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Wow, that's really crazy! Isadoras was one of the places we were going to go to when looking for my ring because I wanted antique but we went to Alana in Northgate first and I found my ring there. I can't believe they didn't give you a full appraisal and report conducted by an independent 3rd party, I've never heard of a jewelry store not doing that. It also seems they should know what year it is, or the appraiser should be able to at least give an accurate date within a close range. Of course you still love your ring, but you're right, it's still a total bummer to find out you've pretty much been taken advantage of. If you ever find yourself looking for antique jewelry in the future I highly recommend Alana...I was wary because it's in the mall, but it was great and we got so much education (without asking) on our purchase.
I am so sorry you had this experience at Isadoras. When ring shopping between Isadora's and Alexandria Rossoff, we also found the prices and information at Isadora's to be a bit off 
That's so funny because i had the opposite experience with Isodoras. I got my ring there, was able to, prior to purchase, see the Independent Gemologists Report (which has the year on it as close as it could be approximated), and they said they could resize it if need be and I have free cleanings for life. I found the ring very comparable to other places in price and quality, but the customer service and experience was MUCH better. I am extremely pleased with my ring, and very sorry that you have a less than stellar experience!
My husband and I bought his wedding band from Isadora's and I was also less than pleased with the experience. I was shocked that they didn't offer a free resizing, and also surprised that it cost $75 to do it! To top it all off, when my husband went to pick up his band, they didn't even give him a box for it!! They just put it in a tiny ziplock bag. We were SUPER disappointed and probably won't be going back there.
To Janie and those interested...
I was researching on line and found this blog and felt it was important to say a couple of things...
We are celebrating 40 years in business this November, and the pathway to success has been our customer service and product. This also is done with knowing that we are unable to please everyone. Staying true to antique pieces is our mission, and in order to inform our clients of what they are purchasing, we provide independent appraisals on our pieces. We do not overcharge for anything in our store. In fact, with the economy being undeniably challenging for the last few years, we try our best to offer discounts on every piece in the store. Knowing good and well that we weren't there when each piece was made, to give an exact date is impossible. This is the nature of Circa dating, which allows for the uncertainty, but tries to narrow it down. Most of our rings are in the 70-100 year old range. The majority of our clients are very specific about wanting an antique ring and do not expect #4 on the list. If it is noteworthy, it will be on the appraisal, and is accounted for in assessing value. We know that they are made with quality of craftsmanship, gorgeous stone cutting and scrumptious metals. Beyond that, they have lived a life much longer than most of ours. That does not make them flawed, or that we are trying to hide defects. Overall, I feel like your post was not very thoughtful. We are here for our clients, and stand behind our merchandise. It is also very important for us to educate people, as many of these pieces are very important investments, and we want people to feel confident in them. To post in a public forum things that appear to be bias, and in some cases very hard for me to believe seems a little faint of heart. I am only glad that I found it, because having negative things circulating on the internet is unfair to a business that strives everyday of the year to make people happy.
If anyone is interested in a truly authentic antique piece we would invite you to come in and have your unique experience! We enjoy our store and our clients, and I suspect you will feel that when you come in. It is our pleasure to see the pure joy on peoples faces when they slide on that "perfect ring"! If anyone has not had a pleasant experience, we urge you to share with us directly. It feels more authentic and gives us an opportunity to correct any less than excellent feelings you may have.
Thanks!
Elizabeth, manager of Isadora's Antique Jewelry
Wow, Elizabeth from Isadora's. I'm surprised by your defensive stance about the reviews. You can't possibly assume that your business is doing everything 100% right 100% of the time. Some people will have negative experiences, and the ones that Janie-janie and antiquebride have shared are perfectly valid. I don't think it's horrible that they shared their displeasure in having to pay for resizing, particularly when almost all other places (even stores that sell antique jewelry) will do this for free.
Rather than say that Janie-Janie's review is "faint of heart", there are a few things you could take from her review.
