Appelblom Jewelry Co. — Local services in San Mateo

I'm happy for the other customers who had 5-star experiences, but what we encountered was extremely upsetting and disappointing. I waited very long to write this, but I just feel compelled to share our experience, so as to protect fellow customers who are looking to make their engagement rings without heartbreak or delay.

Initial consultation (Week 1, late January) My boyfriend and I went to Appelblom on an appointment to have an engagement ring custom-made. My boyfriend had previously been in contact with Jennifer about the design he wanted: he had the design drawn out on Powerpoint, sent it over email, and the appointment was for a formal face-to-face, get sized and decide on materials. Sizing was quick and conversation was pleasant. My boyfriend then stayed to discuss the finer details of the exact design (rose petal-shaped prongs) to make sure that everything was communicated. I would like to emphasize that during that meeting, he was also very specific about the designs we did not want, because we had done our homework on what was already on the market. Jennifer verbally confirmed and repeated our request of "what-not-to-make". We paid Appelblom a $150 fee to draw a CAD for our design that was unique and not available on the market.

Email exchange 1 (Week 3): Jennifer emailed us to tell us (I quote from the email) "I have spoken with our goldsmith about your ring. He understands that style that you want. The photos and drawings were helpful... the structure is too delicate and will not hold up..would need to be hand made, so you would not be able to see at CAD. (He could make a CAD, but it wouldn't make a good casting and would probably break because it is too thin." We were understanding of the limitation, were OK with a hand-made ring, but asked for a CAD to be drawn anyway, so that we know what we're getting. In the same exchange, she/the goldsmith recommended a completely different design, which we gently declined because it was completely against our style. The email exchange concluded with an agreement that a CAD will be drawn up and sent over soon.

Email exchange 2 (Week 4): We were sent a 'preliminary' CAD, which was 1. a design that was already on the market, 2. the exact design that we specifically declined during our 1st consultation, and 3. was tulip-shaped. Giving her the benefit of doubt, we communicated our specifications for a rose again, referred them to our drawings, and waited for the next update.

Email exchange 3 (Week 5): This time, she sent over a CAD of a ring with chrysanthemum-shaped petals. At that point, we were starting to feel very disappointed because our instructions were clear on a ring would have rose-shaped petals, and it was difficult to see how a rose could be interpreted into different flowers. We responded with suggestions on how to design the petal layering as well (because that was not done in the 2nd CAD as requested). We were told that the ring will need to be hand-made, with no CAD, and to decide on whether we want to hand-make the ring or settle on any of the CADs that were sent. At the end of this email chain, we decided to ask for our money back, because they have neither fulfilled our requests in any form requested, nor seemed to understand our requests at all. We've contacted them twice about this, and still have not received any reply.

Overall impressions/Conclusions: This shop and goldsmith have trouble understanding clients' requests/specifications. They are overly confident in claiming understanding when they clearly don't. We worked hard with them about communicating what we wanted, but time and again we got the impression that they did not understand what we said, and did not clarify when they were confused either. We felt scammed. We gave very explicit instructions (which Jennifer confirmed in-person) about the on-market designs we did not want, yet they sent us a CAD of the exact design off the shelf. We wondered if they were hoping we won’t notice.

Update in June: received our money back after being contacted...

The anniversary ring that my husband bought for me for our 20th wedding anniversary lost a diamond. I had worn this ring everyday since he gave it to me, and we would have been married 41 years this month. My husband passed away almost 2 years ago now, so this ring is priceless to me now. I took the ring into a jeweler in Redwood City where I live, and after keeping it for 3 weeks, they told me that the ring was just too worn, and if they replaced the diamond, they couldn't guarantee that I wouldn't lose more diamonds out of it. I search the web, and found good reviews with Appelblom Jewelry in San Mateo. I took a chance and drove up there with my ring. The minute I walked into the store and talked with the wonderful people there, I felt like I had come to the right place. I explained the situation to them. They were very caring, and put my mind at ease that they could fix my ring. After having it a week, they called to tell me what the other jeweler had, that the ring was really worn down, but they suggested that they could fix the ring by remaking it using the same gold and diamonds that are currently in it. It would look identical to my original ring, and the cost was very reasonable too. I went for it, and I'm so glad I did! The ring came out looking just like new, and should last me another 20 years now! They also fixed a broken prong on my wedding ring, and cleaned and polished both rings up like new. It made me cry when I saw them. I am more then pleased with this jeweler, and I'll be back to them in the future. I will also refer all my friends to them too. They were caring, gave me really quick service, and just all around...

This review is long overdue, but my husband and I had wonderful experiences at Appelblom purchasing both our engagement rings and wedding bands! It was really important for us to find a jeweler that was local, but we also truly enjoyed the thoughtfulness, attentiveness, and service from the entire team! For our engagement, Jennifer and team also helped to plan our double-proposal (my husband had no idea at the time that I was going to propose to him, too)! I can't even begin to tell you how impressed I was with the team's commitment and dedication to making sure that our double-proposal went smoothly, and the rings themselves were absolutely stunning! In addition, my engagement ring was completely customized, but Jennifer and Paul knew exactly what the vision was for the ring, and absolutely delivered! I've received so many compliments on my engagement ring that I can't even count! In addition, my husband's engagement ring was gorgeous!

When it came time to purchase our wedding bands, the process was extremely simple, and Jennifer helped us choose fantastic rings. We really appreciate how many options are available at Appelblom, both for engagement rings and wedding rings. If there is a unique ring you are looking to buy, we absolutely recommend checking out Appelblom and working with the team. We are so happy we had the opportunity to work with them, and we will definitely come back in the future for more jewelry purchases. Thank you Jennifer, Paul, and the entire Appelblom team for making our entire ring shopping experience a dream - from the engagement, all the way to our wedding day!...