Will you quote my repair over the phone?
While we may have a general idea of what a certain repair may cost, we are unable to give you an exact quote over the phone. Resizing rings and other repairs is highly dependent on the quality of the metal, how much metal we need to add or remove, the number of stones set in a piece, the setting style, if and why there are loose, damaged, or missing stones, what caused damage to piece, and if there are other concerns that need to be addressed. This requires our team to see your jewelry in-person and under a microscope to determine the best course of action and to give you an estimate for the repair.
Do I need to make an appointment?
Appointments are not required for repair estimates, or for our team to check and clean your jewelry. However, they can be advantageous for consultations on custom designs and estate remounts. Making up an appointment for these longer processes ensures that our team is able to go over the details of your design and allows time to answer any questions during your consultation.
How long will my repair or custom design take?
Repairs typically take 2 weeks to complete and during busier times of the year, this timeline may be extended. Because we may require more than one consultation for discussing a design, selecting stones, and going over CAD renderings, the bespoke design process takes longer. Some custom-built pieces may take only two weeks to complete, however a majority take six to eight weeks to produce. We never sacrifice quality, and timelines may be extended due to special circumstances or individual design needs.
What makes Virtuoso Jewels different?
There are many different types of jewelry stores in the Triangle: merchandisers, independents, pawn shops, chain stores and mom and pop shops to name a few. However, only two stores in the Triangle employ a JA Certified Master Bench Jeweler, and Virtuoso Jewels is the only store owned, staffed and operated by one. Unlike other stores that simply buy jewelry and resell it and send out repair work to unknown trade shops, at Virtuoso Jewels, all the jewelry is designed, created and repaired in-house.
What is a Certified Master Bench Jeweler?
In 1996, the most respected jewelers trade organization, Jewelers of America, based in Manhattan, developed a program that would objectively certify the competency and achievement of the craftspeople who make and repair jewelry. Certification levels are Certified Bench Jeweler Technician, Certified Bench Jeweler, Certified Senior Bench Jeweler and Certified Master Bench Jeweler. Larry was the 3rd jeweler in the nation to be awarded with the Master Bench Jeweler certification in July of 1997. The bench jeweler certification tests the capability of a jeweler in many styles of stone setting, wax carving of models, soldering and welding, accurate interpretation of designs from 2 dimensional drawings, general technical knowledge and many other subjects. To date, fewer than 125 goldsmiths have passed the demanding certification process.
