OPJ is top notch in every sense. After scouring the world of Google and social media, I decided on…read moreOak Park Jewelers. I had 2 rings, one opal and one diamond, that I had inherited from my mom. I wanted to give them new life so they were something I could wear everyday. I submitted an information request online for a particular setting and I heard back from Carlee right away and we set up an appointment for the following day. The particular setting I was looking at was out of stock (which she told me in my original email) so she pulled some other setting similar to the one I had liked. One of those setting was also one I looked at online. It looked even better in person. So she ordered it in my size and I gave her the stone for the center. I also had the opal ring that my mom had gotten for her 16th birthday. I didn't want to make it into another ring since an opal is a very delicate stone. We both decided a necklace would be best. I can wear it every day and the opal wouldn't get damaged by the wear and tear it would if it were on my hands. I picked up the necklace 2 weeks later and the ring 4 weeks after ordering it. I could not be happier. They look beautiful. I've since gone back a few times to buy myself some pretty and I've always been treated like family and it's genuine. Carlee and Sam offered me a glass of wine when they heard my dog had recently passed away (and it was my birthday). If you're looking for a place to just browse or get something really special, this is the place to go. I will soon be moving out of the area but will make it a point to stop in whenever I find my self back in the OP area.

Oak Park Jewelers has a Great selection and excellent customer service. I go in for new purchases,…read morerepairs and polishing of metal.

My partner and I are getting eloped in Vegas later this week, so we were in a time crunch for…read morewedding bands. Luckily, we found this amazing gem of a store in Oak Park. Jose greeted us immediately and helped us find the perfect ring for my fiancée. I described what I wanted for myself, and he said he would be able to customize one of the available bands to what I had in mind. One hour later, I had exactly what I was looking for. He is a fantastic jeweler! The experience was completely relaxed, and he did not try to upsell us. I was pretty nervous about cost since this is all very last-minute, but we actually came out under budget. We are extremely happy with the rings and will confidently recommend EcoKarat and Jose to our friends and family.

