Designs In Gems - Houston, Texas

Bruce has done a significant amount of work for us but sometimes it was touch and go. When we purchased prefabricated jewelry, he was great. However, on several occasions when we asked him to create something for us, there was confusion although he worked to correct the problem. However, the final project was different. I asked him to redesign a ring but I asked him to wait until I figured out what stones I wanted to use in the ring. He apparently took the ring apart prematurely. I got the ring back and about a year afterwards, another jeweler said the stones were loose and I was going to lose the stones. I emailed Bruce asking him if he wanted to correct the problem. NO ANSWER. I took the ring to back to the second jeweler and he said that the ring had really been torn up and the stones would never be secure and the ring needed to be completely refabricated. I again contacted Bruce...NO ANSWER. I had had a problem with another ring that lost stones and I have a friend who also felt Bruce did poor work. I will not use him again.

Bruce is awesome. Work is highest quality. He has done jewelry design for me for 15 years and I have always been very pleased and impressed with his work. He delivers on the time frame promised. I wanted my ring back before Thanksgiving travel and Bruce came through as promised! He added a halo of diamonds to my engagement center stone and created a new platinum diamond anniversary micro setting band to add to the set. Beautiful! Added new clasps, sized some pieces, cleaned up some older jewelry pieces also for me, it's like I have all new jewelry! Thank you Bruce for a job well done as always! <br />

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It went very well. He listened to all my ideas and even proposed one of his own as we were going through tweaks to the initial design for the engagement ring and wedding band. I wound up incorporating his idea into the final design. He was very good about giving his professional opinion on my ideas especially if he felt that an idea would not look good, which I appreciated. He was also very good about letting me know if any of the design tweaks would add cost to the initial quote. Once the final design was achieved he had the rings crafted and back to me in two weeks. He also promptly got the bridal set appraised when asked. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />The only compliant would be that when I would directly ask him for his recommendation on how to make the engagement ring more feminine he had no recommendations and instead waited for me to propose a few ideas and then he would give his opinion on if he felt the idea(s) would make the ring look more feminine. <br /> <br />

It went very well. He listened to all my ideas and walked me through why some of them were good and would work and why some of them would not and would promptly send me re-done cad drawings of what the rings would look like incorporating each of my additional design ideas until we reached the final design that I was looking for. He was up front about any design changes that would cause additions to the original quote. Once the designs for each ring were set he was able to get the rings made in the two weeks that he quoted for me and well in advance of when I planed to propose to my then girlfriend. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />The only complaint would be that when I asked for his advice on how to make the ring more feminine when I was worried that it was appearing too masculine he really didn't have any recommendations for me and just waited for me to come up with the ideas on my own and then would tell me that that idea would make the ring more feminine. <br />

Bruce was very responsive and provided timely completion of the job.  He did a great job upgrading the design and size of the ring.  He knows his stuff! <br />

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I read Bruce's reviews on Angie's List and met with him to buy a custom-made engagement ring. Bruce was able to work around my schedule, which forced me to have to meet up with him during after business hours. He did this with no issue and even offered his time on Saturdays if I needed it. Bruce spent a lot of time consulting with me on the diamond and setting to make sure it was exactly what I wanted. Turnaround time on the creation was very quick. Bruce helped me stick exactly within my budget. <br /> After the engagement was official, I took my fiancé to Bruce's shop to get the ring sized. Bruce had other customers who were there, so his time was split between us and another couple. Understandably, we had to wait a little while, so Bruce gave us a complimentary sizing to make up for our wait, even though he did not have to. It was very unexpected and very appreciated. <br /> The good reviews here are reflective of Bruce's attention to detail in his work and his understanding of what good customer service is. I intend to use Bruce in the future for our jewelry needs and would highly recommend him to anyone who wants to work directly with a jeweler and avoid the "big box" stores' high prices. <br />

The service was very professional. He worked with us over a two month period. On one ring he recast the ring, gave expert advise on how to bring it back to lasting condition. We also provided old rings and he used the metals and jewels from those rings for a new ring. I feel the price was as excellent as the work.

