Studio1098

I would not take my precious stones here

I proposed to my fiancé in Boston shortly before moving to Toronto. The ring I bought her at a jewelry store in Boston needed to be resized. I was impressed with what I saw about Studio1098 on Unilocal and my fiancé and I were excited to head to the store.
From the moment we walked in, we felt out of place. Tamara was short with us, asking why we didn’t go back to the store we purchased the ring from. She told us she didn’t feel totally comfortable doing the resizing, which is understandable. However, in the process of explaining why, she spent several minutes pointing out all the flaws in the engagement ring. Minutes ticked by as she pointed out all the things she felt were wrong about the ring. I could see my fiancé becoming visibly angry. I just wanted to take the ring back from Tamara and leave the store. Finally, after both my fiancé and I were feeling thoroughly frustrated and insulted, she stopped the flow of negativity to tell us it was a beautiful setting. At that point I asked for the ring back, told her we’d go elsewhere and walked out of the store angry.
The long and short of it: I went in happy and excited and I left with my fiancé needing to reassure me that she absolutely loves her engagement ring. I will not be going back to Tamara’s store. It’s a shame because the jewelry looked quite beautiful and I am very loyal when I find a jewelry store I trust. I will have to keep looking.

Unlike the other reviews here I did not buy any jewelry from Studio 1098. I damaged my engagement ring moving into our house in Toronto and had it repaired here. Did I mention we had just arrived from California and I didn’t know anyone to ask for recommendations? My diamond was loose and I wanted to get the repair right away, but also consider a new setting for the ring because this was the second time I had managed to damage it, in the same way. (Oops.) I took it in for repair and they adjusted it very quickly and it looked better than the last repair. Still I made an appointment with Tamara to talk about changes to the ring or a new setting. Like everyone else commenting here that has met her, I really liked her. Really. She was down to earth, not at all pushy, and I didn’t at all feel bad about taking up her time talking about a repair. I decided not to get a new setting now (my husband would have never swallowed the price of a new setting after 15 years) and ultimately she decided it’s not necessary for now. But she did come up with a creative way to strengthen my ring and lower the height of the stone to hopefully prevent future mishaps. I picked it up today and I’m really pleased with the results. (Don’t tell my husband that I like it better now.) And bonus that the repair cost half as much as the maximum estimate! Sweet! I expect that I’ll be back come Christmas or Mother’s Day. Taking a look at what they had available in the store there were pieces available at a mix of prices and different styles that were priced pretty reasonably for custom jewelry. If you’re looking for jewelry, especially a custom piece, I would check them out. You’ll probably be pleasantly surprised.

My finance and I have been looking for a ring for about a year. I had scored the internet and we had been to many different stores and all of the rings were «nice» and «almost» but none were THE one. We happened to be at the One of a Kind show actually looking for a different designer, when I saw a framed image of a ring that I had saved and looked at many times. At the booth they had the ring and as I tried it on, I literally got goosebumps. It was THE one. Tamara was wonderful and so incredibly warm and informative. I never thought that day that I would be out purchasing my dream ring with my finance.
We are both so thrilled.
Thank you!
~ C.

I really wish I could give more than 5/​5, because I think it’s an understatement. My fiancé and I had went to quite a few different places, including Birk’s and Tiffany’s, and another private diamond shop like this one. We were never unhappy with what they offered, but felt like no one really listened to us or asked us what we wanted. When we got to Studio 1098, we met Tamara. She asked us question after question, spending over an hour and a half talking to us and figuring out what we wanted (as opposed to what we «should have»). She also taught us more about diamonds than most diamond sales people know. It’s so important to know what you’re getting, and she made sure we were informed and educated every step of the way.
Importantly, Tamara asked about budget and stayed within it, which turned out to be a saving grace because I was not able to tell the difference between her SI2 and the VS1 I saw at the other shop (twice the price!). That enabled me to get the size I wanted, and man does it sparkle!!! The detail on the ring was incredible, she really made it exactly the way I wanted it to look and envisioned in my head. She was creative and helped me to define what I wanted and make decisions.
Our ring was valued over 10K what we paid, and I feel like i got a deal but also got the best quality that you can get. I could not recommend this shop more to anyone, whether your budget is 10K or 80K, this is the right shop for anyone looking for an engagement ring.

As with the other reviews, this place deserves the 5 stars it had been getting! My fiancé (still weird to use that word) worked with Kathryn on our engagement ring. I knew I wanted an oval diamond with yellow gold but knew nothing else of settings and bands. We had an informative consultation session to hone in on designs and not once did we feel any pressure from Kathryn. In fact, she was excited to be working with those details which got me really excited to. I brought a couple ideas to the table, then Jason and Kathryn went on their own and made my perfect engagement ring! What we got in the end was above Jason’s of my expectations. Wonderful personalized service by people who care about their product. We will absolutely be back for our wedding bands! You guys rock!

Stopped by Studio1098 on a recent business trip and was really impressed with the team there. Very focused on your individual needs — it is personal service at its best and the kind of service that you do not find anymore. Great selection of engagement rings too. Check it out. Nice neighborhood too with lots of stores. Next time I’m in the area I will go back for more.