Nuggets & Carats

I must revise my previous negative review of this company. When Sam actually learned of this he was quite responsive and did in fact offer to pay the full value of a replacement carved stone as was previously there.
I must apologize for being hasty in my first review, as Sam has since offered me the option of having him replace the stone or having the work done elsewhere. In either case his offer is both fair and equitable and I have agreed to revise my previous review to reflect this latest series of events which have utterly changed my previous opinion of this matter.

Brian helped my fiancé and I design the most amazing engagement ring. He is very patient, helpful & knowledgable. He made this big purchase as simple as possible! Wouldn’t go anywhere else for Jewlery.

My fiancé and I have bought all of our rings (my engagement ring and band as well as his band) from Sam. Sam gives thoughtful, honest advice and guidance so that you buy the ring that fits your style and budget. He never pushes his views or tries to upsell you. He gave us a great deal and beautiful, quality rings. I LOVE Sam and his team and will continue to come here and refer others for years to come. Thank you, Nuggets & Carats!

My wife and I recently celebrated our 25^th wedding anniversary and were looking for a special pendant to commemorate our celebration. We looked at numerous jewelry stores, including Tiffany’s and Costco at the other end of the spectrum. Sam was able to take our idea’s and custom design a diamond pendant with an invisible setting that is absolutely stunning. We were able to get something nicer than anything we were looking at for a very reasonable price. We have worked with Sam and his son David for over a decade and have had other special pieces made as well with equal success and satisfaction. If you’re looking for a jeweler who is very professional, honest, fair in his pricing and extremely talented, look no further… We highly recommend you do yourself a favor and pay them a visit next time you’re in the market for jewelry or in need of a repair.

A wonderful family owned business. Sam and his whole staff are amazing. They are honest, kind, and friendly. All the ladies in my family have gotten engagement rings from Sam!

They did a great job repairing my wedding ring. Very reasonably priced with excellent service. The owner was very kind and gave me a few options but never pressured me to go the more expensive route. The work was completed when he said it would be.
Definitely would go back and highly recommend.

after a bad experience at a nearby Jeweler i came to this store. What a difference. Honest and friendly. i look forward to coming here again.
Thanks

The guys here were very nice when I dropped off/​picked up 2 silver chains (one with 2 charms on it, one plain) for repair. I specifically asked if they could clean the necklaces also even though most places will do that anyway and they said they would.
I didn’t have a chance to look when I picked them up because I had my hands full with baby but got home to see that they hadn’t been cleaned at all! Very disappointed. The repairs were done fine but I am not impressed with the shop overall.

I come to nuggets & carats to usually get my jewelry resized or repaired. They are sooo helpful and always know exactly how to help me.
There service is quick and very inexpensive. It’s family owned which is also nice as well. It’s conveniently located and everyone there is friendly!

Nuggets & Carats is the best! I used to walk around Sam’s store and dream that one day I could buy something. Sam used to fix things I purchased from garage sales. I’ll always remember that he treated me with care and is so very kind.
When it was time for me to get married, my fiancé’ met Sam and purchased my wedding ring. It is absolutely beautiful! It’s just over 2 ct. princess cut diamond. Since then my husband said we will never purchase from anyone else. We’ve made several purchases since then. You know you’re getting quality and the best.
I can highly recommend Nuggets & Carats to anyone! You will get quality jewelry without a doubt. Not to mention, Sam & David will give you quality time.

By far, Sam, is the best jeweler in Orange County. I highly recommend Nuggets and Carats for quality, affordability and honesty. This is where I bought my wife’s beautiful engagement ring, wedding ring, my wedding ring and several other pieces. We don’t go anywhere else and neither does anyone else in town. Every time we go into the store, Sam looks at my wife’s ring, checks the prongs to make sure they are secure and cleans it free. Where can you go to get that kind of service. Thanks for everything Sam, your a real nice man and gem of a jeweler. You have our business for life…

Wife’s Wedding Ring
After 23 years my wife’s wedding ring had taken a beating and we noticed one of the diamonds had come out. We took it to Nuggets & Carats and they offered two reasonably priced alternatives: (1) they could repair it, or (2) remake it using the old stones. My wife chose to have it remade. The ring was ready in two weeks, and she went to pick it up. She can be very particular, especially when it comes to her wedding ring, and she loved it! Felt it was better than the original ring. I was very pleasantly surprised by her reaction. Ring looks great and she is very happy (and so am I).

