Kathe's Jewelry — Local services in New York

It has taken some courage for me to write this review of my experience in Kathe's jewelry. I came in seeking some vintage two-toned jewelry after a friend recommended this spot. The staff member behind the counter was very kind and informative. She seemed to understand what I was searching for and we had a nice time chatting while we narrowed the search down.

After some time, the owner named Jonas is kindly offering to resize the two rings I decided on. As he is checking the measurements, he is seemingly personable, offering compliments to my appearance while discussing his own. I understand a certain level of vanity in the jewelry industry and so I entertain this banter (though uncomfortable at the time).

However, it takes an inappropriate turn as I'm checking out. He looks at me and asks, "what do you wish for in life?" I don't know where the conversation is going so I simply say "peace" ? He follows up by asking, "and on the outside?" Since I can tell it's taking a wrong turn, I say "relief" hoping he catches that it also means relief from where the conversation is going. Mind you, this man still has my card..... Then, he says, "and to lose a few pounds??" .... I'm speechless. All my years eating disorder recovery didn't prepare me to respond to this level of nasty public assault. He continued by saying, "I want you to write down how much you weigh on a piece of paper and drink ice water in the morning and at night and think of me."

Their website says, "We specialize in personalized service, all in a welcoming, no-pressure environment." That was not my experience at all. What Jonas said said was cruel, unprofessional, and really showcased his values. I can only hope that he never imparts this level of treatment towards any future customer.

Not to mention, my antique "pearl" ring that I paid $100 for is...

Oh man, how can I express how much I love this place and these people?? I moved from NYC a few years ago. 2 small baguettes fell out of my wedding band. The jeweler in my town wanted to charge me $500 for a tiny diamond and when the 2nd fell out, refused to fix it, because they couldn’t do it. I knew if I took it to Kathe’s, they’d be able to. Here on vacation, I brought it in and they didn’t even blink at the needed repairs. I got 2 new diamonds for much less than I was quoted in my town for just one. It looks better than new and I cried when I saw it, because I thought I’d never wear my wedding ring again. These are true artisans in their craft. They have also fixed multiple rings and necklaces for me when I lived in the East Village, from clasps, to missing stones, to reinforcing split rings. Everything has been impeccable and came back to me better than before.

Another story - my husband has large knuckles on one of his fingers. He put one of his rings on that was way too small. He couldn’t get it off over his knuckle and his finger started turning purple. Not good and he was at risk of losing it. He went to Kathe’s and they not only cut the ring off and saved his finger, but fixed the ring up so it was good as new.

I have so much love and gratitude for the people in this place. True community and highly skilled craftsmanship. I wish them many years of health, wealth...

I am totally, totally impressed by this small non-pretentious jewelry store. I took down a broken gold ring, a Nigerian mixed metal broken bracelet, an antique gold watch of my grandmother's with a very delicate broken glass face catch and a single silver earring with moonstones that my mother had commissioned a jeweler in London to make for me for my birthday many years ago. I lost the mate and have been looking at it sitting in my drawer ever since. These precious sentimental objects had been sitting around some 10 years or more and me thinking I would never be able to find someone clever enough to repair and replicate the earring. I looked up on the internet "best repair jewelry store" and up popped Kathe's Jewelry store. I drove down from upstate NY and dropped off the stuff. When they called after the work had been done they said the total cost would be $220. I thought that was impossible and thought maybe they only repaired the watch and the ring, but no. It was all done. The most impressive thing was that they duplicated the earring so well that I could not tell which one was the original. They even copied the stamp of the original artist. I have to say I was totally blown away by their professionalism. The cost....!!!! Need I say more. Absolutely brilliant! I am...