My family, 3 generations of us, have been going to Bruce for years and have never had any reason to reconsider our decision.  This visit we brought in several pieces of jewelry, some my mother's, some mine, that needed attention of some kind.  2 watches needing batteries, a broken silver earring, my great-grandmother's broach needing replacement stones and some small repairs to jump rings on the necklaces my husband and I never remove.  We also brought in 2 large pearl earrings we wanted to have made into pendants. We discussed with Bruce our ideas of what we wanted and our budget and then we went looking for appropriate mounts.  In the past we have had Bruce design custom settings but our budget didn't allow that on this occasion.  He was very patient and thorough in showing us just about everything available for our purposes including things he could modify to get the look we wanted.  We selected 2 mounts for the 2 pearls, he documented the size and quality of the pearls we were leaving with him and told us we could expect to hear from him in a couple of days - when the mounts arrived - so we could approve them before he mounted the pearls. <br /> I will update this review when the work is complete but fully expect that this time, as in the many times before, we will be delighted with the work Bruce has done and the price that we paid for it. <br />

Bruce met and surpassed our expectations.  He worked with us to come up with the design for the new setting, clearly articulated what our costs would be, then set about crafting the custom-designed setting.  The finished product was stunning!  Bruce is a true artist and a pleasure to work with. <br />

Update to review below....Intially all was okay, but poor quality seen not long after. Overall good, price was a bit more but I felt comfortable leaving a wedding ring with him. Seems very knowledgable in his trade. Ring took a few days more, I ended up okay to pick up later for my schedule as well. Wife was quite happy with repairs to ring. <br /> <br /> Unfortunately I need to update my review. In Apr-2014 I had extensive work to replace a lost diamond and full repair of the prongs on all other diamonds on the ring. Now, in Aug-2014, 4 months later one of the larger diamonds fell out of the ring. Luckily it was able to be found quickly, however when looking closer at the prong that failed, it was obvious the previous repairs were quite poor workmanship. One could say the ring might have taken a hard hit to break the prong?however this was not the case. I brought the ring elsewhere for inspection and repair as I did not trust this business for further repairs. When looking at the ring more closely, three other diamonds were loose. These were ones that supposedly had repair work done on their prongs. When asked if the prior repairs were poor workmanship, the new jeweler wouldn?t go as far as making a statement other than ?we use a different method, as the <br /> method previously used is not as good.? When looking at pictures under a microscope it was apparent the prior repairs were not as good as I initially believed. Luckily in this case another diamond wasn?t lost, but a lesson learned. <br />

It went very well... he was very easy to work with and he went beyond just the appraisals - taking the time to educate us, not only about our pieces, but the jewelry industry in general. He tried to help us figure out how to get top dollar for our items based on his experience and expertise. Two notes for future clients: (1) make sure you can read the actual hand-written appraisal, as - not being familiar with "jewelry lingo", I can not read/understand some of what he wrote which is critical when trying to describe an item to potential buyers. (2) He charged $10, for each item - so, in our case that was $40 - to take "high quality photos" (taken with his phone) to email to us. But the photos we paid for came out no better than what we could have done ourselves with our own phones. I had to edit his photos to get the depth of color and details of the pieces - his were very light and you couldn't see the details. Both of these issues are just to give potential customers a Heads Up. Other than those two issues - it was a great experience and education. I am very glad we got to meet him; he shows all signs that he not only knows his business inside and out, he also came across as very honest - which is key when doing this sort of thing... he knows an enormous amount about the entire jewelry / precious & semi-precious gems / gold & silver / craftsmanship industry. I look forward to continue to work with him in the future and would highly recommend him to anyone. <br />

Bruce completed all work promptly and professionally.  I couldn't have asked for anything more.  I trusted him with my most prized possessions and he completed the work flawlessly.  His prices are very reasonable.  I highly recommend Bruce for any jewelry work that you need to have done!!  He's a true professional!! <br />