Love, love, love Sam and staff. My mother has been utilizing their services for over 20 years, so naturally, I am now as well. We just had a family heirloom ring resized for my wedding. They are always nothing but cheerful, so helpful, knowledgeable, trustworthy and fair. They have a beautiful and extensive selection of jewelry. Highly recommend.

My boyfriend surprised me with his proposal a few weeks ago and gave me a gorgeous engagement ring! He used a round cut diamond that has been in my family for years. He had taken it to Sam at Nuggets & Carats to be set in beautiful flower style setting. I had seen this setting while browsing at engagement rings months ago and casually showed it to my boyfriend telling him how much I liked it. :)
Turns out, he had gone in to Nuggets & Carats and showed Sam the design and Sam said he could replicate it and customize it to fit the diamond my boyfriend had to use. It came out absolutely gorgeous! I was blown away when he gave it to me while proposing :))!!
We got married a week later and he gave me the matching wedding ring which Sam also made to match and fit together with the engagement ring perfectly. We have since been back to have the rings sodered together and sized to fit my finger snugly. Sam was so nice and professional and he had the ring all finished, sodered & sized, within five hours of when we dropped it off. Fantastic and friendly customer service and excellent quality work. A bonus is he lets you look at your stone through the magnifying lenses to see how unique your diamond is. He gave me advice on how to clean and take care of my ring and even gave me a free jewelry cleaning solution. I would recommend anyone to Sam at Nuggets & Carats. Our experience there was awesome.

I went to Nuggets & Carats after browsing for an engagement ring at several big-​name jewelry chains. Dealing with the other jewelry stores was like being at a used car dealership, complete with pushy salespeople that constantly called me to «follow up» and seal the deal. Needless to say, it left a bad taste in my mouth, so a friend referred me to Sam at Nuggets & Carats.
Upon walking in the door the first time, Sam was polite, helpful, and provided me with useful advice without being pushy. I told him that my girlfriend had fallen in love with a matching engagement ring/​wedding band set from one of the bigger stores, and asked if he could replicate it. He asked for some photos, which I provided, and he gave me an estimate of $ 1000 less than I would have paid for the original ring. I put down a deposit, and about 3 weeks later he called me to let me know it was ready. Not only did he save me $ 1000, but his custom-​made band was VASTLY better quality than the original design I showed him. I just proposed today, and my new fiancée couldn’t be happier. I think her exact words were, «I can’t stop staring at it!»
Long story short, I had a great experience here, and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Sam’s work to anyone. If he can take a few grainy cell phone photos and turn them into a design that’s better quality AND cheaper than the original, I’m sure he can handle whatever you need.

A year ago, my lady and I decided that we’d be hitched in the near future.
Great.
So I started to look at rings from many different stores and websites (she thinks I don’t do my research) and on a whim I decide to go local to see what kind of talent is just around the corner.
The minute I walked in, I knew something was right. Sam was with a customer, but didn’t ignore me. He winked and pointed in my direction to let me know I would have his attention shortly, without breaking stride with his current customer. They both referred to each other by first name. As he wraps up business and some pleasantries, another woman walks in and again, they strike up a quick conversation on a first name basis.
I don’t mind as I watch the exchange, shocked, but in a good way. My first experience with Sam was nothing short of spectacular. I walked in, with an idea for an engagement ring and to make a long story short, left him with a deposit on the promise that the ring we custom designed would be ready in 2 weeks.
The design of the ring itself we took from several sources like Tacori and Tiffany and even though we threw in some last minute changes and adjusted the budget just a tad, Sam was able to produce on paper a magnificent ring WITHIN my budget. I was impressed.
About 10 days go by when I get a call from Sam. He was actually at a market for stones, looking for the right one as the centerpiece of my lady’s ring and he says to me, ‘Chris, I’ve found an amazing stone that is not only bigger, but E color, at the same price that we agreed upon. What do you think?‘
It was a simple answer and 2 days later the ring was ready.
Needless to say, my lady loves the ring (and me for it, I guess) and she is the envy of her friends.
Sam, you did a wonderful job and you can bet we will be back for our wedding bands when the time is right.
Thank you!!!

