Janko Jewelers

Long overdue review!
I got married to the love of my life last May. I brought in several family rings, and had them made into a new, contemporary design that was perfect for my hand, as well as my lifestyle. It’s different than I expected, but absolutely beautiful. It suits me perfectly: bold, elegant, and feminine.
Bill, Nancy, and their team, do a wonderful balance of quality materials, timeless design, reasonable prices, and the most outstanding customer service you’re likely to find in ANY industry.
I keep a small quantity of their business cards at home and work, and frequently hand them out to friends, co-​workers, and clients. Janko is now my only jeweler, for standard and custom work, as well as basic repair service.

Came in for an engraving for a gift. I needed the engraving done that day. It was done in a few hours, and I got my wedding ring cleaned for free to boot. Great customer service. Bill was hilarious and told me to come in every week to clean my ring. Will definitely return.

Some of the best customer service experience I have had in awhile! I recently broke my watch band and wanted to replace it with a different one that I owned.
The only thing was I did not have any of the connecting parts and it was a «pebble» watch I was bringing into this fine jewelry store!
Without hesitation or reservation Nancy replace my band and only charged me for the parts!
Her service was wonderful and her interaction was genuine. I was lucky to do business with her and hope to do so in the future.

My fiancé got my engagement ring from Nan and it’s absolutely perfect. I’m pleased on the following points: 1. Quality 2. Style 3. Service
1. The diamond is high quality. I know because I’m a mess and can’t keep my jewelry clean for the life of me but it still out-​sparkles other people’s rings, even filthy. I can’t be bothered to take off my jewelry to shower or do dishes. I spend a ridiculous amount of time staring at my ring and admiring it. It’s embarrassing.
2. I got exactly what I wanted. Nan widely advised my fiancé to choose the center stone and set it in a temporary setting for the proposal, and then let me come in and design the exact ring I wanted. Working with nan and Kara to draw up and 3d print my custom ring really made it my own. And I got to geek out over the printer
3. After giving nan the ring back to be reset in the new setting she was able to get it back to me in 2 days.

After doing a little research on jewelry stores, I decided to try the services of Janko Jewelers to perform a cleaning for me. Boy am I HAPPY I did. Mr. Bill was absolutely amazing from the time I walked into the store until the time I walked out. He was attentive and friendly, something I haven’t experienced a lot of being a new resident of the bay area. I explained to him that I needed the cleaning done ASAP and he went to work immediately. «Satisfied» is an understatement. Any and all of my future jewelry needs will go to this establishment.

«I don’t think you guys [Bill and Nancy at Janko] realize how amazing it is to get *impartial* non-​biased advise that isn’t merely ‘Hey-​buy-​the-​biggest-​clearest-​diamond-​and-​take-​out-​a-​homeloan-​to-​buy-​it’.» (a cut&paste email I sent to them, after they helped me decide on a ring.)
Of diamond engagement rings, I felt like Jon Snow — I know nothing. How much should they cost? Should I save 3 months salary? Should I take out a loan? What about the various cuts and carats? Is this design too tacky? How can I design a custom setting?
Hoping to appraise a vintage ring I had, I ran across town to a few shops and this one was by far the most helpful. Although they would not buy my vintage ring, they gave me unbiased & selfless feedback on how I should proceed.
During the appraisal with their gemologist Bill, I asked about the 3-​months salary prerequisite and he shook his head, laughed it off and said it was baloney, an invented «truth» that should be dispelled. Once it became clear to me that he was not in it for the upsale, I began to disarm my guarded mindset. He described to me ways in which I could save money or have my existing diamond used in a new setting that they could design using CAD (Computer Aided Design) printers.
With Nancy, I had such a positive and motivating experience. I explained that I did not know my girlfriend’s desired ring size… and she offered many suggestions on how to get it. The most ingenious was the method of using a cheap plastic ring-​sizer (looks like a mini-​belt for tiny fingers) that has the size printout along the outside as you briefly wrap it around your lover’s finger (as they are asleep or inebriated). And then she said she’d personally mail a plastic sizer to me (discreetly) if I write down my address. Seriously? I didn’t even buy anything, and her little gift came in the mail a week later. This isn’t something the shop does, it’s something Nancy herself does. Asked how I could repay her, she just said «Pay it forward.»
If this is not kind and genuine service, then I really am literally Jon Snow. I’m so fortunate I was in Oakland that afternoon with an hour to kill, and by total chance stumbled upon Janko. They earned my complete trust and I would highly recommend them.

