Russell Korman

Kormans is outstanding; I will always go there for my watch repair and to «drool» over the jewelry. Thank you Jennifer!

Long story short: actually, with quality workmanship and highly skilled crafting, there is no «long story short».
I bought a beautiful ritani ring setting, that was pre-​owned online. The reason I bought it online is because the ring itself is a discontinued setting, ritani said they could re-​make the one that was discontinued but it would cost me $ 6000. So therefore I found one online, pre owned, and the center diamond was already removed. So being that Ritani is an extremely high end brand, I was convinced that I should only let an authorized Ritani dealer touch it. I figured they would have the best experience with the brand since they carried it in their store. The place i called was a pretty reputable place known as Russell Korman off Burnet Rd. I spoke with Chuck, the jeweler, he asked me to bring the ring in, and once he saw that I had a 1.5 ct loose diamond that i wanted installed into a setting that was meant for a 2ct setting, he said it couldn’t be done. He was atleast honest enough to deny my request and tell me that it was a huge liability to touch it. I’ll attach pictures of the ring so u can see why he said that, but basically since he couldnt put the diamond into the setting, he said the only way it would work would be if u buy a 2ct diamond then the problem would be solved.
Hmmmmm…yeah no thank you. A 1.5 ct is my max, and that’s that. He said he rarely ever tells anybody no, but this was one of those rare occurrences where he had to deny my request. He also asked if the loose diamond was «certified». I said yes. I said its GIA, he said there’s no way it’s GIA because the diamond is SI3, and GIA can only certify SI2, SI1, VS, VVS and so forth. I said I don’t have the appraisal with me but I do know it’s appraised. So just adding more insult to injury, they basically implied that i should reconsider buying a new setting altogether because the one I bought is going to be way too hard to clean. I responded with, «that’s where an ultra sonic would come in». Their response was, oh then u would need to clean it with that every single day then. So, Knowing that they could not help me, they still were trying to convince me that this setting was too intricate and made me feel like I made a poor choice. So, off I go, feeling defeated. Completely bummed. After about an hour, i regathered my thoughts, and decided to get a second opinion, I go home, find the appraisal, and as sure as your born, it’s GIA certified. the loose diamond I had was originally appraised at American Blue Diamonds off Pecan Park Blvd which is near Lakeline Blvd. The owners name is Linh Nguyen and she’s a certified gemologist which makes her able to GIA certify a diamond. I don’t know too many details on what else requires the certification but she has a plaque on the wall which states that she is… Anyways, back to the story, I took her the diamond, along with the setting. She did tell me that they would need to be extra-​extra careful, and that it would take 3 days. She said not only do they have to compress the setting to the center diamond, but they also have to tie everything in as well to protect and secure the surrounding diamonds. The setting has 6 prongs, each prong has tiny little diamonds on the prong itself, and also pebble sized diamonds in between each of those six prongs as well. U’ll see the picture soon enough i promise. I picked up the ring today, and i am so extremely grateful for what she and her jeweler have done. Its the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen in my entire life. and I couldn’t have done it without Linh and her wonderful crew at American Blue Diamonds. my review is not a diss towards Russell Kormans, but more like a simple Thank You. Because it led me to search elsewhere, and this review is to inform every consumer out there that wants professional, assured quality, without having to pay the mark up of a ridiculous price tag. Now, don’t get me wrong, American Blue Diamonds is not the cheapest place, but they are definitely not the most expensive place either. I was happy with how I was treated, i was happy they were able to help, and I’m happy to reciprocate this review into the most wonderful experience I could have ever asked for. Thank you so much. I am eternally grateful.
–A.Vega