I had resized my new watch somewhere else but realized it was too tight. I saw that Nuggets and Carets was highly rated and so close to home. When I went in and explained that it was too tight but one link added back in was too big, they found a solution of removing one of the smaller links instead. I was really grateful for the solution that the previous place didn’t suggest. On top of that, it was on the house! Great customer service and next time I need any work done on a watch, I’ll for sure go here first!
Thanks so much!

We have been customers here for about 5 years now and there is really no one else that I would go to, or trust, with our jewelry than Sam and his brother! These guys are the best of the best and treat all their customers well, whether you’re getting something cleaned, or buying a $ 10k ring.
Over the years we have brought jewelry here to be cleaned, sold jewelry to them, gotten repairs and bought jewelry from them. On one particular occasion a couple of years ago, Sam’s brother (Brian I think), really went above and beyond to have a custom diamond necklace made for my wife in time for her birthday.
Wouldn’t trust anyone else with our valuables than Nuggets & Carrats!

I am sad to say, my experience was extremely dissatisfying. I was referred to Sam (owner) by a friend who has been seeing him for years and raves about his service and quality of work. I took my engagement ring and wedding ring to him to be soldered together. He noticed a loose stone in my engagement band and offered to tighten it for an additional fee. I also asked him to do an appraisal on the rings as a unit for insurance purposes.
That night when I picked up my ring, I noticed on the way home that my stone was still loose. Fortunately, I was able to take it in the following day to be fixed. About a week later, I noticed that my white gold ring was turning yellow. I called Sam to let him know, and his staff apologized for the inconvenience and told me to bring it back in… Ok, so far so good…
I finally get around to bringing it in, and Sam’s son kindly apologizes and offers to fix the ring. I mentioned I had some questions about my appraisal because it was nearly $ 6k under the original appraisal amount, and that’s where things went south. Sam quickly jumped down my throat about me questioning his appraisal. I was simply asking why it was so low and he was so quick to cop an attitude with me, I told him to forget the appraisal and to just fix my ring. He then continued to give me attitude about the ring. I asked to have the ring back by the end of the day and he gives me attitude again. That is the point where I took my jewelry back and walked out. I refuse to leave my valuables with someone who continually screws up and then treats me like crap. Now I have to find a different jeweler to fix my ring and spend another $ 150 to have it all done.
Thanks, Sam, for the unforgettable customer service. Needless to say, I will never return to this jeweler again.
PS– Forgot to mention that both the spots where my ring had been soldered together are now detached. The solder only held for 2 months! Quality work!

I have been a Nuggets & Carats customer for 25+ years. I have had the pleasure of working with both Sam (Mission Viejo) and Brian (Laguna Niguel). These brothers are consummate professionals. From my first pair of earrings to my custom designed engagement ring, Nuggets and Carats has always come through with a quality product, professionalism and outstanding customer service.
Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting Sam’s son, David, who is working in the Mission Viejo location. He is just as warm and charming as his father and uncle! David is definitely carrying on the Nuggets & Carats legacy. I have no doubt that Nuggets & Carats will continue to be a part of my family’s celebrations and milestones!
I look forward to receiving a new piece of jewelry for my 25^th wedding anniversary, next year!