Bernie's and Son Jewelers — Local services in Saint Petersburg

Went in to find a wedding band for myself. After ordering one from an online retailer, decided I would go into the store and see if there was one I would like better. Experience started off alright, I was chatting with some of the staff whom I recall from my previous visit and it was going well. You go into a jeweler to get suggestions, see what the pricing is, and all in all try to find something that can help support a local business and still have some advantage of pricing that's somewhat competitive.

The ring selection process went alright at the beginning. Bob (the owner), though seemingly annoyed continued to indulge my different ideas for finding the perfect wedding ring for myself. Making small talk with the staff, trying to coordinate with my wife on the ring via text and pictures (she's out of town). Ultimately we narrowed it down to two rings. So Bob called his supplier to get an estimate, quoted me an amount that I thought was very reasonable and mentioned it would arrive in time. Got feedback from the wife and asked for a quote on a different styled ring. He called his supplier but had to wait for a phone call back. To set the mood, store was not very busy. There was a customer getting his watch fixed and I was in no way rushed or hurrying anyone along.

Decided while we wait for that phone call I'd go next door to grab some coffee. (My card is still at Bernies by the way - from leaving it there after the original priced ring discussion). Came back in, got a notification on my watch and phone that I was charged, without discussion of the second ring quote. No confirmation of price whatsoever prior to running my card. Unacceptable. Needless to say, I get a round of congratulations and you're all set before I even make it to the counter. I look at the receipt, get a call from my wife and step outside. Clearly we're discussing at what an uncomfortable situation this has become. The fact that I got charged prior to final consideration on price from my end. So after the phone call I go back into the store.

This is where the Bob's true colors came out. I explained to Bob the situation, quite frankly I was surprised I was already charged. The same ring is online for quite a bit less with next day shipping. Bob's response, "I will give you $1,000 it's not the same ring. Great, not sure what that accomplished. The next stream of words from Bob's mouth is what really got to me though.

"You've got to be 'effin' kidding me, Man up, How dare you, You're 'effin' unbelievable, and the list goes on. There are a few choice insults that I won't mention here but let me just say that's been the first time I've been directly insulted by a store owner. Did I miss something? At what point is going into a jeweler to find options for your WEDDING band such an inconvenience? Does a restaurant owner get upset for a patron dining in their restaurant and asking questions about the menu before ordering food? I should hope not. While this is all fresh, I'm still trying to wrap my head around the barrage of direct insults which question my manhood, age, and maturity levels. Thought that was the end of it? Not even close. After patiently listening to a belligerent and upset store owner, I calmly stated, "You don't speak to me what way." Bob's response? Perfect as you would expect. "This is my store I speak to you any way I want." Ok Bob. In an age where brick and mortar is going by the wayside for online retailers, especially when some of the business you might attract includes young professionals, I would strongly suggest keeping emotions in check. Directly insulting a customer in that manner? Unacceptable. No matter what your excuse, you maintain composure if your entire brand is "luxury" and "prestige" then you maintain composure and vent to your staff or family after the customer leaves.

This was my personal experience. I will not be returning, nor will my family, friends, and coworkers. There are far too many options out there to put up with being insulted and being...

Disappointed to have to write this review, especially about a multi-generation jeweler on Beach Drive. Jewelry is both luxury and sentimental, and therefore one expects the jeweler to not only be a masterful craftsman but also to have exceptional customer service and an appreciation for luxury and sentimentality.

I went to Bernie & Sons to have my Fiance's ring engraved. Following the engraving process, they polished the ring. I didn't notice at the time, but subsequently my Fiance noticed that during the polishing process they had completely removed the rhodium plating from the white gold on the bottom half of the ring where they made the engraving. As newbie's to the jewelry industry we assumed it was from the engraving and so we took it back to Bernie's & Sons for repair.

When we approached the Father and Son team - we approached them all smiles, still in our honeymoon phase from the proposal - were met by the Father and Son with rather unexpected hostility, defensiveness, and a general lack of humility.

They said the damage wasn't their fault and it was my fault.