Bill is the best!!! He helped to make my husband’s idea of an engagement ring a reality. Bill spent hours creating the design and making changes with us so the ring was just right. He also created a wax mold so we could really see the 3-​D ring prior to casting it in the metal we chose. Bill really goes above and beyond for his clients to help create the most amazing jewelry you will love forever. Thank you, Bill! Tulips & infinity — Kelly & David.

Janko — Bill the jeweler, in particular — is a place I’d recommend to anyone. The front end of the store may be dowdy and unassuming, but the customer service and workmanship (which is what you want in a jeweler any way) is nothing short of great.
While we had the luxury of living in the adjacent town to Bill (he’d make after-​hour house calls to help us craft our engagement and wedding bands), I know for a fact that he’s the kind of guy who’ll go above-​and-​beyond to get his product. You may need to occasionally remind him of your appointment schedule though, because he’s always running around and can forget to check his calendar.
Bill is also one of the few people in his trade to use 3D printers to create prototypes; no more wax pieces that are fragile and less accurate. I’m a techie, so I thought that was cool. My fiancé came up with her own cladagh design for her wedding band — she wanted a narrow band, so the already intricate design became more so — yet the 3D printer was able to print to that resolution.
So when you go to Janko’s, look past the store front, bring your ideas for your ideal ring, name your budget/​preferences, and tell Bill Aaron sent you. The prices are great and the service is outstanding!

As I closed out the debt from my nuptials, I reflected upon the people behind the scenes. Nancy and Bill played a lasting role. Three weeks before my big day I realized that if I were going to make changes to the engagement ring I’d been wearing for the past year and some, it was now or never. I went in to Janko after reading a good Unilocal review and talked to Nancy about my options. She broke it down for me in a real, honest, non-​salesy way. She showed me wedding band designs that would work with my original engagement ring and options for «reworking» my ring to something that was a little more fit to my style. I chose the latter. Nancy talked to me about what I was looking for and gave me frank and funny advice on how to broach the topic with the mister. Bill drafted a casting in CAD then made a wax, allowing me to review it at each step. Then they melted down my platinum and used my diamonds to create my new bridal set. Simply beautiful, good quality, and just on time like everything else.

I walked in this afternoon hoping to have my husband’s ring engraved for our anniversary expecting to have it back in a few days. Not only was I REALLY pleased with the cost ($ 10 for the first 4 letters and $ 0.85 for each letter after), they were able to have it ready for me within HOURS of dropping it off.
Walking in, I knew right away I was going to be taken care of, but I left feeling so happy I brought my business here. Couldn’t recommend Janko enough!

Honestly, I am in total agreement with all the reviews of this place. I had an idea of what I wanted from an engagement ring, but no clue how to do it. Both Bill and Nancy were fantastic on getting the right diamond for me and designing the perfect ring for it. Awesome ring for a fair price!!!

I went to Janko for a watch battery replacement for my Casio G-​Shock watch. I selected them because of the good Unilocal reviews and because they’re downstairs from my office. I was not disappointed. They were very courteous, polite and prompt in replacing the watch battery while I waited. The $ 10 fee was reasonable.

I received friendly, prompt, professional service. Bill did a great job of finding me the ideal stone for an engagement ring and did a perfect job setting it. I would highly recommend Janko.