This place blows. If I had read the other bad reviews before hand, I wouldnt even have bothered going in this place. One of the other reviews talked about how he was ignored or passed by for more ‘well-​dressed’ patrons??? I hate snooty places like this… and Im sorry that my workplace is very liberal with their dress code. Yes, I can wear shorts, flip flops and a tshirt to work… what I wear says nothing about what I can afford or whether or not I belong in this pompous, over-​priced store.
The ONLY reason I set foot in this place is that RK is the only Omega authorized dealer in the area. I felt like the male version of Pretty Woman when she goes shopping and no one wants to help her…
Then when I was finally helped, it was with that impetuous duty of having to deal with it cause I wasnt getting the hint??? I dont know and I really could care less. There were some walking dead (old) ladies that looked like they came straight from church (on a thursday afternoon)…and were being fawned over by one of the soulless salesmen… my saleswoman seemed annoyed, and spoke condescendingly to… well, to herself… because she didnt seem to have a correct answer. I tripped her up easily since she obviously had no clue as to the way an Omega watch works. She went back twice to the jeweler to ask questions, came back each time with conflicting information, so I finally just told her to forget it.
Its a shame for Russell Korman that one employee’s disinterest is going to cost them a customer for life… I own 3 omegas… and the one I was addressing is going to be in need of a service… a service that through Omega can cost up to 800, and that I have been quoted an avg of around 600 – 750. I also plan on buying more watches, not only Omegas, I have a Tag, an Oceanaut, Breitling, among others…
In conclusion, unless you plan on dressing up to go jewelery shopping, I would recommend bypassing this jewelry store… Snooty attitude, from a place that is located in the most unsnooty of locations! The homeless guy outside peeing on the side of your building does not help with that at all.

I had my fathers Rolex serviced here about 3 months ago! It came back running and looking like a new watch! This watch is very sentimental since my father gave it to me! It wasn’t cheap but I can tell you it’s well worth it by the quality work they do here!

I brought my Omega Seamaster in to have the bracelet clasp repaired. Was given a reasonable estimate and told it would be ready in about a week. I received a call 3 days later that it was ready. Picked it up, and the watchmaker went above and beyond by buffing out all the scratches as well. I appreciate the excellent customer service, and quality of work. Highly recommended.

Great service, great communication and a great atmosphere. I took my grandfather’s Omega Constellation in to be refurbished as Omega referred me to these guys. Wow is all I can say. I never could have expected it to turn out as good as it did and the level of service received was what I expected from a high end dealer. These guys were amazing and I will be returning to them in the future for my next service needs.

Took my Omega Seamaster Professional mid-​size up there to have a half-​link added. They worked at least twenty minutes doing it, perfect job. Didn’t charge me. Guess they figure they’d rather have loyalty from someone who wears an expensive watch than make a few bucks. Sounds like a good business plan to me. Guess what? They have my loyalty. I’ll be back. They’ll be my go-​to.

I hadn’t been in this store until I was directed there by a premier Jewelry company to service my wife’s engagement ring. They agreed to help me with service, which would require shipping it back to the original jeweler that built my ring. The two times I called I was treated VERY disrespectfully on the phone, and then put on hold. Both times the phone was answered in a curt, insulting way, and it was several minutes of hold time before I was told they were too busy to help me over the phone. I gave Russell Korman another shot and drove over to the store. It was the middle of the day and I was in shorts, a tshirt and flip flops. I was flat-​out ignored while other (nicer dressed) customers were helped as soon as they walked in the door. How is that a way to do business in Austin?
I finally directly asked to talk to a manager to get help, and Brooke came out several minutes later. Side note: When I mentioned my phone call expereince, she told me they have phone salespeople call a lot, so they generally aren’t nice to people who call in. That is a horrible way to do business.
Continuing on… she said they were all set to accept my ring and asked me the story of how I designed it, and where it was constructed. After I told her my design story, she went in back for about 15 minutes. When she came back out, she said they were no longer going to ship the ring, since I had an issue with it when it was originally constructed. I asked why that even mattered to her, and then she went on to say it was a lot of «paperwork» to fill out the shipping form. She wasn’t getting anything in return for all her «paperwork». When I asked why she took this stance now, after she agreed to ship it, she had no answer. As far as getting anything «in return», how about my future business? I was incredibly disappointed and insulted by my entire experience.
After I called my manufacturer back, they found a place downtown (J Koen) who were pleasant on the phone and shipped my ring for me very quickly when I went to the store. They said the «paperwork» takes them less than 5 minutes and they would be glad to help.
Russell Korman may have a nice looking store and location, but their treatment of customers is so horrible I would never go back or recommend it to anyone. They were rude, didn’t honor their own commitments, and couldn’t be bothered to spend 10 minutes with a potential new customer to get a ring shipped.
Final note: I have bought several other pieces since this time I would have gladly purchased through Russell Korman if I was treated well by them. Instead, I have used the two other Austin Jewelers to service my needs.