They said that because I inspected the ring with a loupe after the engraving I had no right to ask them to repair the ring. Agreed I inspected the lettering, however, admittedly I hadn't noticed the yellowing.

That doesn't change the fact that two other independent jewelers said it was obviously done from the polish - it is an industry known thing that when you polish white gold you remove the rhodium coating, therefore the bright white color is lost and it shows some yellowness from the gold beneath. The Father and Son would have known this as well.

Unfortunately, the Father and Son team didn't care and didn't have any interest in "making things right". It's a shame that they were more concerned about their egos, rather than a client's damaged ring and the ensuing damage to their reputation that this would cause.

I subsequently spoke to the Son over the phone who admittedly has better manners than the Father, still subpar I might add. I had to remind him that his attitude to this relatively small repair had cost him additional business - I wanted to buy a pair of earring studs and a tennis bracelet this year. I also relayed that I had evidence from two other jewelers who from inspecting it could easily verify that it was damage done by polishing. Only then did he offer to repair the damage.

While I appreciate this gesture - it's a shame it took so much effort and such a dry throat. Unfortunately my Fiance was greatly disheartened from the entire experience and prefers we take our business elsewhere.

This is a case of Bernie's & Sons tripping over dollars to pick up pennies - and caring more about their egos than their reputation.

Nowadays a lot of people are turning to online retailers and going abroad for jewelry because they are treated with much more respect and care when making such expensive and sentimental purchases.

I sincerely hope that this Father and Son team improve their customer service, humility, and desire to achieve genuine client satisfaction - so that it matches their prime location on Beach Drive.

Written with the utmost respect to Bernie's & Sons. Hopefully this is a teachable moment so the same isn't repeated to other clients. At the same time, hopefully it's a cautionary tale to others so they can interview the Father and Son team and see if their client service and humility has improved before they make such sentimental and expensive purchases...

I’m trying to be impartial with my review.

My fiancé brought our engagement ring to get engraved here. The ring is white gold (18K plated with rhodium). Immediately after he proposed, I noticed the band had yellow spots around the engraving. Upon closer inspection, we believe that it was caused here after the engraving, when they polished it.

My fiancé and I came back to raise the issue, we politely explained the above and that we believe it happened here because I have barely worn the ring (it’s been less than a week). They said they caused no damage before even inspecting the ring closely. I gently handed over the ring to them, but they only looked at it with the naked eye. They returned the ring by placing it on the glass counter (not in a gentle manner) instead of handing it back to us. When you go to jewelry stores, jewelry is carefully placed on velvet because you’re dealing with fine pieces in a luxury business.

While my fiancé said he inspected the ring in the store after the engraving and polishing, he was fixated on the engraving and not looking for yellow spots (under certain light, the spots are difficult to notice). I noticed the yellow spots under full white light.

They said that the yellowing could be because of skin contact and reactivity, but I’ve barely worn the ring (it’s only been a week) and the yellow spots are not uniformly distributed where my skin makes contact. I’m super careful with jewelry (I don’t do chores with it, I don’t wear it to bed, I don’t cook with it, I don’t shower with it).

I thanked them for the engraving regardless of the issue we believe they caused.

After I posted my original review (which was more emotional than this one), the store replied back immediately and defensively stating that it was our fault, and they again argued that it must be because I have acidic skin. My fiancé called them back to further discuss, and they offered to re-plate the ring at no cost without admitting any wrongdoing. My fiancé is a gentleman and good with his words, he displayed patience with the store, and neutral ground was reached, but I’m afraid trust has been broken because it shouldn’t have taken so much time and stress by my fiancé to arrive at what is such a simple resolution.

Jewelry is precious, and engagement rings even more so because of the emotional significance. When dealing with luxury items and jewelry - trust, professionalism, and customer awareness are paramount. Unfortunately I don’t have trust to return here again, and we will fix our engagement ring elsewhere.

Edit: other jewelers agree with us. After inspecting the damage under microscope, they said the only logical explanation is that it happened after the engraving and during the polishing step because polishing is how rhodium is removed when re-plating white gold (this store polished the ring after...