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February 2024 by Marisa S.
I used to really love this place. My husband bought my engagement ring from here and several other memorable pieces. Unfortunately, one of the items he purchased, a pair of earrings, broke. We looked on the website, and it appeared the repair would be easy since the company boasts "longevity" of items and "we are happy to repair it. Please contact us at the location where your piece was purchased." Plus, the earrings were only three years old. We arrived, and the sales associate was preparing an item to be shipped, glanced up, and said, "Hey." We approached the counter; she appeared annoyed and sighed, "can i help you?" I told her i had items that needed repair and handed over my Esqueleto box. She opened the box, looked at the broken earrings and told me they weren't purchased there! I probably should have left at that point, but I didn't. We produced the electronic receipt, and she was still skeptical. She then told us they were old, like I should expect my jewelry purchased from there to break after three years. She quoted us $30 for the repair and we advised the website doesn't say there will be a cost. She laughed at us. Once the earrings were fixed a different sales associate helped us. She said the repair was $60! She could only apologize and say they provide the best quotes possible at the store, and it is up to the studio. It should be noted, there wasn't a warning that the price could increase once the studio receives it or phone call once the studio received the earrings advising repairing a post would cost more money. The quoted $30 price was on the original receipt the only person surprised by the doubled price was me. So they have lost a longtime customer and now I'm just worried about my other jewelry purchased from them because if something breaks I will not be seeking repair from them.
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January 2024 by Willow B.
I've popped in the Oakland shop many times over the years, to buy a few special gifts but mostly to feast my eyes on the wearable art. When my fiancé and I went in to look at rings, we had the honor of being helped by Laur. She was so patient and kind with our very different shopping styles, and it was obvious she truly enjoyed the process of helping us find the jewelry that spoke to us as individuals. We came back several times to try things on and think about it before making our choices, and Laur saved our favorites from previous visits and offered thoughtful new options we might not otherwise consider. Nothing about the process felt stuffy or pressured, but rather like she was the super stylish and knowledgable friend who you'd want to take ring shopping with you. We finally chose options we are both thrilled about, she was great about walking us through the process to get my fiancé's vintage band resized. Thanks Laur!
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November 2023 by Catherine G.
OMG. A visual delight with ceramics jewelry and so much more. Love the people who work there and the items are original and beautiful. What a gift giving treasure.
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October 2023 by Charles X.
I hesitate to write this review because I love the Oakland shop and the brands they carry and our family has bought a lot of pieces from here but the exchange process is a headache if you're outside the two-week window. And they would not honor the loyalty points used in the order.
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June 2023 by Lindsey Raney
Worked on a custom wedding band order with them and it came out perfectly. They were great with communication and showed me a CAD before I paid. I had previously tried to work with a jewelry shop in San Francisco and it was a total disaster so Esqueleto was truly a breath of fresh air. Everyone at esqueleto made the process pleasant, seamless from our first meeting to pick up, and the piece was exactly what I wanted. Customer for life thank you!
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May 2023 by Matt Charlot
If you are looking for exquisite gifts for loved ones you should check this shop out. They have thoughtfully curated jewelery and ceramics and artwork. Very knowledgeable people, as attentive as you need! Learn about the artists that they represent! They can size rings and customize as needed.
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April 2023 by Sonia R.
Beautiful rings, great customer service. I just had a great time picking my ring. They answered all my questions and I was able to try each ring I asked for.
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February 2023 by Rebecca S.
I am so bummed -- I recently got engaged and am looking for a super unique ring. I was so excited to look at pieces and try them on, I went in with a friend. We asked to see a ring or two and said we wanted to see more. The woman seemed super annoyed with us the whole time and after we looked at a couple of things she turned around and walked behind the desk and pointedly started scrolling her phone and pretending we weren't there, even as we identified other pieces we would like to see. I left feeling really awful about the experience, a bucket of cold water on my excitement and genuinely sad to miss out on their gorgeous selection as I will not be spending money there.