Perfect.  We settled on a price and after the job was complete, it was exactly as we agreed to.  Bruce is a great guy, very knowledgable and friendly. <br />

Bruce did an excellent job of repairing the ring.  The stone had become loose and I wanted to make sure that it was repaired correctly since it was a sentimental piece.  He went above and beyond to make sure that the repairs were done properly.  I will use him for all my jewelry needs going forward.  Bruce is great to work with and provided options for me and helped make sure that I understand what he was going to do.  The finished piece was stunning.  Thank you Bruce. <br />

Every once in a while you'll meet somebody you just like doing business with. Bruce is that kind of a person. I brought my wife's wedding ring in to get it repaired (prongs replaced) and I was very impressed with the job Bruce did. It was excellent work. He was able to get it back to me the next day. He's also just a really nice guy. One can get very concerned leaving valuables with someone you don't know but after talking to him a few minutes I knew he was trustworthy and had a hunch he was good. He had such good reviews on Angie's List I decided to drive across town instead of going somewhere close to my house. He is by appt. only though so make sure to call before you go.

Called Bruce on Wednesday wanting to make an appointment for an estimate for repair for my daughter's wedding ring.When we spoke, we mutually agreed on the date and time. When I arrived, I was expecting to leave the ring for repair, however a wonderful surprise awaited me! They were able to repair the ring on the spot. He also cleaned it and brought the sparkle back--when she put the ring back on her finger, she was THRILLED and extremely pleased. <br /> I'm so happy to have found this business, when I have a need for jewelry repair or design, I will definitely be returning! <br /> Excellence and top notch service, I recommend this business to anyone looking for a jeweler! <br /> <br />

He  quickly and professionally got to work, separating out the items of lesser value, and then reviewed in detail the more valuable items.  He gave me a brief review of her wedding band and will provide a written report on those items we think we will need for estate valuation/subsequent sale.  While he was cleaning my mother's ring, he offered to clean/check  my wedding ring as well.  I am very lucky he did so, as he found that 2 prongs were broken and I could have lost my engagement ring at anytime.   I have some personal items that need to be appraised and I will definitely return to see him in the near future. <br />

We wanted to use gems that we already had and have a custom ring designed based on my wife's style preference.  Bruce sat down with us, drew up sketches based on my wife's desires and really listened to what she wanted.  He worked with us a bit on the pricing and took his time to make sure we would be happy.  The result was great and my wife is still thrilled with her ring.  It was a great experience.  Having attempted the same process at other jewelers in the past, we will not go anywhere else for this type of work again. <br />

From the very beginning, Mr. Snider and I had a very good conversation as he took the time to get to know me and some of the history with my grandfather's Gents 'Election' 18kt wrist watch.  The turn-around from the time I dropped off the watch until the final report was delivered was exceptional.  The report itself was first-class and definitely met all the requirements that my insurance company had voiced.  He provided duplicates of the report so that I could keep one copy and submit the second to the insurance agent.  Mr. Snider was very professional, personable and genuinely passionate about his service. <br /> I would most definitely recommend his services for antique jewelry appraisals. <br />

He is easy to work with and had the piece done when he said it would be.   I would definitely recommend using him and will use him in the future if I want something custom designed. <br />

I contacted Bruce to redesign some rings of mine into something new.  He spent quite a bit of time, was thoroughly professional in our initial meeting and really listended to my design ideas and what I was looking for in a finished ring.  He also thought of details necessary to the construction that I never would have thought of myself. <br /> He gave me a thorough itemized list of the total cost up front during our first meeting and was punctual in his timeline and the ring was ready in the exact time he estimated.  <br /> The finished product was even better than I could have hoped for and the whole experience was smooth, professional and fantastic. <br /> I will definitely tell my friends and family members about this jeweler and will be happy to continue to do business with him in the future. <br /> <br /> <br />

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