Jelena Behrend Studio

Jelena is a nightmare to deal with. The stone in the engagement ring I purchased fell out after a years time. She berated me via text (yelling in all caps!) when I tried contacting her by phone to discuss the ring. Apparently, you can only discuss things with her by email. There was so much hostility coming from her that I decided to get the ring back rather than have it fixed. Unfortunately, there is so much bad energy surrounding the ring, my wife doesn’t want to wear it. All this for trying to reset the stone! Unbelievable.

Jelena is a terrible person to deal with. She is abusive, unreasonable, yells and threatened to take my 75% deposit due to her own ambiguity and poor communication. Why have such negativity associated with the dearest most special event of your life? You can do far better.

My soon-​to-​be-​husband and I were struggling in finding wedding bands in a mass market that is far more focused on diamond rock rings for women, relegating men to bland, mass produced bands.
Like most reviewers here, we stumbled upon Jelena online and have been delighted at the personal service and passion Jelena shares in creating rings for you. I think her studio will attract people who are open to the creative process of learning, testing ideas, taking advice and working together in creating that something special.
With no storefront, and the studio the whole floor of a walkup in the Lower East Side, there is something very New York and personal about the experience, along with Jelena’s grounded and lovely personality. She prides herself in the waning art of hand hammered rings and old school techniques, so beautiful
We are currently half way through the ring making process, but know that we are delighted by the experience to date and look forward to the final rings. Be sure to plan ahead, this is a process that takes 4 – 6 weeks, well worth it though.
A must if you are looking for a personal experience and unique jewelry designed just for you (and your other half too haha).

We found Jelena through NYMag, where she got great reviews. Can’t beat that.
We showed up and instantly got a kick out of Jelena. She’s sassy and brilliant, and had us laughing with her brazen sense of humor. She knows exactly what she’s doing and recommended a couple classic-​with-​a-​twist bands that we loved. My fiancé has never worn a ring before (nor was excited about wearing one), but she completely made him comfortable, joked around with him, and found him a beautiful hammered, subtle gold band. It’s obvious she’s been doing this for 20 twenty years, and many of her clients of celebrities and musicians.
I had looked at the some of the negative reviews on Unilocal, but had a completely different experience. My guess is that if you show up on time, aren’t extremely high maintenance, have a good sense of humor, and love beautiful pieces of jewelry, you’ll love working with her (and love the pieces you end up with!)

My fiancé and I found Jelena through an internet search and I fell in love with her work. After trying out a local jewelry store in our Brooklyn neighborhood and deciding that we wanted a set of wedding rings more custom, matching, and special, we made an appointment with Jelena.
I’m not going to to question other reviewers’ experiences, but I can say with certainty that we couldn’t have had a better time in her studio, nor could we have asked for better service.
Here’s what happened: We showed up on the dot for our appointment and Jelena, her assistant Ruta, and her smiling, prancing Chihuahua Zlato all greeted us with enthusiasm. Jelena is funny and has a colorful, interesting background. We socialized and laughed for at least 20 minutes before we got down to business. When we started talking about rings, she was patient, gentle, and obviously knew how to read us and offer suggestions. She has a process for asking questions and finding out what people want. When we decided on the metal, width, and design, my fiancé and I both knew, without saying a word, we’d found the right person and we’d found the right rings.
Side note: she told us funny stories highlighting the range of couples who come into her studio. There are the people who inappropriately make out on her couch. There are those who quarrel through the whole process. There are the women who end up in tears (not the good kind). And none of this has to do with Jelena, you know? This is the crap people carry with them and put on display during even momentous occasions. So, I really don’t want to judge, but good luck to you folks.
Okay, fast forward a month (she was busy — wedding season is starting up, so 4 weeks was a rather long lead time for her, but we were careful to plan more than two months out from our event) and we’re back in the studio, loving on Zlato, taking pictures with Jelena, and having a grand time. Both rings were fitting a little snugly so she made adjustments on the spot and welcomed us back after our event occurs, when we start wearing the rings on the regular, in case anything else is needed.
Meanwhile, the rings are GORGEOUS. Weighty-​looking yet light. Exactly what we asked for. An interesting matte gold, hammered and lovely. We cannot wait to wear them and I’m really, really hoping that my soon-​to-​be husband thinks of Jelena for future gifts. (Hint, hint, honey.)
In the end, I’m SO glad we didn’t go off-​the-​shelf, or with a jeweler/​artisan full of pretension and/​or lacking in personality. This is a big moment for us and we’ll never forget what joy ring-​buying brought us.

Jelena created a ring that exceeded my expectations and makes me so, so happy. Her art is beautiful and it is clear that she loves what she does.
One of the best parts of the experience was just talking with Jelena and her assistant. They were both so genuine, so funny, and refreshingly honest. I look forward to visiting her studio to pick out our wedding rings.

My husband adored Jelena, her art, and one particular wedding ring displayed on her website. We purchased the ring for our vows, and two weeks later, said beautiful dark brown patina-​ed ring was a bright brass object staining my husband’s ring finger in green. Three visits to Jelena brought temporary repairs, and ultimately, she kicked my husband out of her storefront in a fit or rage. So, a sentimental object is now really unwearable — we’re out both the not insubstantial amount of money and what should have been a lovely symbol of the beginning of our new voyage together. I find it inexcusable to sell something called a wedding ring, typically intended for every-​day wear, that won’t hold it’s finish for more a fortnight — and will stain the skin.

Jelena helped us create a beautiful ring that is at the same time classic and unique. She made the whole experience of designing fun — we spent 2 hours with her drinking wine, telling stories and looking at her work. I can’t wait for her to make our wedding bands!