These reviews can be difficult, especially when they're critical. My impression is that EcoKarat is…read moreprimarily a jeweler, and I don't know anything about that part of his business. This review is only about watch repair. Further, different people have different ideas about what constitutes watch repair. Personally, I don't consider replacing a watch strap or bracelet, or replacing a battery on a quartz watch to be "repair". Many of the reviews here seem to be about that type of work, but that's not what this is. My watch was losing a minute a day, and I brought it in hoping the cause could be identified and corrected. EcoKarat does not do that kind of work. They send it to someone else to do the work off site. That's not uncommon, but usually a shop will tell you that's what's happening *before* they take on the watch. I didn't find that out until a couple of days later when I called to ask about the status of the work. Now, I could probably stop there. From a certain way of thinking, this isn't really a review of EcoKarat, but a review of the shop he sent the watch to. But it was EcoKarat that told me they would do the work. And it was EcoKarat that told me they needed to hold onto the watch for a few more days to make sure it was "running perfectly". His words, "perfectly". And it was also EcoKarat that told me the watch was ready. Unfortunately, when I picked it up and brought the watch home is was no longer 60 seconds slow, but about 50 seconds fast. The TLDR at this point is as far as functionality goes, for several reasons I wouldn't recommend taking your watch there. But if you're looking for a little more detail, or maybe you've bought a mechanical watch and you're wondering how to tell who to trust, let's go over some of the red flags I should have noticed while this was going on. 1. Ask if the work is done in house. If they send it to a 3rd party, you're probably paying extra for the process (the middleman). What's more, if anything unexpected comes up, they only know what the 3rd party told them. They won't be able to answer any questions the way the person who did the actual work could. You're also usually taking on a day each way sending the watch to the 3rd party. 2. Magnets are bad for mechanical watches, and we live in a world of magnets. Your computer, phone, microwave, even parts of your car...lots of magnets! If your watch is close to a magnet frequently or for extended periods of time, it can become magnetized and run slow or fast, or even fast one minute and slow the next. Luckily, demagnetizing a watch is simple and easy if you have a demagnetizer. The process takes about 5 minutes, so if someone tells you they need a few days, something's not right. Either the problem is not magnetization, in which case you want to start asking how much the work is going to cost, or someone in the process doesn't know what they're doing. 3. Mechanical watches have a "movement" which is basically the motor of the watch, and it winds from the movement of your arm. Mid-level watches ($1,000-$3,000) promise somewhere between +/- 5 to 15 seconds per day for their movement. Nothing you can wear on your wrist keeps perfect time. Even quartz watches lose or gain a little time. So, if someone tells you your watch is running perfectly, you might want to ask them to explain what "perfectly" means. On the other hand, if someone tells you your watch is performing within its capabilities, but it's well outside the stated accuracy range of the movement, you might want to take your business somewhere else. 4. Checking how a watch is running is typically done with something called a time grapher. You clamp the watch down on a sensor pad and it "listens" to the watch like a stethoscope listens to your heart. Almost immediately a panel tells you how fast or slow the watch is running, the "rate", the "amplitude" (degrees of rotation of the balance wheel), and something called the "Beat Error", which is often described as the difference between the "tick" and the "tock". Getting a reading is almost instant, and time graphs aren't expensive. Watch repairers have them so they aren't just letting the watch go ticking away and comparing it every few hours to another timekeeper like the one on your phone. That takes a lot of time. So, if someone is telling you they need more time to make sure the watch is functioning right, either they are very busy, or possibly they just don't have the tools you'd expect them to have. To be fair, it could be that the watch repairer is "Adjusting" your watch. That can take some time, and you can Google that to understand what a tedious process it is. But even so, they should be explaining that to you if you just thought it was getting demagnetized, and that's definitely not what happened with my watch. Thanks for taking the time to read this. Automatic watches can be fun, but they need some love. Hopefully this can help you identify people you can trust.

I've been shopping with GEM since 2000, so that's says it all! Laura is a fantastic designer,…read morebusiness owner, and person. If you're looking for affordable, high-quality, custom jewelry for all types and occasions, you need not look further. Whatever you buy here you will love - or share the love - they will love it too!

I ordered an earring set from GEM and fell in love! They were so unique and incredible quality, I…read moreknew I wanted to order more. When I talked with customer service about an out of stock set, they custom ordered it for me. They were extremely nice and helpful. They were quick to respond and the earrings came quickly. Very happy and can't wait to shop there again!

Popped in for a simple watch band adjustment. They took care of it immediately and it fits…read moreperfect. They refused any payment. I will be buying my jewelry from these guys in the future.

I saw a slide 14K slide mount on the internet and called James and Williams store to inquire about…read morethe piece. A young girl named Melanie helped me. Their advertisement said it was a 14K yellow-gold bezel. I asked 3 times if it was solid gold or hollow. Melanie said solid. After I received the item I looked for the 14K gold stamp; there was none. After receiving the piece I called Melanie back to again confirm 14K solid yellow gold, she was quite snippy and rude. She reneged stating only the bezel was gold and the cage was not solid gold. Why was it advertised as 14K gold? If the bezel was indeed Stuller I am sure it would have a 14K gold stamp. Not a lot of integrity here! I've worked at a jewelry store. I know what a loop is, most stores have testing equipment to determine gold authenticity. I would never do business here again.

I had an excellent experience buying a Victorian bracelet online from this shop. The shop owner…read moreis clearly experienced and knowledgeable about antique jewelry, has fair prices, and is ethical in her business practices. My article was sent insured and nicely protected and packaged. You can buy with confidence from The Gold Hatpin.

