Kranich's Jewelers — Local services in Patton Township

I purchased a pair of diamond earrings with a lifetime warranty prior to moving out of state. The backs to my earrings now need to be replaced and so I contacted the store in State College, PA to have them sent to me. Upon speaking with a representative, she requested that the earrings be sent to them via postal mail, stating that they have to physically look at them to see what kind of threads the earrings have. I explained to them that I am concerned that my earrings will be either lost or stolen in transit, plus the cost to insure the earrings will be too high due to the fact that they cost over two thousand dollars. I further asked if they have all of the information pertaining to the earrings on record for them to refer back to fulfill the request. She stated that they do have the information but that they will still need see what kind of thread is on the earrings since they have "hundreds of vendors". This is truly disappointing because you would think that all of the information needed would be in their records. Not only that, she didn't even make an effort to find any of the information needed. Needless to say, If you are contemplating the purchase of any expensive jewelry with lifetime warranty before moving out of state, I do not recommend Kranch's.

Response from the owner 4 hours ago Good Day Eunice As you know, we attempted to help you from the moment of your first call. We are still more than happy to help you replace the earring backs that you lost. In the phone calls with you, your demeanor was unbecoming at best. We therefore must request that our staff is treated with dignity in the future. While you have followed thru with your threats to say negative things online, this does not seem to facilitate a solution to your problem. It simply seems to show your interest in hurting our company and the many staff members/families in our employ. We have never denied your request. You have simply not made it possible for us to help you. It is not common practice for jewelers to keep details of the type of back used on every pair of earrings sold. Certainly we will work with you to accomplish your goal. We remain here to help if given the opportunity.

Good day, Kranich's owner, Thank you for your immediate response to my review. However, as you know, I attempted to get your help not only once, but two times when I called, to no avail. If you were truly happy to help me, you would have by now. You are absolutely wrong stating that my "demeanor was unbecoming at best." The first time I called, I was more than nice about it. The second time I called, although my tone of voice was stern, I remained respectful and referred to you as "ma'am", and simply stated that I was a highly dissatisfied customer, and I still am. You are requesting dignity and respect, but yet you have had that from me, from the moment I trusted Kranich's with my money and purchased the diamond earrings. As a paying customer, I have the right to express my disappointment with your establishment in a respectful and professional manner. The only option you gave in order to help me is for me to send the earrings to you via postal mail, and that is not an option, for reasons I have already explained in my previous review. The Better Business Bureau review has been...

Stunning, Professional, and Quality are three words that will pop into your mind and in conversations if you choose to deal with Kranich's Jewelers. If you want an in-depth review, continue reading...

Location: Kranich's in State College being in the center of the State, is a pretty prime location if you don't live in Philadelphia or Pittsburgh. It is also its own building and not a large shopping complex making parking and finding the building easier. The building is relatively new, and everything inside is clean, sleek, and well organized. It is also right next to a Starbucks, so if you like coffee and jewelry (or an excuse for why you were in a jewelry store when you were just going out for coffee), this is the place for you.

Staff: In general, everyone that works here is very pleasant and knowledgeable. There wasn't a time where I walked in and felt out of place. I mainly interacted with Farrand and sometimes Scott. Farrand is very fast, responsive, knowledgeable, patient, and professional. He answered every question I had (and there were a lot), and if he didn't know the answer, he found out in minutes. He always responds to emails and is very good at making sure you are happy with your decision. He is definitely the guy you want to deal with if you want to make something happen. Scott is also valuable to have on your team. He has years of experience and knows how to find what you are looking for. Plus, he is a good conversationalist.

Product: Kranich's has an extensive selection, so much so that it seems endless. Even though they can not fit half of their selection in the store, they have stacks of catalogs, and their online site is very useable and includes prices. In total, I've had Kranich's make three rings, and each time is just as impressive. THEY ARE FAST. I had them make two custom rings, and they drew them up in CAD and had them finished in less than two weeks. The rings were made with white gold and came out just as we imagined. I even had them draw up a ring that I had pictured in my head, and only from my description, they drew that exact ring. Their ring maker Jess is truly exceptional. Anything you want just how you want it is no problem for Kranich's.

Aftermath: We were "left" with absolutely beautiful and well-crafted rings and a certainty that they will be taken care of with Kranich's protection plan. We are often asked about our rings, and everyone is impressed with what Kranich's could do. Every time we come into the store, they are quick to offer cleaning the ring and even gave us some cleaner to take home. Even after purchasing, they remain responsive and helpful. I would recommend this place to anyone wanting this supreme tier of service.

So thanks, Farrand, for being patient with me as I meticulously went through your selection. I know I was being very critical and precise with what I wanted, and you definitely met that challenge. I am thrilled with...

My fiancé and I had a very bad experience trying to design an engagement ring with the salespeople at Kranich’s. I would not recommend these jewelers. Their salespeople were unpleasantly aggressive in their sales tactics (which were also painfully transparent) and unfriendly when we asked questions. Overall, I don't trust Kranich's after our experience. For starters, when we told them we were purchasing a lab-grown diamond and wanted to design a ring using that as the center stone, they tried to scare us out of it and said they had no warranty for jewelry that they set using a lab-grown stone (which is silly--lab diamonds are identical to mined diamonds). Their scare tactics included a bunch of misinformation about lab diamonds as well as a waiver emphasizing the fact that they wouldn't guarantee the quality of our jewelry because of the use of a lab diamond. We tried to give them the benefit of the doubt at this point and were still considering purchasing an engagement ring from them for a while. We actually got to the point where we were just about to buy a ring from them despite the unpleasant interactions with salespeople and general weirdness about our lab diamond, but they pulled the sale at the last second when we asked if it was possible for them to check the serial number on our diamond (which is a very easy thing to check and seems to be a pretty standard procedure for diamonds purchased online so that you can be confident you were shipped the correct stone). Their reaction to what we thought was an innocuous question was very extreme and defensive, and we felt a little bit unnerved by it... I don't know why they reacted that way (maybe they just misunderstood the question), but I do know that when we asked a different jeweler in town (Ludmila at Miska's) the same question, she didn't bat an eye and was back with the diamond's serial number in a matter of minutes. Anyway, if you need jewelry, we strongly recommend Miska's instead of Kranich's (we had an excellent experience with Ludmila there!).

Edit: Someone from the store called after I posted this review. He wanted to hear more about my experience and tell me about what he learned when he interviewed the salespeople involved. I think he also wanted to assure me that they care about their customers' experiences and pride themselves on being trustworthy. All that to say, I just want to clarify here that of course it's possible that my negative experience here...