If you've ever been to a retail chain (and hopefully you weren't duped by their sales tactics) but they're stuff has jacked up prices, poor customer service, and sub-standard diamonds that are not GIA certified (Seriously... GIA only People!) Finding a local jeweler will ALWAYS be your best option. When I first starting hinting that I wanted to be engaged-- I started my search for Chicago area jewelers and hinting to my now fiancé to check out the work done at Gale Diamonds. After searching their website for only a few minutes I fell in love with several of the pave pieces. If you're looking for expert work, gorgeous GIA diamonds and a personal experience...working with Mike Gale at Gale Diamond is the best place for you. I was only there for the initial meeting where Mike show me and my fiancé our options for bands, settings, sizing and center diamonds . My Fiancé, who wasn't any sort of expert in the ring shopping department, then was left on his own. When my fiancé teamed up with Mike to design my CUSTOM engagement ring... they literally created the ring of my dreams that I get compliments on ALL the time. I could not be happier and am thrilled to be returning to Mike to have both of our weddings bands made (mine will match my engagement ring perfectly!) My Fiancé had the following to say: "Mike was patient, honest and didn't try to upsell to something that wasn't in our budget. He met deadlines, crafted a PERFECT custom engagement ring, and was well worth the money. There is not a day goes by that we are not complemented on the ring. I would recommend Mike without reservation and urge you to have him be your FIRST stop--you will not be disappointed in the experience!" If you are in the market for custom rings, or any other jewelry for that matter (He does everything!), please do yourself a favor and visit Mike at Gale Diamonds! You won't be disappointed! The smile on my face every time I put my ring on is proof of it! read more

Mike was great! I walked in with a budget and an idea that was over budget and he made it WORK!!!! My wife loves her ring and Mike has cleaned it up for me on occasion for free. There should be more people like Mike! He'll definitely give you an education on what you're spending your money on, with respect to diamonds. read more

Mike was recommended to me in order to design an engagement ring that would hold the loose center stone I purchased. In our first phone conversation, it was obvious how much Mike knows and cares about jewelry. I spent 5 months doing research online, and while this hardly makes me a certified gemologist, I wasn't walking in blind. Mike impressed me with his knowledge, and I immediately decided to do business with him. Upon our first meeting, we discussed what the design would be. My girlfriend (now fiancee!) had given me some ideas, but I had a pretty long leash. Mike guided me through the design process, never pushing what he thought over what I wanted. I truly feel that I played a significant role in the design of the ring, which made such an important piece even more personal. The initial CAD drawing was emailed to me, and I gave Mike the go-ahead to produce a wax version I could see in person. When we met again, Mike asked me what I thought about the size of the side stones. The wax was hardly a good representation, since it held no stones, but I felt that they would be a bit too large, lending a gaudier look to the ring. Mike agreed with me wholeheartedly, and immediately went to work re-drafting the design. This meant more work for him, but less money, since we would be using smaller stones. This exemplifies the work that Mike does; it's going to be perfect, regardless of the profit margin. I proposed to my girlfriend outside, and the sunlight coming off the ring was dazzling. When she shows it off to friends and family, the most common comment is "Tell Glenn well done!" This is my way of telling Mike "Well done!" read more

I was looking for an engagement ring for my fiance to be and I came across Mike's website on this search engine (and others). After seeing positive reviews across the board, I thought I'd schedule an appointment. At this point my fiance and I had already visited more than a handful of jewelers, and we already had a ring picked out at another jeweler. We visited Mike as kind of a "let's look at one more place before we commit." Turns out seeing Mike was the best decision we made. A lot of jewelers we saw prior to Mike didn't provide us with alot of information regarding what we should be looking for in a stone. They would just show us stones that were in our range without really any kind insight on them. As Mike told us, he only deals with GIA certified diamonds, accept no others. Aside from the four Cs, there were other things to consider, such as the table to depth ratio, and what kind of settings fit the stone selected. Mike has been in the business over 20 years and he has been successful due to his excellent customer service. Throughout the process Mike was very accomodating, and wasn't happy until we were happy. I could tell that he took joy in helping make our dreams come true. He customer made the ring, and my fiance cannot be happier. I could go on and on, but I know that I will be going to Mike for any future jewelry purchases and will definitely recommend all my friends to him. read more

Mikes service and quality were above and beyond. He tailors with your needs, requests, and the end product is spot on and customized. Couldn't be happier with the outcome and my fiancée gets compliments non stop. Thanks Mike! read more

I recently bought an engagement ring from Mike and he was the best Jeweler that I dealt with. I had evaluated a few other in the area but he made me feel the most comfortable. You don't get the used car salesman treatment with Mike. He's very welcoming and very flexible with you on several items. I was referred by 2 of my friends who also purchased through Mike and I'm glad I went this route. Great experience, highly recommended!! read more

