Burnell's Fine Jewelry and Design — Local services in Wichita

I commissioned a wedding band from Burnell’s sometime last month and was really excited about it. I have a tapered engagement ring, and a custom band was recommended by them in order to ensure a proper fit. I repeatedly said I did not want my rings soldered together (it came up a lot), and I was assured that it wouldn’t be necessary, and I would still receive a great fit between the two bands. Everyone I spoke to was kind and helpful, I didn’t think twice about trusting them with something so important.

I went to pick my ring up yesterday, and nothing but headaches have followed. There is a significant gap between my custom band and my engagement ring. Not only is it not flattering, it isn’t what I agreed to. I was then told in order to get the two bands to fit together, I would have to have them soldered together. The whole point of the custom band was to avoid that. The whole point of the custom band was to have a wedding band that fit my engagement ring like a puzzle piece. I do a lot of things that are unsafe for my old, damaged diamond, and I need a plain band to wear in its absence. I need a set that isn’t soldered together. I made that clear from the very beginning.

After receiving my ring, I expressed my concerns to the (co?) owner, who was one of the people I initially spoke with when commissioning the ring, he informed me that no jewelry store in town could make a wedding band that would fit my engagement ring without soldering, but last month when I placed the order I was told the exact opposite – I was told THEY could do it! I never would have ordered the band had I heard anything but “This will fit your engagement ring and you won’t have to solder them together.” Had they just said, “No, we can’t do this, what you want is impossible” I would have accepted it, thanked them for their honesty, and picked something else!

They refused to refund the money. I can totally understand why they don’t refund money for custom rings, but here’s my problem: They told me they could do this. They told me that I could have a non-soldered set that still fit together. Now that it’s finished and it hasn’t worked out, suddenly an non-soldered set is completely impossible for my current engagement ring. Human error is unavoidable no matter where you go, I’m not upset that they made a mistake or a bad judgement call, I’m upset that I paid $600 for their trial and error. It’s not like I randomly decided I didn’t like it, or I called off my wedding and don’t need it anymore. They didn’t hold up their end of the bargain. It’s infuriating, and since it’s so close to my wedding, it’s heartbreaking, too.

When I went in today to ask for my money back, the jeweler said I should at least give him an opportunity to fix it. Guess what is idea of fixing it is? Soldering the rings together. Remember how I keep saying that was the whole point of the custom band? He kept insisting he wanted to make things right, but his only solution was the exact opposite of what needed to happen. Even if I allowed him to solder it together, which I almost did out of desperation, I’d still be receiving what I didn’t pay for, what I specifically stated I did not want from the beginning. Not cool, Burnell’s.

In addition to this mess, they cut into the setting on my engagement ring. I don’t know how I’m supposed to wear my engagement ring by itself when the setting now looks lopsided and fragile because it was butchered. I can’t believe I trusted them with something so precious, and I can’t believe my engagement ring is basically destroyed, especially since it’s so close to my wedding. I feel sick every time I look at it.

I know that it’s a wedding tradition to have at least one thing go tragically, horribly wrong, but the last thing I expected was for Burnell’s to put me in that position. Now I'm a bride with a damaged engagement ring and no wedding band a week away from her wedding. Don't make my mistake. Don't trust Burnell's with...

I had a great experience with Burnell's. I had a specific ring concept in mind, and perhaps went a little overboard by making a five page document of edited images to express what I wanted, but Burnell's was able to help me create what I was looking for. I had taken this document to several jewelers in town to get a quote, Burnell's was the best price and the only jeweler that took it upon themselves to draft the first computer renderings of my engagement ring when they returned the quote, all without any commitment on my end. With some small adjustments, I was able to get my design made just how I wanted. I worked with an associate named Sean Hamlin who was very helpful and patiently answered my questions throughout the process. My now fiance loves her ring, and she was thrilled when she found out that I got it custom made. I highly recommend Burnell's Fine Jewelry and Design to anyone looking for affordable price, helpful staff, and incredible results. My recommendations for making a custom ring: -Bring in a pretty good idea of what you're looking for. I photo-shopped, outlined, and annotated images to describe what I was looking for. -Expect 3-4...

Went to Brunell's based on a friend's recommendation and I'm glad we did. I needed my wedding ring repaired since I had worn the bottom of it thin and there was a crack. This was the second time in over 31 years I needed this type of repair. We spoke to Shawn and he was great! He showed it to the jeweler and then told me how they were going to repair it. I believe the last time it was soldered but this time the replaced the bottom half of the ring. They even took the time to clean and check my wife's rings. He told me the cost of the repairs and that it would take 2 weeks. One week and six days later I received a text that it was done. Went to pick it up and another gentleman helped us. He was great as well. He handed me my ring and when I unwrapped it I couldn't believe my eyes! It was beautiful and it looked better than new! They had cleaned and polished it and you couldn't tell it had been repaired. The price was what I was told it would be. The gentleman told me to bring it back anytime I need it cleaned, polished or repaired. Great people, great service and the price was less than we thought it would be. They have earned...