#1. It seems her and her fiance were told many different dates of when her ring was from. Yet you have this explanation of Circa dating, which perfectly explains why the dates they were given were different. However, I am sure if she was given this explanation, she would have understood, and wouldn't have included it as a negative aspect of her experience with your store. Perhaps this means that you should refresh with your employees the importance of explaining your process of Circa dating to the individuals who come into your store.
#2. "Scrumptious metals" aside, it is your business's responsibility to asses the value of a stone before you sell it to a consumer. If a consumer can find a flaw by running her finger over it, then clearly this is something that the experienced employees of your store should have found. I don't blame her one bit for being not only disappointed in the flaw (since it was not pointed out when it was purchased) but also being further aggrevated by the fact that it was appraised at 2/3 the value at which her fiance paid for it.
As someone managing a business, you should be fully aware that a person who has a great experience somewhere will tell one person; a person who has a negative experience will tell 10 people (and thanks to the internet, hundreds and thousands). I am SHOCKED that you didn't offer to contact janie-janie off line and offer her something to make up for the fact that she was so disappointed with her experience. Or even an APOLOGY. Instead, you criticized her for sharing her opinion, something that she is fully in her right to do in whatever forum she chooses. The way you responded to her makes it clear that you only care about defending your business and not about the experiences that people have there.
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I wanted to write a review for this, but I can't until I'm actually married. so I thought I'd post a thread to educate others. I wanted to like Isadora's, I really really did! I love antiques, and I love supporting small local businesses. I don’t want to write a bad review about a small business, but here goes…
my FI bought my e-ring from this store. I'm sure the customer service was really friendly and helpful. The design of the ring is absolutely beautiful. but a few things happened that I think are unfortunate:
1. they didn't offer free resizing. wtf? it's a vintage ring, it's not like you get to choose the size. the chances of it fitting the bride are very low! they should offer at least one free resizing! I had to pay $50 for it.
2. every time my FI or I came to the store, they would give us a different date that it was from. So, according to which employee you speak to, the ring is from the 20’s, 30’s or 40’s. if they need to give us a ballpark figure on when the ring was made, I wish they would at least all settle on one date and stick to it! each employee telling us a different date made them seem a little disorganized and uninformed.
3. the price: since it was vintage, we had to get it appraised for the insurance company. the ring came back worth only 2/3 of the price he paid for it. let's just say he overspent by A LOT. and there is no way we can go back and complain-- the store that appraised my ring has a policy that they will not appraise it for one whole year, just for this very reason, so we would not go back and use the appraisal to argue with the store. my FI feels duped and a little ripped off. it would be OK if it was just a few hundred dollars over the price, but I feel like it being worth 2/3 of the price tag is pretty big.
4. it has chips around the girdle and a visible inclusion on the top. now, I know that not all jewelry stores educate the customer. They just want to sell you a ring. it’s too bad that my FI did not do his homework before he went ring shopping, but I still feel like the jewelry store should have at least pointed out the chips so he’d know he was buying a damaged diamond!!
I didn’t discover the chips until months later —I felt them one day when I was running my fingernail over the edge. You have to look really really hard to see them. My FI was so bummed out when I told him. He was so crestfallen, I wished I hadn’t told him! of course the store didn’t point out the inclusion, and I haven’t told him either because I don’t want him to get any more angry. There is nothing we can do about it now, so why should I concern him! I love my flawed ring as-is and told my FI that it was ok. And really, it was ok until we got that appraisal back. That’s when I got really irked. I just feel like they kind of ripped us off.
Again, I’ll say that I know my FI should have done his homework before he went shopping. He’s a very smart guy but he doesn’t know from jewelry! What average guy does, really? But I feel like a good jewelry store should offer education!
Anyway, I still love my flawed ring. but thinking about Isadora’s burns me just a little.
Thanks, I hope this review helps others! And feel free to post if you had a good or bad experience with them! maybe I am the only unhappy customer!