After doing months of research and pricing all around the Chicago area, I found Mike. Most of the jewelers down on Jeweler's Row were rude, impatient and didn't seem to be interested in talking to me. The stones they were showing me were not the what I was looking for. For two month's salary I was definitely going to do my homework. I literally went to every jeweler down there and also the big retail jewelers in the city and burbs. The jewelers in the city are generally dishonest and the jewelers and in the burbs are generally overpriced. I initially didn't find Mike because his office is a half block south of the main Jeweler's Row. When I called Mike I was immediately reassured that there are some honest, patient, and experienced jewelers left in this city. He told me he does business the old-school way. We chatted for a bit and I went down to see him the next day. I made a quick call to a reputable gemologist (not a broker and not affiliated with Mike) to ask about Mike's reputation. He told me that Mike was a very solid guy and he knew him well. Our appointment was great. He has a very relaxed way of doing business. He showed me the type of grade of diamond I was looking for. I wanted a very nice colorless, one karat, near flawless, princess cut stone. He had many to choose from. Mike also recommended that I go with a GIA certified stone. I took his advice and I am very happy I did because it only adds value and certainty of the grade of stone. I also went with a custom Tiffany style four-pronged white gold setting; which Mike and I designed. Everything turned out amazing. After I proposed, I brought my now fiancee to meet him and thank him. He gave us a gift! In this day and age you will not find a jeweler as caring, educated, and honest. Period. Do yourself a favor. Call Mike. Dave read more

I started working with Mike Gale in the winter of 2011. I found him online and spoke with him and various other jewelers in the area. Like most people, I considered mainstream stores (Jared's, Tiffany's etc.). My fiancé and I had found a beautiful ring at CD Peacock that we wanted to get. I ended up meeting with Mike and he looked at the design of the ring and could replicate it. He patiently spent time looking at stones with me for the setting and had a computer draw out of the ring for me in a couple days. From beginning to end, his service was top notch, and the patience he had was amazing. In the end, I ended up with a ring that was almost identical to the originally design. I say almost, only because we were able to make minor changes that made vast improvements to the original design. The stones that we ended up selecting were significantly higher quality than I had been expecting for my price range. He never tried to push the price higher. He offered me things in my price range. The final design had a large center stone with two smaller stones next to it and small diamonds down the band. Because you have to match the color to the center, and because we were looking at radiant cut diamonds, it was difficult to find matching stones. He spent a lot of time looking for the right ones. The final ring is absolutely breathe taking. It is significantly better than the original...and better than I was expecting. At the end, I think I saved at least 50% from picking it up at CD Peacock, and the quality of the stones is superb. At one point, there was a small stone that had a slight inclusion, and he was reluctant to use the whole set because he is that much of a perfectionist. He will really take care of you...spend as much time as necessary...and build the most beautiful ring you could imagine. I can't wait to start working on the wedding bands. He also was working under a time crunch from my end...and he had no problem meeting the deadline. But next time, I won't make it so difficult on him. I will never buy fine jewelry any where else! read more

Mike was by far the best and most helpful wholesale jeweler I found in Chicago. As I started to look for engagement rings, I met with over 20 retailers and wholesalers in Chicago. Mike impressed me with (1) his motivation not just to "sell" me a ring and (2) his deep knowledge of all aspects of the process. I worked with Mike over the course of several weeks to find the exact ring that aligned to both the style and price I wanted. His craftsmanship with the process, communication, and willingness to help with parallel components (appraisals, insurance, etc.) was very impressive. I've recommended Mike to several of my good friends, and would happy to talk to anyone interested in more detail. I'd recommend Mike to anyone! read more

Mike does a great job he has designed many rings for our family. Wedding bands for my parents and my wife and I. He never disappoints and always try to get you exactly what you want. read more

My experience at Gale Diamonds has been perfect. Mike designed a beautiful ring for my fiance, and she absolutely loved it! The price was better than I could have imagined and the ring is stunning. Mr. Gale was gracious throughout the process and I will certainly recommend him to anyone in the market...and I'll go back to him as well. I do not live in Chicago and it was still a seamless ordeal...thanks again, Mike! read more

I recently purchased a diamond engagement ring from Mr. Gale and I would never go anywhere else for future jewely purchases. Mr. Gale does business the 'old fashion' way. He takes the time to understand what the customer likes and dislikes, finds out what their budget constraints are, and does everything possible to work within those parameters. Mr. Gale is very personable and, above anything else, he clearly values servicing his customers. While I was somewhat overwhelmed when I began this process, Mr. Gale quickly eased all of my anxieties because of his honesty, trustworthiness, and inegrity. I felt as if I was doing business with a long time trusted friend. read more

