Simayof

Unfortunately I’ve done a complete 180 on Simayoff. They have consolidated, closing their Walnut Creek and Union Street (SF) stores. I went to their Powell Street store to have them take a look at my wife’s wedding ring, which needed repair. The good guys who were employed there in the past are all gone. I was treated like I just walked in off of the street by the manager, despite the fact I had bought an engagement ring, wedding and tennis bracelet from them. He told me it was my wife’s fault the diamonds were lose. His attitude was horrible, I paid to have the ring repaired and will never ever go back to their store again. Neither should anyone else, there are plenty of jewelers around who appreciate your business.

I heard they are closing this store, but I imagine the one in SF is similar.
They did a really nice custom engagement/​wedding ring for us. My partner got one for me (as a surprise) and then I wanted to do the same for her.
The people helping me were congratulatory, and not phased that we were both women. My partner had the same experience. In my book, this counts for a lot.
The service was just right – helpful but not pushy, and they didn’t try to upsell you. The ring came in even a little earlier than they said, and they gave a discreet courtesy call to let me know.
It might have helped that I know jewelry, knew what I wanted etc. We had to take each ring back one time for sizing; it was an eternity-​style band, so they actually sent it out, and redid it in the size that fit better. No hassles at all.
We get lots of compliments on the rings and I would definitely buy from Simayof again.

My fiancé and I picked out our engagement ring here. At first, the salesguy picked out this diamond that was so sparkly and stunning but had an odd color. It really didn’t seem right. He took us outside the shop to see how the color looked with the other ‘normal’ looking stones around it and it still looked weird but I figured, wrongly, I should trust his judgement. So, we waited to have it fitted, I think it took about two weeks. And we got it back and my fiancé said I should brace myself before looking at it b/​c it still looked odd, it was a weird yellow green. I was in tears!
So we went back that day and I spoke with the same guy (I was not about to speak with another!) and he switched it out for another diamond of regular color, of slightly larger size, and lower clarity.
My advice: Trust your instincts.
Also, when we got the shank (the band around the diamonds) I requested a 6.5 when he suggested a 6.25. I refused because I know what fits best. So we get the 6.5 but for some reason the shank splits right in the middle, like it was one of those rings that you get from toy machine! Anyway, I brought it in and they had no idea what happened and asked me what kind of work I do (office work) as if I had worked with chemicals that would split the ring (wha?). Anyway, they gave it back to me as a 6.25 size.
I just don’t want to go back. So frustrating. Although I do love my ring, it still is amazingly sparkly two years later. Really really gorgeous still. I will go back to have it inspected but that is about it. No more purchases.

I purchased a ring in person at their store in Walnut Creek. Having to wait to receive the diamonds and have them set took longer than I expected, but what has been more problematic is their attitude since I received the ring. I am accustomed to taking a ring back to the jeweler about once per year to have the setting inspected and have it cleaned. Every time I’ve gone recently to have this service the jeweler has been unavailable. I’ve gone back during the hours that he’s been promised to be available, only to find out that «he left early». Today I called and asked if I could come in at a specific time tomorrow when he was there and I was given the runaround about how long it might take and that I might have to leave the ring with them — something I’ve NEVER had to do at another jewelers. Usually they’re happy that you’re hanging around and browsing their other displays. I would never order from them again, particularly since there are so few retail locations to choose from.

Wow. I’m surprised by these reviews; I had nothing but a great experience there, but then, maybe I ended up with the only helpful person. Or maybe they’ve read these reviews themselves.
I shopped around for quite a while, and the price they gave me for my engagement ring was well below other places for a similar quality, cut, and size of stone. George was very helpful and answered my questions over email as well as in person, showed me a number of stones, and gave me plenty of time to look at the finished ring. My fiancée is extremely happy with the ring.

What you absolutely must know about Simayof is their return policy. If you need to return anything purchased in their store (such as an engagement ring) they will ONLY give you a store credit. They will NOT give you your cash back (credit your credit card, etc.). I think most people look at the 30-​day ONLINE policy and assume it applies to the store too, absolutely NOT.

Terrible customer service. I had such poor customer service from both the SanFrancisco and Walnut Creek Simayof stores that I felt compelled to start an account here and warn others.
We bought an eternity ring (platinum/​diamond) for me 3 years ago in the SanFrancisco store. The employees were like sleazy used car salesmen – quoting you one price, then forgetting the quote and making up another. We ordered our ring with custom filigree engraving, and when we went to pick it up it was not engraved. This happened twice. I had ordered a size 6 ring, and I always wondered why it was so tight on my finger. I later found out at the Simayof in Walnut Creek that my ring was almost a full size under a size 6.
We went to Walnut Creek hoping for better service, after deciding to upgrade my ring, and have been very disappointed there as well. The gentleman who made our sale acted like he was doing us a huge favor trading the ring in there instead of at the S.F. store. He did not count our sales tax toward trade in, which was fine, but in light of full disclosure I had gone there a month before and a woman who worked there said it was no problem at all to trade in our ring at a different store and that they would be happy to help us. We ended up buying a much bigger eternity ring and paid an additional 2,700.00 for my new ring. He said it would take 6 weeks to get the ring.
I had further questions about my ring, tried to call them this week and they said the man who helped me was in Turkey for a month. It was strange, because the man who made our sale said it was «his» shop (owner), but I later found out that was not true. Regardless, It was obvious that they did not want to help me with my questions, and an employee actually scoffed at a sizing question I had. No one called me by name or spoke respectfully to me. The owner was suppose to return my call but I am still waiting for him to do so. They were rude and abrasive with me, not polite and respectful like you would expect from a high class business who is making a great deal of money off of you.
I am sorry that we started a relationship with Simayof, and hope I never have to do business with them again. There must be Jewelry Store with better customer service than this in the bay area.

Goodness, I have never had such bad customer service in any establishment. It was too bad because it was after a very good experience on my first visit. In my first visit, a very helpful lady helped me choose a ring I liked in a certain style and offered to change the stone to something I liked. Then, when I went to pick it up, the ring didn’t look so hot with the new stones and the stones were of questionable quality. Unfortunately, the helpful lady wasn’t there and another girl was ‘helping’ me. She became instantly confrontational when I told her I wasn’t hot about the ring. Rather than being helpful, she was hurtful and told me that I should’ve known what I was getting, saying, «didn’t you know what you were getting?» Woah, the ring I saw before was a completely different color with a completely different look! Her demeanor was so confrontational, I was speechless. She was trying to bully me into taking something I didn’t like! Eventually, the store manager offered to change the setting on the ring, but goodness, I will never, EVER shop here again.
I thought it was odd that changing the stones on the ring from diamonds to citrine didn’t change the price, but since the first lady was super nice and gave me a 50% discount on that ring and another ring, I let that slide. But if you shop here, beware of the prices. They must have a lot of room to offer discounts. I would save the money and go to Tiffany’s across the street…