Nancy and Bill are a pleasure to work with. I originally went in to have a few items appraised. They charge by the amount of time the items take, rather than by a flat fee, which is a much better deal than most jewelers if you are appraising items that are just gold or don’t have a large number of stones.
They also used two gold rings I didn’t want to make a wedding band for my fiancé. I had originally taken them to a jeweler to trade in when purchasing a ring, but when I found out I they would only credit me $ 175 for two solid 18k rings I said no thanks. Nancy and Bill took my old rings and used the same gold, so I only had to pay for the labor. They also gave me the option of exchanging my gold for white gold. We did have one little hitch along the way. My fiancé originally wanted a 5 mm band but then changed his mind to 6 mm when we were in the store designing the ring. We didn’t correct this on a photo we left with them, and when I went to take a look at the wax mold I realized it was 5 mm, but they re-​did the mold within a few days at no charge. All in all they were helpful and timely, and the ring came out exactly how we wanted!

More like janky. Unfortunately the wares here are dingy and not very appealing.

Wow. I’m so happy to have found Nancy!
The center diamond in my engagement ring fell out of the setting — on the bus, no less! Needless to say I had zero luck in recovering it, so needed a whole new diamond. Nancy looked at it and explained why I had lost the diamond (actually, that was the second one I lost!); the setting was fragile and generally poor. Unfortunately for me and my wallet, the previous jeweler was only interested in selling me a diamond — it should have never gone into my setting in the first place.
Anyway — Nancy was sympathetic to my budget and really worked with me on getting a good quality stone and building up the setting to prevent losing yet another diamond. She knew how excited I was to get it back, so she met up with me on a Sunday! I was so pleased with result I could have cried. She also invited me to come in as often as I wanted to have it cleaned and inspected. She even polished and cleaned my wedding band.
I think I’ve found my jeweler!

I came here last week to get my earrings fixed. They quoted $ 8 and said it will be ready in a week. When I came to pick it up, I thought they did a good job fixing my earrings. They even cleaned and shined it. Plus, even though the bill said $ 10, they gave me the $ 8 that was quoted to me after saying that it was the price given to me. There were no arguments, stalling or dirty looks. I’m very happy with the work and I would come back here for any jewelry service I need.

Bill and Nancy knew just how to handle my fiancé and I. My wonderful fiancé bought me an antique ring (okay, probably from the 90s:) and not only did it not fit right, it was not very stylish. Bill very patently worked with me to custom design a new ring using the same metal and stone. The results were so fabulous! I have a custom ring, that no one else in the world has, and it was so affordable, making said fiancé very pleased. So pleased, we even added two smaller diamonds on each side of the original solitaire.
I should mention that we tried taking the ring to other shops closer to our house first, and they refused to use the original setting, and insisted that we buy theirs. Janko made our situation work… and gave us a great story! Needless to say, we returned for our gold bands as well. Nancy even remembered we played music and asked how the band was doing!.

The clasp on my necklace that I have worn every day for years broke and this place is in my building so stopped by. The jeweler was very nice and fixed it for FREE! I know, unheard of right?
They seemed very nice. Another man was picking out earrings for his daughter and the women was gently guiding his taste lol.
Janko my baby thanks you most of all. He can now return to obsessively holding onto my pendants (and so can I!).

I was searching and searching for a jewelry place for my partner’s wedding ring. I walked into Janko Jewelers because it’s right next door to where I work, and I found a really nice platinum ring for my wife! It was on sale too! It’s a small place and they don’t carry a lot of stuff, but they can customize anything you want. They even offer layaway plans for those who don’t have a lot of money. I did the layaway plan and paid on it every paycheck. I was very happy with the customer service I received. They even engraved the ring for FREE! They also offered me some wine from the owners own grapevine! What more can you ask for? I would recommend them to anyone! Walk in and check them out. I like to give my service to great stores who are great with service and know what they talk about!