My watch stopped working, and replacing the battery had been sitting on my to-do list. I normally…read moretrek out to SouthPark Mall, but I wasn't looking forward to making that drive just for a watch battery. I searched Yelp for watch repair and discovered Bailey's Fine Jewelry on Providence Road, just a few miles from Uptown. What a wonderful discovery. From the moment I walked in, this felt different from your typical jewelry store. Bailey's is a beautiful, spacious, family-owned jeweler, but what impressed me most was how welcoming and comfortable the experience felt. Bailey's has been locally owned in North Carolina since 1948, and the Charlotte location carries on the legacy of longtime Charlotte jeweler Morrison Smith. I was greeted immediately and escorted to the watch counter. The associate taking care of me offered coffee, tea, a soft drink or sparkling water while I waited. I chose sparkling water and was handed a glass bottle of Perrier tucked into a black Bailey's koozie. Now that is a nice touch. While they worked on my watch, I wandered around. The store is gorgeous and much larger than I expected, with fine jewelry alongside beautiful gifts, frames, crystal, jewelry boxes and other pieces. I also appreciated being able to browse without feeling followed or pressured. The clientele was equally welcoming and refreshingly diverse--different ages, backgrounds and styles. Nobody needed to look a certain way to belong there. For a high-end jewelry store, I found that especially refreshing. You can also see into the watchmaking/work area through glass, which I loved. Everything looked immaculate and organized, and being able to see the professionals at work added a sense of transparency. Eventually I settled into one of the big club chairs by the windows with my Perrier and a jewelry magazine. A gentleman brought my finished watch directly to me on a little velvet tray. Such an elegant touch for something as simple as replacing a battery. Then came the biggest surprise. I walked over to pay, and the associate told me there was no charge for the battery replacement. Instead, Bailey's asks customers to make a donation to a local charity. How fantastic is that? I later looked it up because I wanted to understand the program. Bailey's calls it "A Time to Give." Rather than charging customers for watch-battery replacement, Bailey's absorbs most of the cost and asks for a charitable donation instead. Each store selects organizations to support, and Bailey's says the program has now donated more than $1 million to the communities it serves. I happily donated $20. As I was leaving, I tried to return the Bailey's koozie and just take my Perrier. Nope. She told me to keep the koozie, too. From a customer-service and branding perspective, somebody at Bailey's understands hospitality. That little black Bailey's koozie is coming home with me, and every time I use it, I'll remember this experience. That's how you create a customer--and perhaps an accidental brand ambassador. My only caution is parking. The Charlotte store is directly on Providence Road, and the front parking area is tight. Pulling back into fast-moving traffic requires patience, so take your time. I'm going to investigate whether there's another parking option for my next visit. And there will be a next visit. I went to Bailey's Fine Jewelry because I needed a watch battery. I left wanting to come back and explore the store. That says a lot. So if your watch has stopped ticking, don't automatically head to the mall. Bailey's offers watch-battery replacement, and that simple errand supports something much bigger in the community. Life is too short not to sleep well, eat well, travel well--and now I'm adding shop well. Bailey's Fine Jewelry, you've officially made the list.

I went to have my watch battery replaced. Amazingly they have a free service and name a charity of…read morethe month to which you can donate, but there was absolutely no pressure. I have a very basic / cheap Timex watch and other places had quoted $15, $20 and even more for a battery replacement......cheaper to get a new watch. I was very impressed by the service, parking and place as a whole and would go back for other needs.

Went in today to sell some scrap jewelry.. the lady was rude I guess because I didn't fit there…read morevibe..mind you I'm cleaning out ny scrap jewelry.. they offered me a price.. I accepted..wrote me a check spelled my name wrong and they proceed to write over check... then the lady said don't worry they call any ways .. Who? Calls my bank ..I bank with a credit union ... I Guess and assume YOU thought I was taken it to a cash checking place??? HOW DARE YOU!!! OH AND I BET YOU DIDNT GET A CALL TODAY... WOW..

I am so happy I found Ellis Jewelry. I had a ring that was my dad's . I wanted to redesign it for…read moremyself to pass to my daughter in law. Kory and Vikki were wonderful to work with. They made my time there special and fun. Highly recommend to refurbish, design and explore jewelry options.

