repair was not done correctly, they gave me a horrible attitude and made me wait several days for something that they previously told me could be done immediately. Another time, my repaired item (a ring) cracked and I was told that it was probably from wear and tear not because the work they performed on it. Second, there prices are outrageously high and inconsistent. Within a three week span, I was given two different prices by different employees for the same type of work. I decided to go to another jeweler in the area and that jeweler was 20 percent cheaper than the lower of the two prices I was given at Artiste for the same repair. Third, as stated above, the repairs done by the jeweler are not good as I have had problems with items repaired there. Finally, they are extremely slow at making repairs and do not meet deadlines that they set for themselves. I actually would give...

The owner of the shop is wonderful--patient and very pleasant to work with. I brought my mother's antique engagement ring here for a repair, and he clearly explained the repair as well as the cost, and gave me a very reasonable turnaround time which he met perfectly. The repaired ring is stronger and prettier--he also cleaned it up so it shines. He also quoted us very reasonable prices for platinum wedding bands, which we will definitely be purchasing from him.

Great local shop--so happy to have it around the corner!

Update 11/2: We did get our platinum wedding bands here. The shop owner worked with us to determine exactly what we wanted, and the bands are beautiful!

I also took my engagement ring back for a resize and an appraisal, and he returned it to me with a beautiful shine once again (I got lots of compliments on my "new ring" the first few days I wore it after...