My Experience with gemvara - purchasing our wedding bands
Sections:
Hello. I'm Luyou. Some quick facts before we get started:
How I Discovered Gemvara & Decided to Use Its Services:
I knew very little about jewelry grades, types of cuts, and reasonable price ranges when I began looking for rings. Thankfully, there are many resources online to help laymen like me get a grasp on the specifics, like what is and isn't hypoallergenic, what are good diamond alternatives, and what the best kinds of metal for wedding rings are. It was also helpful that I knew what I was looking for: two sterling silver wedding bands that looked good and were reasonably priced.
When I was shopping for rings on the websites of more traditional companies (Jared's, Shane Co, etc), I quickly realized that nothing there would suit our needs. We'd recently graduated college a few years ago and almost everything that the bigger jewelers offered were completely out of our price range. On the other hand, many online stores were sketchy or didn't offer what I was looking for. Furthermore, I discovered that there is a ton of rings sold that only mentioned that the rings were silver plated in tiny text on the bottom of the screen, and most websites didn't even say what the remaining 7.5% of the 92.5 sterling silver was composed of. Unfortunately, with my pretty severe metal allergies, that was a complete no-go.
I began looking online and at physical locations for a store that offered reasonably priced "diamond alternative" stones and modern looking band in either titanium or 92.5 sterling silver. After a few months of searching, I found Gemvara. It was set up similarly to sites like Brilliant Earth and other "customize your ring" stores, where it offered a base, setting, cuts, grades, accent stones, and more that you could choose from. I was initially very hesitant of the store as I searched online for other people's experiences with Gemvara and though it seems like many people have used them for every-day bands and birthstone jewelry, hardly anyone had documented their experiences with engagement or wedding rings. However, after some thought, I decided to go for it, as the site had exactly what I was looking for.
My Experience with Gemvara's Products & Customer Service:
Even after verifying that the website was not a scam, researching other people's experiences with the site, and taking a long time to find the perfect types of band for both me and my fiance, I still harbored a fair amount of apprehension. $400 is not a lot of money to some people, but it was (and is) for me, and it was fair for the kind of product we were receiving, since we didn't opt for gold, diamonds, or a more expensive band material. After making the purchase in October, I received an email that said the rings were being made and to allow several weeks for their creation.
Between then and the date the rings arrived, I made several calls to Customer Service inquiring about things related to possible metal allergies. Both times, it did not take long for someone to pick up the call, and both times, the call went through to people clearly working from within the United States. Both women I spoke to were easy to understand and resolved my concerns quickly and politely. I came off of the calls pretty impressed that it didn't take a long time to reach a human being and they were very professional. Later on, I called them because Tyler's band was going to come in on a different day and I didn't want the front desk ladies of our apartment to accidentally email him about the package (they already knew the shipping number of the box with my ring), and the woman I spoke to overnighted Tyler's ring so both would arrive at the same time. Talk about a lifesaver.
On November 1st, 2017, both of the wedding bands from Gemvara came in. The ladies at our apartment's front desk snuck them in just for me, eager to hear about the results of the surprise proposal. The rings were both made of Argentium 92.5 sterling silver. His ring was thicker than mine, and I also opted for a nine band of white sapphire as my diamond alternative stone. It is a white color indoors and has a faint blue tint in direct sunlight. I ended up liking the pale blue a lot and feel like it made the ring different from most in a good way. The rings came with a 1 year warranty as well as a Certificate of Authenticity. The site did say that the warranty would be void if I took it to get altered in another store, but I had no issues with either ring so it wasn't an issue.
Gemvara offered free engraving on the rings, which I decided to make use of - I engraved the rings with alternating lines to a made-up song that Tyler and I often sing to each other. In terms of the rings, they were exactly what I was looking for. The gemstones in my ring didn't have any cracks or other imperfections, and they both shone beautifully in the light. The boxes were made of a hardened cardboard of some kind, so if you're looking to propose with a nicer box, I'd advise picking one out, but I had no problem proposing to Tyler with the box the website gave me. The rings also came with small pouches to store them in.