Helped with my jewerly repair for my Granddaughter birthday. Great job, solved my problem with a…read moregreat solution

Phoenix jewelers are the kindest people I have ever met. They have beautiful pieces and exception…read more quality. I will never go anywhere else!

Very nice couple and an excellent jeweler. Nice selection and great prices..He does great repairs.read more

I am customarily skeptical writing reviews in general, but this man went way above and beyond for…read moreme and the gift for my wife. I came and spoke to him a couple days before about what i needed, an heirloom stone placed on a new ring and a band to go with it. I told him, since the date was so soon, to not be TOO pressed to have it done in the time frame for our anniversary. However, he came through on the day of our anniversary and i was able to gift my wife the anniversary gift I've been planning on for years. I can not recommend him enough, his work is immaculate and he worked FAST. I ended up buying the earrings as well just to make it more special, but i will most definitely be going to whitewater diamonds for any of my jewelry needs in the future. Thank you again!

Had a non operational automatic Tag. Fixed it no charge in one day. I will recommend this place to…read moreanyone.

I needed my engagement ring and my wedding ring to be soldered together. I initially went to one…read morejewelry store (rhymes with "Arrid" ) they were a bit snobby when I requested services for a ring that wasn't purchased there, so we left. We walked into Carolina Jewelers, the gentleman behind the counter was so nice, I explained that I wanted my engagement and wedding ring fused together. He took a look at my ring, gave me a really reasonable quote and then explained in detail how he would fuse the rings. He asked us to come back in a couple of hours, which we did. When we came back, the ring was cleaned, polished and perfectly soldered. He did such an amazing job and I would highly recommend that if you need repairs, custom work, without the snobbery, then Carolina Jewelers is the place to go.

I have been to plenty of jewelers around the city and nobody compares to Ascot! Highly recommend!…read moreGreat staff and jewelry!

My boyfriend and I went here recently. We were both very impressed. We received excellent service…read moreand Matt was very knowledgeable. He taught us so much about what to look for in a diamond. He personalized the entire appointment and ensured that there were plenty of things to try on that I would like based on my taste. Will definitely be back.

No waiting today! Friendly and quick service. This will be my second time here and I feel that they…read moregive honest and the best prices on gold & silver in town. Smells really wonderful in there too.

Excellent service from start to finish -- honest, fast, and reliable. They took the time to consult…read morewith me and made sure I fully understood the value of what I was selling. Highly recommend if you're looking for a trustworthy gold buying company!

The first of many wedding-related reviews I'll be writing over the next few months (blech, does it…read moreget any more girly? ah well). Karat Patch, you're awesome! So after hemming, hawing, discussing, researching, and browsing (god, we even went to Tiffany's) beau and I decided on simple bands for our wedding rings. We knew what kind of weight we wanted, what color, that kind of thing - weren't sure on the metal. So we sit down at Karat Patch and fondle like, 100 rings. They have a decently large selection to look through, and the lady helping us along was tolerant of our uncertainty (hour, hour and a half, two). We decide on a pair, they carefully size us, and then order them. This is when the service starts getting really, really good. Although they had already ordered our rings, they called when they'd gotten a similar style in in our price range - did we want to come see the new rings? We might like them more than the ones we'd already chosen. Cool. When we needed an extra week before throwing down muchos dolares on our new rings, they were totally chill about it. "No problem, we'll just hold onto them for ya." It ended up being more like 2. Still, no issues. We felt like we mattered, like they wanted our business. They were respectful, but really friendly. They offered to resize stuff if, as the wedding approached, things weren't still a perfect fit. Threw in all sorts of jewelry cleaning stuff, nice boxes, the whole shebang. Plus, the prices were reasonable and they were up front about any changes, how to save a little, etc. The perfect mom + pop experience, people. Screw Tiffany's. Yay Karat Patch!

My engagement ring, wedding band and ex-husband's wedding band were all purchased here. They have a…read moregreat selection and their customer service is superb! I've recommended Karat Patch to several people and they all bought their jewelry from them and were quite pleased. If you're looking for an engagement ring, a special gift or another piece of jewelry to add to your selection. Make sure you check this place out. You won't regret it!