My now financee & I went here because we wanted a vintage engagement ring. we made an appointment…read morewith Diane (not necessary but seemed a good idea during COVID), and we were not disappointed. Diane had us come into her booth (the shop is a smaller space inside a larger antique mall) and and briefly remove our masks for the camera (this is a jewelry shop, after all). In COVID times, precautions were in place, followed & reasonable (Masks, plastic screens at counter). Diane was very polite, professional & helpful. We did go to a few other jewelry stores in the western suburbs, all pretty standard. They all had a few vintage rings, but nowhere near the selection of The Gold Hatpin. We had plenty to look at and Diane was great at listening & educating us. This was helpful because my fiancee & I *thought* we knew what we wanted but there were a couple factors we hadn't considered & her input was very helpful. Along those same lines, she was not pushy in the least. Many other "basic" jewelry stores wanted to source rings from other places, construct a "vintage looking" ring, etc & we got the feeling that we were dealing with a used car salesman at times. Diane was none of that & truly a pleasure to work with. We can't recommend Diane and The Gold Hatpin enough.

I am so happy my fiancé went to Arezzo for my engagement ring! Vince has been incredibly responsive…read moreand created a gorgeous product! When I've gone into other jewelers they ask if my ring is Tiffany & Co. and everyone thinks the diamond is bigger than it is because it was cut to perfection and the setting shows it off expertly! The customer service is fantastic and the pricing is unbeatable! LOVE my custom engagement ring!

Disappointed in the quality of the ring setting we got from here. Noticed an issue of unpolished,…read morescratchy prongs underneath the diamond and on the sides of the prongs. We immediately went back and were assured it would be fixed. They told us it would take a few days because they needed to remove the diamond to get in and polish the metal. Seemed odd since we came in with our own stone to be reset and the new setting from here was supposed to be custom made prior to setting our stone, but we let that go despite the confusion on our part. The next day we were told the ring was ready to be picked up and my partner collected it. When he gave it to me, I again noticed the ring was not up to par and the scratches were still visible. I called them to ask why they didn't remove the diamond and polish the prongs, and was met with lies and hostility. Vince told me they "didn't have to do that" and was very disrespectful on the phone telling me I need to "know my place." He seemed disproportionally upset and irate; perhaps he was having an off day. Ultimately, my partner and I decided against dealing with them any further due to their unprofessionalism and will be purchasing elsewhere. (We noticed additional issues including the diamond not being set properly, and I can't imagine Vince dealing with any more criticism!) TLDR- Stay away if you have a high attention to detail and expect great customer service, because they sure don't have those qualities here! Such a shame.

This store has been chosen to be on the Illinois tourism list to visit in the city or state.read more

I love this hidden gem. Fred is the best at custom jewelry design and created magic with an…read moreemerald my mom left me after she passed away. I'm so thankful I found accents by Fred. His wife is also unbelievably talented with all of the handmade cards and accessories. I can't wait until this Covid-19 pandemic is over so I can just give Fred a hug for keeping my mom close to my heart with the custom necklace. Such a special place.

Every visit to Oak Park means a trip to The Careful Peach. The store offers French wine while…read moreshopping their amazing collection. The staff is outstanding!!

This store never feels welcoming. The staff actively ignores some customers. I have decided to…read morenever shop there again.

Fabulous selection of beads and jewelry making supplies. Owner is knowledgeable and helpful. If you…read moreneed it, they have it!

Stopped in recently-- bead stores seem to be increasingly rare. This one had a decent selection of…read morethings given its size including higher quality materials like demi-fine findings and some higher quality stone beads. There were some North African artifacts that caught my attention. Run by elderly women with the power to ignore or be nice as they choose (and patronized by the same) One star off for price point, some basic or lower quality things were inappropriately high.

So glad I went to Paul Young for several watch battery replacements and removing unneeded links…read more As a first time customer, he treated me like an old friend. He explained each of the watch battery replacement costs since some watches were higher end than others. He estimated an hour and delivered on time. All the watches were set to actual time and prices were very reasonable.

Excellent customer service. Answered all our questions and was clear with expectations and turn…read morearound times. Price was fair and I recommend.