Busch Jewelers — Local services in Rockford Township

This is a long story, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the owner replies to try to undermine what I’m sharing or try to shame me for not buying a diamond, but this may be worth the read. TLDR: If you purchase from this store, make sure you have your stones tested by another jeweler, as Busch may give you CZ and be unable to identify their error or perhaps just refuse to admit that they have given you a CZ instead of the stone you paid for.

I purchased a moissanite-center ring from Busch Jewelers last year and was extremely surprised to find out from a different jeweler that Busch had given me a CZ center stone rather than the moissanite I purchased. We bought a Moissanite because that’s the stone we wanted - we did not want a diamond. After discovering that the stone was illegitimate, I immediately drove to Busch Jewelers to correct what I hoped was a simple error. We were fully expecting for Busch to identify his error and install the stone that I was sold. When we arrived, the store manager began insisting that the stone was moissanite. He then inspected the stone - measuring, identifying “natural inclusions”, and putting it in his “$5,000 diamond tester”. What he claimed were inclusions, another jeweler easily determined were scratches. We also find it concerning that he used his diamond tester/laser to “prove” to us that our stone was a true moissanite – Why would a machine designed to identify diamonds indicate "true diamond" on a moissanite? Who else have they tried to mislead with this machine? After assuring us for around 30 minutes, the manager told us that it was time for us to leave because the store was closing.

After leaving the store, we went to 2 other Rockford-area jewelry stores who immediately (and easily) identified our stone as CZ, even after the Busch Jewelers manager assured us that it was moissanite. One of the other jewelers zoomed in on our ring to show us the stamp on the stone that reads “SWARVOSKI ZIRCONIA” (see photo). We now have 3 separate jewelers who confirmed that the stone is fake, but Busch refused to realize or admit their error.

The next day, my fiancée and I decided that we would be returning the ring to Busch for a refund. Best-case scenario, there was a series of significant errors made on Busch Jewelers’ part and they lack critical knowledge of their business (they were not able to identify CZ stones and it’s amazing that they even allowed me to leave the store with an illegitimate stone in the first place). Worst-case scenario, I was intentionally misled. This is FRAUD!

Before we could arrive at the store, I received a call from the owner, Mitch. He informed me that he had identified their “honest mistake”, which was that the store never actually ordered the moissanite that I was sold, and I was just given the CZ display stone. He was incredulous when I informed him that I would be returning the ring. Upon arrival, he explained to us that it was his part-time employee’s fault that I received the wrong stone (even though he never ordered the correct stone to begin with). He also told us that his Manager lacked the knowledge and experience to identify the difference between the stones. Even the teenager at the kiosk in the mall was able to quickly identify that the stone in my ring was a CZ rather than a moissanite. Mitch spent more time blaming others than apologizing for his incompetence. I am happy that I decided to return this ring because I refuse to do business with a “jeweler” who lacks integrity, and basic knowledge of his trade.

This has been our true experience with Busch, and I could not be more disappointed. We will now be ring shopping with a reputable and trustworthy jewelry store that isn’t owned by a crook. Mitch, if you want me to “take the word ‘fraud’ out of my vocabulary”, then please take fraud out of your...

Anytime my husband and I are shopping for a any jewelry we go to Busch Jewelers of Rockford, IL. We highly recommend this business to all our friends, co-workers, friends, and so on. My family drives several hours south from Northen Wisconsin just to make all our purchases here if that tells you anything. Our entire family has been doing business at BUSCH for over 20+ years now. We believe when shopping for jewelry we want to deal with someone you can truly trust, a person you can look in the eyes and believe what they are suggesting to you, a company that has your best interest in mind. No matter the amount of the purchase big or small. We feel strongly enough that we have found that company that I wanted to take a few minutes to write this review and share our personal experience and dealings with you all. This local business stands behind their products. We enjoy the piece of mind knowing the warranty that comes with all our pieces. Or knowing that we have the ability to trade in our jewelry at anytime for the amount we paid for it (dollar for dollar) and upgrade to something new, something different, or just something bigger or better. We know they take their time to hand select and only purchase the best quality of precious stones, they always offer the best unbeatable prices if you want to try and shop around. They also offer top prices for any old or unwanted gold. At Busch I never feel like I have to wait for some kind of gimmick sale for the best time to buy! It's always the right time to buy. Ask for Mitch and deal with a true professional. He knows everything there is to know. He is a no pressure kind of guy, he is there to make sure you get exactly what you are looking for. We love that they stand behind thier products 100%, no questions asked. So again if you are planning on spending some money on any type of jewelry or wanting something custom pieces designed go talk to Mitch at Busch. You will be glad that you did. No headaches... Mitch will make sure you...

Busch Jewelers presents themselves as a family company that cares about their customers, and my experience demonstrates that they do.

I purchased a wedding ring several months before my wedding, which had to be ordered from the manufacturer, because they didn't have any stock at the time for that ring. We ordered it, and tried it on when we came in to pickup it up. It was pretty tight on my finger. I knew we could resize it later for free (a one-time free resizing), so we just took it home.

Three weeks before the wedding, we took both rings in to get resized/fitted. About a week later they called me and told me my ring had hairline cracks in it and couldn't be resized! Naturally I was pretty upset, and wasn't sure if I was going to need to use a silicone band for the wedding. When I came in one week later to see what they could do for me (I gave them the warranty card that came with my ring from the manufacturer), and explained that I didn't know what we would do for the wedding, Mitch found a ring that was set aside in a box that fit (a little loose, but I didn't care) and told me I could use that one for the wedding for free.

Two weeks after the wedding my new ring came in. They were going to charge me about $56 for the shipping (since the manufacturer warranty didn't cover that, as is standard for warranties), but once again Mitch helped me out and lowered the price by about $20. In addition, he told me I could keep the loner ring. The way I see it, the $36 I paid was a fair trade for the additional Tungsten ring I received.

I've very happy with my experience with Busch Jewelers. My wife and I both love the engagement ring we bought from them, and we love the wedding rings we got from them too. I was really worried this mixup was going to ruin our customer-business relationship with them....