Overall, my experience with Gemvara was very smooth and the product they delivered was just what I ordered. As for the proposal, when we were spending Christmas on a remote mountain in the middle of North Carolina, I began to prepare for the moment. When we went down into a tiny nearby town to spend the day, I proposed to him among the waving trees and a running river of Bryson City Island Park, without another person in sight. He said (screamed) yes and cried. The long wait (almost 6 months from planning) was finally over and it was such a relief. I was so happy and I will remember that day forever. That beautiful moment would not have been possible without Gemvara, and for that, I am thankful to them.
Final Summary & Pictures:
I was very pleased with the rings I received from Gemvara. It was hard finding them, and I was initially very nervous that the site would be a scam or deliver a sub-par product, but my fears were put to bed. Please feel free to browse the pictures below to see the process, packaging, and products for yourself. Hopefully this post helps other folks who were in my position, not knowing whether or not to go for it and get rings from Gemvara. If you're looking for a ring that you don't necessarily want to customize, aren't looking for a diamond alternative, or have a larger budget, I wouldn't necessarily say there's anything about my experience with Gemvara that would make them completely blow away the competition. However, on the very limited budget we were working with and knowing what sort of rings we wanted, I am very happy with what we got. Again, as I did NOT get a diamond ring, I can't comment on the quality of their stock of diamonds. However, my thoughts are that for people looking for more esoteric stones or a more reasonably priced ring, it works well. Decide what exactly you're looking for in a ring, ring box, experience, and other factors before going for it. In any case, good luck on your search for the perfect ring!
Cheers from a happily engaged gal!
-Luyou Sun, 1/10/2018
- Introduction
- How I Discovered Gemvara & Decided to Use Its Services
- My Experience with Gemvara's Products & Customer Service
- Final Summary with Pictures
Hello. I'm Luyou. Some quick facts before we get started:
- I am a female, proposed to a male
- I opted NOT to purchase a separate engagement ring
- I was looking for: two 92.5 sterling silver bands
- We were on a tight budget and I was seeking a diamond alternative
How I Discovered Gemvara & Decided to Use Its Services:
I knew very little about jewelry grades, types of cuts, and reasonable price ranges when I began looking for rings. Thankfully, there are many resources online to help laymen like me get a grasp on the specifics, like what is and isn't hypoallergenic, what are good diamond alternatives, and what the best kinds of metal for wedding rings are. It was also helpful that I knew what I was looking for: two sterling silver wedding bands that looked good and were reasonably priced.
When I was shopping for rings on the websites of more traditional companies (Jared's, Shane Co, etc), I quickly realized that nothing there would suit our needs. We'd recently graduated college a few years ago and almost everything that the bigger jewelers offered were completely out of our price range. On the other hand, many online stores were sketchy or didn't offer what I was looking for. Furthermore, I discovered that there is a ton of rings sold that only mentioned that the rings were silver plated in tiny text on the bottom of the screen, and most websites didn't even say what the remaining 7.5% of the 92.5 sterling silver was composed of. Unfortunately, with my pretty severe metal allergies, that was a complete no-go.
I began looking online and at physical locations for a store that offered reasonably priced "diamond alternative" stones and modern looking band in either titanium or 92.5 sterling silver. After a few months of searching, I found Gemvara. It was set up similarly to sites like Brilliant Earth and other "customize your ring" stores, where it offered a base, setting, cuts, grades, accent stones, and more that you could choose from. I was initially very hesitant of the store as I searched online for other people's experiences with Gemvara and though it seems like many people have used them for every-day bands and birthstone jewelry, hardly anyone had documented their experiences with engagement or wedding rings. However, after some thought, I decided to go for it, as the site had exactly what I was looking for.