Just took a ring with great sentimental value back to Russell Korman’s jewelry because the gold work that was done less than a year ago had completely worn away. I was told by the repair guy that this type of gold repair will ALWAYS wear off. I told him that if he had told me that in the beginning I would never have had the work done. So, if you take in jewelry to be repaired be sure to get a detailed explanation of what you can expect from their workmanship.

Many (many) years ago, boy met girl (picked her up at the apartment pool). They quickly fell in love but like many young couples, did not have much money. Boy loaded trucks for UPS and girl was in xray school. So, when it came time to propose, boy gave girl a «hand me down» ring from his mother’s failed engagement. It was fine. Girl never complained. But, both knew it was not the kind of ring she would have picked for herself, given the choice.
Ten years later, boy (Man) was now delivering for UPS and Russell Korman was on his route. Of course all the ladies there loved him and his sexy legs in those brown shorts. He wanted to do something special for girl (Woman) for their 10^th anniversary, so he and Russell worked to design and create a diamond ring that was unique and brilliant and everything girl wanted. He presented this ring to her as they renewed their vows on a nude beach in Jamaica. Where the «best man» was hiding it still remains a mystery… but suffice to say, girl didn’t ask questions and was absolutely thrilled.
Since then, girl has gone in almost every year to have the settings checked and the ring polished for free, and recently went into the new location to get an insurance appraisal, also done gratis since all the same ladies that loved their UPS man FIFTEEN years ago are still there and are happy to hear how he is doing.
I always feel like royalty just cause I’m married to the (former) UPS man. And even though I’m not much of a jewelry person (the Ring is all I wear), I love browsing at all that sparkly stuff and will always buy any jewelry gifts here. Russell Korman is a staple in Austin. Locally owned and operated for over 40 years, keeping their employees and customers loyal. I wouldn’t trust anyone else with the Ring I cherish.

Trust is a huge factor in where I take my jewelry for repair, appraisals or design which is why I chose Korman’s and Chuck Schaffer, a fabulous master jeweler and gemologist who is always patient, informative and caring. Chuck will spend as much time as needed to make certain you understand and are completely satisfied with any decisions that you have to make regarding your jewelry. When you talk to him you quickly realize that he is a master at his craft. He does beautiful work!

My experience with RK was great. Sarah R. and the others were very helpful. I was shopping for a Rolex for myself and 2 Tissot watches for a wedding gift. I decided to purchasing the item for myself but my cc was not going through and after several attempts I decided to leave RK because they were closing. As I was leaving, I called my bank an apparently there is a restriction limit on a charge which they lifted so I went back to RK but by then they were closed. They let us in and the charge went through and as I was waiting I decided to close on the wedding gift. Since then, I came back several times to the store and always was treated with great service. I purchased a retirement gift, excellent service because they were able to clean my Rolex. I went back for another watch the Luminox and the watch I wanted had to be special ordered which came in exactly when Sarah mentioned it will be. RK is my first stop for a nice gift.

