ESQUELETO Oakland — Local services in Oakland

I was brought to Esqueleto's Oakland location by a friend where I tried on a beautiful vintage engagement ring and sent a picture of it to my boyfriend to give him a hint. In November of last year (2023) He surprised me with a proposal with said same Ring in London. Suffice it to say I was ecstatic and so surprised. Unfortunately this is where the happy story turns into a nightmare. After a month of wearing the ring, a diamond fell out in December. I reached out to Esqueleto immediately to report it and see what could be done. I was met with criticism about how I treated the vintage piece and told after the fact that it was more delicate and would need to be careful going forward, but they would make the repair if I paid for it. Mind you never during the sales process were me or my Fiance' instructed that this ring would need to be treated any differently than any other engagement ring. I brought it in for repair and it was kept until February of 2024. Upon receiving it back I was so terrified to wear it that it just sat in a box. In March I moved to Colorado to be with my Fiance’ and finally started to wear it once a week but only for activities as strenuous as working on my laptop at a coffee shop... despite my care and almost never wearing it ANOTHER DIAMOND FELL OUT. At this juncture I am in tears and was terrified to inform the boutique for fear that I would be blamed. This ring that should have been the symbol of the happiest moment of my life has turned into a source of anxiety and sadness. I took the ring back In and was hopeful that realizing this was a faulty piece and nothing that costs over $5,000 should fall apart twice in less than a year but no such customer service was rendered. At this juncture I have returned the ring to the boutique and after much back and forth the options they have presented are; either returning the broken and faulty ring to me, repairing the ring that I am terrified to wear back to me, or return the ring for store credit at a place where I have treated very poorly and made to feel like everything is my fault and where I don't feel like I can trust any piece. I am at a loss, I don't want the ring and frankly I don't want to deal with anyone here ever again. I am devastated in a period where I should be happy and planning for the future. I would never treat a patron in this way and I am in shock that I have been made to...

Esqueleto is a small jewelry shop off Telegraph that serves as a sales aggregator for several artists. They have a diverse collection of uncommon pieces. You will find creativity here that is not represented in larger branded jewelry stores. However, I've also found that the quality of gems are not on par with the branded jewelers, either.

I would recommend going elsewhere for your jewelry unless you are unquestionably happy with your purchase. This store is often final sale, and even in the unique circumstances where they will accomodate your return, they only provide store credit.

My partner and I purchased a ring two days ago. We were undecided about white or yellow gold for a diamond setting and took the recommendation of the sales staff to take the yellow gold home and allow our instincts to decide. This particular piece is part of their slim collection that is not final sale.

After a day we quickly decided we wanted white gold rather than yellow. We returned the ring on Sunday and were told that swapping the setting would be an additional $800. Now we're in a situation where we've already sunk a ton of money into something we decided we don't want, and the store is telling us that we need to spend more to make it right. I think this is a textbook example of an unhappy shopping experience.

Further, because of their limited and largely eclectic selection, there are no other rings that catch us. They have us in a really difficult position, along with all of our money, and we're left without a ring and a sour spot in our stomach.

Conversely, we recently had a superb experience at Pavé when purchasing my ring. Be very careful where you buy your jewelry, the store can make or break your purchasing experience, and this can tarnish your feelings about a symbol that is supposed to represent something...

Esqueleto is awesome! I love having this shop in the neighbored to see and admire the work of emerging artists and artisan-based small businesses. The staff is always friendly towards me when I visit and is helpful with any questions I have without being overly pushy to make a sale.

While on a trip to LA I decided to visit their shop on Sunset Blvd. I fell in love with a piece from a local SF artist, Rebecca Overmann. When I got home I reached out to Esqueleto to see if they had this piece or a similar one in their Oakland location. They immediately had the exact ring I was looking at in LA shipped to their Oakland location and kindly let me know that the ring was in the Oakland shop for me to try on again if I would like while making a decision - wow.

I decided to sit on the decision but when I ultimately decided to purchase the ring the staff was as friendly and as responsive as usual and gave me a direct phone number to call while making the purchase. Esqueleto even had a portion of the sale go to local foodbanks in Oakland, LA, and NYC.

I love my ring and wear it every day. I know one day I will pass it on to a loved one to enjoy themselves. What I love the most though is the great customer service Esqueleto provides as well as the support they give to their local community. Thank...