My Experience with Gemvara's Products & Customer Service:
Even after verifying that the website was not a scam, researching other people's experiences with the site, and taking a long time to find the perfect types of band for both me and my fiance, I still harbored a fair amount of apprehension. $400 is not a lot of money to some people, but it was (and is) for me, and it was fair for the kind of product we were receiving, since we didn't opt for gold, diamonds, or a more expensive band material. After making the purchase in October, I received an email that said the rings were being made and to allow several weeks for their creation.
Between then and the date the rings arrived, I made several calls to Customer Service inquiring about things related to possible metal allergies. Both times, it did not take long for someone to pick up the call, and both times, the call went through to people clearly working from within the United States. Both women I spoke to were easy to understand and resolved my concerns quickly and politely. I came off of the calls pretty impressed that it didn't take a long time to reach a human being and they were very professional. Later on, I called them because Tyler's band was going to come in on a different day and I didn't want the front desk ladies of our apartment to accidentally email him about the package (they already knew the shipping number of the box with my ring), and the woman I spoke to overnighted Tyler's ring so both would arrive at the same time. Talk about a lifesaver.
On November 1st, 2017, both of the wedding bands from Gemvara came in. The ladies at our apartment's front desk snuck them in just for me, eager to hear about the results of the surprise proposal. The rings were both made of Argentium 92.5 sterling silver. His ring was thicker than mine, and I also opted for a nine band of white sapphire as my diamond alternative stone. It is a white color indoors and has a faint blue tint in direct sunlight. I ended up liking the pale blue a lot and feel like it made the ring different from most in a good way. The rings came with a 1 year warranty as well as a Certificate of Authenticity. The site did say that the warranty would be void if I took it to get altered in another store, but I had no issues with either ring so it wasn't an issue.
Gemvara offered free engraving on the rings, which I decided to make use of - I engraved the rings with alternating lines to a made-up song that Tyler and I often sing to each other. In terms of the rings, they were exactly what I was looking for. The gemstones in my ring didn't have any cracks or other imperfections, and they both shone beautifully in the light. The boxes were made of a hardened cardboard of some kind, so if you're looking to propose with a nicer box, I'd advise picking one out, but I had no problem proposing to Tyler with the box the website gave me. The rings also came with small pouches to store them in.
Overall, my experience with Gemvara was very smooth and the product they delivered was just what I ordered. As for the proposal, when we were spending Christmas on a remote mountain in the middle of North Carolina, I began to prepare for the moment. When we went down into a tiny nearby town to spend the day, I proposed to him among the waving trees and a running river of Bryson City Island Park, without another person in sight. He said (screamed) yes and cried. The long wait (almost 6 months from planning) was finally over and it was such a relief. I was so happy and I will remember that day forever. That beautiful moment would not have been possible without Gemvara, and for that, I am thankful to them.
Final Summary & Pictures:
I was very pleased with the rings I received from Gemvara. It was hard finding them, and I was initially very nervous that the site would be a scam or deliver a sub-par product, but my fears were put to bed. Please feel free to browse the pictures below to see the process, packaging, and products for yourself. Hopefully this post helps other folks who were in my position, not knowing whether or not to go for it and get rings from Gemvara. If you're looking for a ring that you don't necessarily want to customize, aren't looking for a diamond alternative, or have a larger budget, I wouldn't necessarily say there's anything about my experience with Gemvara that would make them completely blow away the competition. However, on the very limited budget we were working with and knowing what sort of rings we wanted, I am very happy with what we got. Again, as I did NOT get a diamond ring, I can't comment on the quality of their stock of diamonds. However, my thoughts are that for people looking for more esoteric stones or a more reasonably priced ring, it works well. Decide what exactly you're looking for in a ring, ring box, experience, and other factors before going for it. In any case, good luck on your search for the perfect ring!
Cheers from a happily engaged gal!
-Luyou Sun, 1/10/2018