I brought my Breitling to be serviced due to the dial being broken. I dropped it off on Feb. 25^th and was told it would take 6 to 8 weeks. Yesterday was May 18^th which would be two days shy of 12 weeks. There was no follow up on Russell Korman end notifying me when I would have my watch back. I decide to call and see if they have received it back yet from Breitling. The lady I spoke with said they had no clue and they would call Breitling in the morning due to the different in time zones. I receive a call this morning from Nina notifying me she spoke with Breitling and the parts are on back order which I understand they can’t just appear from thin air. She tells me I won’t have my watch back til late June early July. I am quite dumb founded since I was quoted 6 – 8 weeks and now the eta is looking like 16 – 18 weeks. No apologies were offered. The blame was all placed on Breitling which I don’t see how it could possibly be pushed on them considering I brought my watch to Russell Korman not Breitling and my frustration is on the leak of follow up not the fact the the part are on back order. In closing I will never do business with Russell Korman again due to there customer service
Update today is 7÷15÷15
Since the day I dropped the watch off I haven’t received a follow-​up phone call since today notify to let me know. Every attempt to get my watch back came from me. Stay away from Lori
Today I spoke with Kelli reed and she was great.
End statement they lost a total of seven sales just this year
3 sky dwellers, 3 yacht masters and a bruiser
James M DiMeo

They had they’re doors locked before 6pm… I may have been last minute, but when a business says they’re open till a certain they should still be open… my business would not have taken long. I wasn’t there to browse.

At first we waited for awhile for assistance but eventually we were assisted and was provided with great service. Since buying several items my first visit, I have been backed. RK is now my first place to go.

Have mercy, these stinkers broke my engagement ring! My fiancé bought me a beautiful Sophia. D platinum engagement ring that is from the 1920s. He took it to Russell Korman to have it appraised, and they agreed to do the appraisal for $ 150. Then, a week and two days later, they called him they couldn’t appraise the ring.
To add insult to injury, they told him that he had brought them a broken ring and proceeded to point out that a small diamond was actually missing. (Mind you, this was two days before he was supposed to propose… and they knew that!!)
My fiancé showed them the original accounting sheet, where they had counted the diamonds when he first brought it in. The ring now had one less diamond than was reflected on the sheet. He was in such a panic that he asked them how much it would be to fix it! They told him they weren’t interested in fixing it since he had not purchased it there.
They continued to insist that they had not broken the ring. My poor boy thought he was losing his mind. Thank goodness, he had taken it to another jeweler beforehand! He took it back to the original jeweler, who was able to confirm that the ring was in tact and no diamond missing before he took it to Russell Korman. He explained that they have to remove the main stone to weigh it, and in doing so they broke one of the prongs that held the main diamond. Since the prongs have tiny diamonds lining them, one of them had fallen out!
Anyway, the original jeweler had to re-​weld the ring, to ensure it was stable for the proposal. Then he had to call around to find a tiny diamond to replace the missing one, so I wasn’t able to wear my ring for a week after the engagement! Grrrr. What a mess! I still think Russell Korman should have paid to fix the ring, but the boy didn’t want to make any waves.
While I’m not a huge fan of giving one-​star reviews, I want other couples to know what they could be getting themselves into if they take their rings here to have them appraised!

Not quite sure how to put this, since I have been a constant customer for better than 20 yrs. Originally buying from Russell on the drag to his now new and swanky digs on Burnet. You know when you enter a business who still have the same employees for two decades, something is right. Is Russell Korman cheap, no it certainly is not. Head to the mall if you are looking for something like that. However, are they competitive in this space. absolutely. We were able to find a new Tissot watch and some amazing John Hardy ear rings for my birthday girl They have an abundance of watches, Breitling, Rolex, Tissot, Ball and Omega come to mind while were looking. In the past they also had gently used watches. They also have well priced engagement rings. A special consultation area so you can look at stones and mounts at your leisure and in private. I have purchased three in the past. don’t ask, I finally got it right. My Ebel watch which I purchased from them many years past needed to be serviced and even though they are no longer an Ebel distributor, they took it in and gave me a call this morning to let me know they will be able to take care of this for me. The gals who work here are all consummate professionals and not on commission. Which creates a fantastic atmosphere to shop in. It’s their job to spend time with you and let you browse without the constant looming over you and shoving the most expensive items in your face so they can make an extra buck or two. Love the new store Russell… See you soon I’m sure!