I strongly discourage anyone from doing business with Mike Gale. After finding positive reviews for him, I went to him to make an engagement ring for my girlfriend. He explained that he works with people's budgets and builds a ring that fits what they're willing to spend. I described the type of ring I was looking for. He broke down the costs and gave me an estimate. Things seemed okay until the ring was finished and he came back and told me that it cost almost 25% more than the estimate he gave me. I was outraged! I unfortunately didn't have it in writing, but he had originally told me that he had a history of giving people low estimates so raised the estimate and told me it wouldn't be any more than that. The final ring was also thinner which meant it contained less gold and smaller diamonds than the initial design. This should have brought down the cost from his initial estimate, but yet he still managed to overcharge me. Even if the costs were legitimate, he should have brought the difference up to me as soon as he realized it instead of waiting until the last minute when nothing could be done or changed. When it came time to get a wedding band to go with the engagement ring I reached out to Mike again knowing that it would be easy for him to make a matching band since he already had the design. He gave me another estimate that was way over the cost of the engagement ring. I asked him if he could give me a break down of the costs along with a more firm estimate. Instead he kept calling me to see if I was ready to move forward but avoided answering any of my questions about the price. Once I finally got him to agree to give me a firm price, he disappeared and never called me back. I ended up going to another jeweler down the street that built me the same quality ring for about half the cost. It was a costly lesson to learn, so I wanted to share my experience. Don't do business with Mike Gale. read more

With Mike's help I designed my fiancés beautiful engagement ring. Mike was very genuine, honest, and helpful with his insights into the industry. We couldn't be happier with his work read more

Gale Diamonds came to me as a referral and I'm extremely glad I went with Mike. You'll find out quickly that Mike is not a salesman. He's there to understand what you're looking for, budget, he'll work with you find the best possible solution to get you there. He's all about making you, and in my case, my fiance happy. The turn around time from design to finish was only a matter of weeks and the quality of the engagement ring was outstanding. The engagement ring was appraised 40% higher than what I paid for so I'm extremely happy going with Mike instead going to the over-priced major retailers on Jeweler's Row. Choosing an engagement ring can be stressful for any guy, but Mike was extremely patient and knowledgeable which helped ease the process. We are going back to Mike for our wedding bands because we know they will be customized and high-quality bands. Thanks again Mike for all your help! My fiance can't stop staring at her ring 2 months later!!!! read more

What a great person to work with...I came to Gale Diamonds for an engagement ring and I can't say enough about how enlightening and informative Mike was during this whole process. I knew next to NOTHING about diamonds coming in to Mike's place. When I left I felt educated and confident. Unlike some other jewelers I visited, never once did I feel like Mike was trying to sell me something. I felt like he was listening and trying to work with my best interest and budget in mind. I gave Mike my idea for the ring and he NAILED it. My fiancé could not be happier and neither can I. read more

Mike Gale is the absolute best! He just delivered the most magnificent engagement ring for my fiancee and me and I am absolutely thrilled! I must say I'm not the easiet consumer....I wanted the best in color and clarity and changed my mind a few times about the cut. We'd been shopping jewelers for over a year. Mike is a man who can be trusted, will give you a very fair price and knows what it takes to make his customer's VERY satisfied. He created a custom ring for us that is absolutely beautiful and filled with craftsmanship. There are no gimicks here, no fancy showroom, which benefits you as the consumer! He is a gem just like the diamonds he sells! My center stone is an emerald, which is surrounded by total carat weight of 2.3 carats of round and emerald shaped diamonds. It's certainly a showpiece and I could not be happier! You will not regret your purchase and your experience with Mike will be outstanding. THANK YOU, MIKE AND STEPHEN! HAPPY HOLIDAYS! read more

I went to Mike after searching on yelp and I could not have picked a better place. Mike was able to sit down with me and really learn what my fiance was looking for. We created a one of a kind ring that has been getting compliments ever since. I can not say enough good things about dealing with Gale Diamonds. read more

Mike is a tremendous business man and makes the whole process very easy. Pricing is awesome and there is no pressure with anything. I will be recommending family and friends to mike in the future. My fiancé is thrilled with the engagement ring and band he created. read more

Mike is a very professional jeweler that provides you the best value for your budget. Not only did he provide everything requested of him, but he even took the time to improve the design of the stock photo example we had of what we wanted the ring to look like. He provided multiple options for us to choose from for the diamond and took time to explain everything that one should consider when weighing options. I never felt pressured and the ring we bought appraised out at much more than the wholesale cost he charged us. Highly recommend him! read more

Mike's absolutely the best! Even after changing the design for my gf's engagement ring 3 times, Mike never got frustrated with me. I just picked up the ring yesterday and it's amazing. Mike made the entire process seem easy and I will be going back to him for everything diamonds in the future. read more

