Capucelli — Local services in Town of North Hempstead

Cannot recommend Capucelli. We ordered a 3.5 ct diamond tennis necklace as an anniversary gift. This was a large purchase that was made with careful consideration. I had read mixed reviews but overall I was confident that their items were of good quality and value. We ordered a sample piece and although their policy is that they are non-refundable (learned that after the fact), we had no idea that the company would nickel and dime and be so uncaring when an issue came up.

Good parts first. Shipping was free and pretty fast and they sent it via Fedex with signature required. The necklace itself is very pretty, diamonds were sparkly, and it was made very well (secure clasp). There are stories online (Reddit, Pricescope, etc...) that indicate that the specifications of the diamonds don't always match the pieces themselves (not the color or clarity described), but in this case, I did feel that the diamonds were nice. On a piece like this that was pretty narrow (close to 1.6mm), it's hard to gauge the quality though because the diamonds are itty-bitty. Packaging is also very nice. The necklace came in a pretty soft pink presentation box with a little drawer for paperwork and a cleaning cloth.

I tried it on. It was a 17" length. I planned on wearing it with a Tiffany 16" necklace that I wear on a daily basis. Within minutes the problems began. It started flipping and twisting, pulling hair at the nape of my neck. It got tangled with my Tiffany necklace, so layering was not going to work, so I removed that one. Again it started pulling at my hair.. I thought maybe I could still be OK with it if I kept running my hand along the edge of it every so often. But how feasible is it to do this all day? Within minutes, the pulling was so bad and painful that clumps of hair were coming out. I was so disappointed.

When I reached out to them they of course pointed out to their sample piece policy and said my only option was a credit. Neither I or my husband were OK with this. We did not want any other piece from Capucelli. It took days e-mailing back and forth until they agreed to a return with a $200 restock fee after one of the founders got in on the e-mail exchange. Other options were we could get another necklace made in a different length (that would not make the pulling go away, btw), or we could take the credit and pick something else out. Really? So we have to pay Capucelli money for the experience of having a necklace pull chunks of hair out of my head simply because it was a surplus stock sample piece? After more days of e-mailing they lowered the re-stocking fee by 2%. Mind you, we had already offered to pay for return shipping with insurance, as well as offering a lower re-stock fee that was a meet-in-the-middle amount. But they just nickel and dimed.

I just did not understand how they refused to take it back for a full refund as an exception in this case. I understand the idea of sample sales, but it is different when you can't inspect or try on an item ahead of time. I would also like to note, that although their policy on these pieces is on their website, they really should make it more clear by perhaps adding some text in the item title, description, and especially on the receipt and paperwork that comes with the item. But now looking back, I see why they do what they do. It seems that many people return items to them because they don't live up the expectation. In my case, I thought the necklace was beautiful, but it was just painful to wear, literally. And a little bit of customer service would have been nice, perhaps an apology for the experience or just simply offering a refund to begin with as an exception. Very...

I typically don't like to write negative reviews since I know at times mistakes can happen with any business. In this case I wanted to relay my experience as an international customer. I was drawn to Capucelli due to the other positive reviews and advertised great prices for the high quality jewelry pieces. I ordered a 3.5 ct 14.5" tennis necklace. Before purchasing the necklace I specifically contacted Capucelli customer service to ensure that the necklace could be made adjustable. I was advised that I should specify that the necklace would be adjustable with a lobster clasp under the notes section of the order. When I received the necklace it was not adjustable and had the standard clasp which is defective (it tends to click out of place). I contacted Capucelli to let them know that I didn't receive the correct product and the response was "we are sorry for that" and a request for where to send the return label. Once they received the original necklace they would remake it. Unfortunately living outside the U.S. I would have to pay significant duties and taxes to have another necklace sent to me. After letting them know of this issue, I didn't receive any additional responses from them. While the necklace is very pretty, it is not the product I ordered nor can it be returned and remade since I would end up paying an upwards of $600+ more for a mistake that the company made. The lack of follow up emails is an indication that they would not be willing to cover the additional costs involved the remake the necklace.

Some additional issues/concerns... Email communication is not great. I often had to text message the support team in order to receive an email response. I cannot vouch for the true quality of the necklace since it did not come with any certificate of authenticity (this should have been included with the necklace as noted on their website). The necklace has a subtle shine. It could be that if you order a larger carat weight you will get more reflection from the diamonds. I was looking for more of an everyday look so I opted for the smaller carat weight. Again, I have no way of knowing the true quality unless I have the necklace appraised. The necklace does turn. This was a concern of mine and it's not uncommon with tennis necklaces, however, I was ensured by customer service that it would not turn as this was another question I had before ordering.

I really wish this would have been a positive experience for me and it would have definitely been easier if I lived in the U.S. There should be systems and checks in place to ensure that the customer is receiving the correct product especially given that it's a fine jewelry piece and that the company markets selling their products internationally. Customer support email communication is also a weak area for this company. I found the email response to my concern very strange with little accountability given the significant error...

Sadly, the necklace I purchased was not the piece I'd hoped it would be (the 3.50 ct. 1.6mm 4 prong setting sample sale diamond tennis necklace for $2446 after a 10% discount)...the white gold chain was very thin and the diamonds, while sparkly, were not well color matched and varied in shades of more white to yellowish to gray. A few of the diamonds were hazy - certainly included and not VS/SI2 as noted in the description. I'd done a lot of research about tennis necklaces and knew the risk of the chain rolling...but this necklace only maintained a diamonds forward-facing position about 1/3 of the time. Although I had read the return policy, I overlooked that there are no refunds for sample sale pieces (my error!) and only store credits, so worked with a local jeweler to try and strengthen some of the bonds between the links with laser welding, but no luck - the necklace was still just super floppy. I tried 2 jewelers to trade the necklace in, but they wouldn't take it as the quality wasn't to their standards. I decided to cut my losses and sell the necklace on The RealReal and at least made $1500 back which I invested in a much better quality diamond tennis necklace (from The RealReal) with much whiter, consistent quality diamonds and a much denser, stronger white gold chain that rarely rolls. It cost $2995 and is absolutely stunning and had no signs of wear. I appreciate what Capucelli is doing, but unfortunately the necklace I ordered just didn't quite measure up to what I'd hoped...