Classic Facets Antique Jewelry

10/09/09

Awesome Selection, Great Staff

by chauncy500 at Citysearch

This place has the most incredible selection and everyone there is really nice. It seems that someone has a personal vendetta - I don't believe a word of the mean spirited review that was posted. Go there and see for yourself.

• Pros: great selection, knowledgeable & friendly staff
• Cons: none

10/06/09

Great store!

by Eric Laker at Citysearch

I own a jewelry company in Sandy, Utah and I have known Mikki at Classic Facets for years through an industry organization. She is one of the most trusted individuals in our industry. I would recommend her store to anyone because of her high ethical standards and rare knowledge of antique and estate jewelry.

• Pros: Professional and knowledgeable
• Cons: None

05/05/09

Royal Rip-Off

by Joule at Citysearch

For years, Mikki Raney sold me jewelry that was not as described, at inflated prices that might possibly have been worth it if the jewelry had been what she claimed it to be, but which turned out to be a sickening waste of money. Among the things she sold me that turned out not to be what she described them as:

a pair of Victorian earrings, sold as 14K, which turned out to be gold-filled (that is, 5% gold over 95% base metal); the only part of the earrings that turned out to be in 14K were the replacement ear wire, which she did not identify as replacements, even though reputable dealers always mention flaws when describing a piece;

yellow sapphires, in earrings and a ring, that turned out to be lab-created (in other words, ersatz, phoney, fake) rather than genuine (which they were represented to be) and as such were worth perhaps 10% of what I paid for them;

earrings that were said to be Victorian but which turned out to be from Oaxaca, Mexico, and not even close to antique;

pins that had missing enamel or other damage, including replaced clasps (several pins she sold me had clasps which later broke off where they were soldered); as an amateur, I did not know what to look for then, but surely Mikki and her staff must have noticed the flaws--and then failed to report them;

a watch chain and slide represented as 10K and 18K respectively, which turned out to be gold filled (the watch chain) and a lower karat gold (the slide); Mikki used for some time an electronic tester that turned out to be wildly inaccurate, which she apparently never bothered to check for accuracy by using the more normal acid test to confirm its readings--and once she realized that this was the case, didn't bother to tell her customers about the inaccurate readings;

a butterfly brooch sold as Victorian or Edwardian that turned out not to be antique at all.

When I discovered all of this, I confronted Mikki, and her response left a lot to be desired: She asked me, "Well, what do you expect me to do about it?" Theresa justified Mikki's actions by telling me that Mikki had merely believed what she was told by people who sent her the jewelry; but as Mikki sells on consignment and thus has nothing invested in the jewelry she sells, she lost nothing by believing her consigners and simply passed the risk on to her customers. I suspect that if she had bought the jewelry, she would have been a bit more diligent about checking its authenticity. I guess I had expected some sort of attempt to make reparations. Clearly, I was wrong.

A number of years later, and after writing two books about antique jewelry, I now know how to shop for it. I have found that shopping online from reputable dealers, many of whom maintain web sites, or on eBay (where payment through PayPal provides protection against fraud) is far preferable to buying from stores that charge too much and do not stand behind their merchandise.

The bottom line: If you don't mind paying through the nose for something that might or might not be what Mikki and her staff say it is, then Classic Facets is for you. Otherwise, avoid it!!!!

• Pros: None I can think of
• Cons: Over-priced and under-authentic