In the highly competitive world of diamonds, Mike Gale stands alone, above the others and in a class all by himself. My fiancé met with Mike Gale and was skeptical at first. He had met with other jewelers and was not impressed. After meeting with Mike in his office in the diamond district of Chicago, Jeweler's Row, he immediately put him at ease. His vast knowledge and expertise is evident right away. He was not arrogant, like many of the other jewelers are. He was humble, helpful and insightful. Most of all, he was fair AND honest, which is a very rare combination. Most jewelers are out for themselves and although I am sure Mike is a businessman, his genuine sincerity comes through to customers. He is creative and enjoys the design process from start to finish. He is accommodating and a true perfectionist who prides himself on giving customers the utmost quality and highly exceptional diamond and setting as possible. I cannot recommend him highly enough. If you want a special piece, one that you will cherish and treasure for a lifetime, one that you will receive compliments on from every person who sees his amazing workmanship and attention to detail - RUN, don't walk, to Mike Gale. He is BY FAR the best in the business. That is the honest truth. He will not disappoint you. John Phillips and Angela Novak read more

Tell Mike what you think you want and your price range, and he will deliver something better then expected and under budget. Highly recommended. read more

Mike was able to get us a great price on a ring that we ultimately didn't buy, but he did do a lot for us and the diamond he showed us was beautiful. While we did find a better deal elsewhere we can definitely recommend working with Mike. read more

Wow. I can't believe how many good reviews Gale Diamonds has gotten. Our experience was anything but pleasant. I guess I had much higher expectations. I made an appointment with Mike and we talked twice on the phone about what I was looking for. It was fairly straight forward and should have been one of the easiest sales he could have. I was just looking to replace a diamond that fell out of my engagement ring. We had our appointment and to sum things up, he only had 2 stones to show us and one was $500 over our budget. Then he tried to get us to change our minds on the shape of stone I wanted. All the while through our appointment he was talking to other people on the phone while his assistants were sitting next to him. WTH? Guess our little budget of $4000 was just to small for him to care about. He told us he thought we would have room to play with. I looked at him and said, "No, our budget is $4000. If we wanted to spend more, we would have upped our budget." He said he just didn't have that many diamonds in our price range to show us. OK...that's NOT what he told me on the phone a week earlier! He then got exasperated, told us he'd lower the one diamond down to our budget, then said "$4000 cash and it's yours, but you need to tell me right now" as he literally threw the pouch that the diamond was in at me. I just looked at him dumbfounded. I couldn't believe how rude and totally disrespectful he was. I have NEVER been treated so poorly. Keeping my cool we got up, thanked him and B-lined it outta there!! To Mike's credit, he later called me to apologize for his behavior...telling me he was very stressed out with orders he needed to get out that day, blah, blah, blah. I appreciated the apology, but he's been in the business forever and he should know better than that! If he was so busy, he shouldn't have scheduled the appointment with us. The biggest red flag?....when he, along with his assistants, tell you more than once how honest they are! News flash...you usually don't have to sell honesty if you truly are honest! Thanks, but no thanks. I wouldn't take a diamond for free if he offered it to me! In the end, we found a beautiful diamond in our price range from a very honest, lovely vendor and couldn't be more pleased. Our gain, Mike's loss. read more

I wanted to give my only daughter a pair of heirloom-quality diamond earrings on her wedding day. I was looking for a matched set of 1-carat diamonds that could stand on their own as solitaires in case future generations wished to re-purpose them. I had looked at on-line sites and although the prices were competitive, I felt uncomfortable buying something this important without seeing it first. I had also searched local jewelers who had beautiful stones, but whose prices were beyond my budget. Finally I took a look at Diamond Row jewelers in Chicago and ran across Mike Gale's stellar reviews. He did not disappoint! After Mike learned the type of stones I was seeking, he said he would see what he could find and get back to me. Two weeks later, I was looking at several magnificent pairs of diamonds. As Mike described the diamonds and guided my examination of them with a loupe, his experience and knowledge were apparent. Oh, my! With a tiny stretch of my wallet, I could purchase the largest beautiful pair. Heart pounding, I decided to do it. I took Mike's excellent advice as to setting. Mike gave me the GIA reports, which confirmed everything I had seen through the loupe. An independent appraiser examined the diamonds and pronounced them of exceptional quality. His valuation indicated that they were also a good value. Needless to say, on her wedding day, my daughter gasped with amazement when she opened the stunning presentation box and saw the brilliant diamond earrings blazing in full glory. Her fingers shaking, she put them on and wore them as she walked down the aisle. She says that they will always remind her of her lovely wedding day and I know they will always whisper in her ear how very much she is loved. Thank you, Mike! You are the best! read more