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December 2022 by Alexandra Stupple
The salespeople are snobby and treated me like I was some slob they couldn’t bother with. And even though I nonetheless bought a very nice gold necklace for $500+, they continued to treat me thusly. Also, when I had them shorten the necklace, they failed to give me the part they had cut off, even after I asked for it (in case I wanted to lengthen it later). I guess they wanted to melt it down and keep the $$. Anyway, they’re rude and not great there, but the stuff they sell is cute.
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October 2022 by Anne S.
Customer service was non existent. I was there for 15 minutes and completely ignored by the two staff. There were two other customers in the store but they were not actively being attended to.
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August 2022 by Glenn C.
This place is dangerous place for jewelry lovers looking for unique pieces crafted by artisans (some local). If you're looking for that "bling-bling" effect, this isn't the place for you. Think more: laid back, bohemian California vibe. (The store feels like I've been transported to Silver Lake.) They also carry some housewares in addition to a curated selection gold and silver jewelry. The men's jewelry selection is limited but many of their pieces can be worn by everyone.
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May 2022 by Zoe Reich-Aviles
Upon my most recent visit, I was extremely unhappy with the customer service. The available salesperson was rude and nearly scolded me in response to a simple question: "Can I try on this ring?" It was a busy day, so perhaps their response was rooted in stress or perhaps they took a look at the clothes me and my partner were wearing and decided we weren't worth their time. If you're looking for beautiful jewelry and stellar customer service, I highly recommend Marisa Mason around the corner.I will say that Esqueleto's customer service does vary from salesperson to salesperson. I bought a wedding ring for my partner a week prior and the person who helped me was great -- very knowledgable and willing to engage in conversation about finding the right ring. Esqueleto certainly is not without merit, but my most recent experience has lost them a customer.
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May 2022 by Brianna D.
I fell in love with Todd Pownell's work at Esqueleto and worked with Sha-Ron to have a custom ring made. She did an amazing job of communicating with the jeweler about what I wanted and I couldn't be more happy with my ring. I used a stone I recently inherited from my grandmother and it felt so good to work with people who are so personable. I could not recommend them more.
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April 2022 by Julia F.
Spent hundreds of dollars on a gold necklace, only to have one of the links break within just a couple of months. They begrudgingly fixed it, but the same spot broke a week later. Another link broke off a week after that when I took it in elsewhere to get fixed and the professional gold cleaner was cleaning the necklace. It does not appeared to be soldered correctly. Be careful shopping here.
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March 2022 by Bartholomew Roland
Esqueleto is a small jewelry shop off Telegraph that serves as a sales aggregator for several artists. They have a diverse collection of uncommon pieces. You will find creativity here that is not represented in larger branded jewelry stores. However, I've also found that the quality of gems are not on par with the branded jewelers, either.I would recommend going elsewhere for your jewelry unless you are unquestionably happy with your purchase. This store is often final sale, and even in the unique circumstances where they will accomodate your return, they only provide store credit.My partner and I purchased a ring two days ago. We were undecided about white or yellow gold for a diamond setting and took the recommendation of the sales staff to take the yellow gold home and allow our instincts to decide. This particular piece is part of their slim collection that is not final sale.After a day we quickly decided we wanted white gold rather than yellow. We returned the ring on Sunday and were told that swapping the setting would be an additional $800. Now we're in a situation where we've already sunk a ton of money into something we decided we don't want, and the store is telling us that we need to spend more to make it right. I think this is a textbook example of an unhappy shopping experience.Further, because of their limited and largely eclectic selection, there are no other rings that catch us. They have us in a really difficult position, along with all of our money, and we're left without a ring and a sour spot in our stomach.Conversely, we recently had a superb experience at Pavé when purchasing my ring. Be very careful where you buy your jewelry, the store can make or break your purchasing experience, and this can tarnish your feelings about a symbol that is supposed to represent something very different.
