Shnayder Jewelry

I saw their positive reviews on Google+. Was the highest rated pawn shop in the area. I brought in jewelry: an opera string of pearls, a pearl ring, a topaz ring, and some gold. I’ve had them appraised by a jeweler before, less than a year ago. I considered selling them to that jeweler and he gave me an offer for each item. I wasn’t expecting this pawnbroker to match that value or even to come close to it. They are pawnbrokers, it’s their job to lowball sellers. I placed my items on the counter, and without inspecting any of them, Alex, the pawnbroker, said that the value of the items did not add up to even half of what I had estimated. I called him on it, and asked how he could possibly know that if he had not inspected the stones. He was very fast to say that I had a citrine ring. I corrected him. Topaz. Vastly different prices there. He said «okay, topaz. It doesn’t make a difference.» Then he told me that he had been in the business for 18 years. I packed up my stuff ASAP and left. His 18 years haven’t served him very well if he doesn’t inspect stones before placing value on them. For all he knew, that could have been a diamond. He also rubbed my pearls against his teeth, which I know is common practice but disgusting nonetheless — anyone in the jewelry industry should be able to tell the difference between an authentic and fake without doing that.
Now that I look closer at their Google+ reviews, I suspect they may be fake. Too many five star reviews given by people that have never written another review, and too many of the same grammar mistakes, as if they were written by the same person. End of story.

I’m only giving a 3 star rating because I didn’t manage to sell the product I had there. However, this is one of the nicest pawn shops I’ve been to. Lots of top of the line and fine jewelry and products. Alex was very knowledgable and fun to talk to. He does come off a little intimidating considering he carries a gun on his hip, and I don’t know if that’s great for business, but in that line of work I can see how it’s a good detterent for would be theives. Alex is also very blunt and frank, he tells it like it is and doesn’t sugar coat things and I can see how that may give people the wrong impression.