Solitaire Jewellers

Back in 2007, my now husband and I decided to go engagement ring shopping, and that the best place to do it would be Hatton Garden.
So off early on a Saturday morning we went, full of excitement. But that quickly turned sour when we realised that most of the shops on Hatton Garden just didn’t have the right ‘feel’ for us. We don’t want to go somewhere that’s so posh you have to be buzzed in the door. We didn’t like pushy salespeople standing at the doors, or being ignored when we went into shops because we didn’t look the part. A bit despondent, we came to the end of the main run of jewellers and found Solitaire, up on the corner. They had lots of pretty rings in the window on display, prices for some things actually showing, so we gave it a go — and it was perfect. They treated us so well, gave us a good deal, and made us feel generally special. We went back when we needed to buy our wedding bands as well, and they remembered us (even though it was like a year or 18 months later), and gave us wonderful service yet again.
Fast forward 7 years and I need a new valuation on my engagement ring for the insurance. Obviously I didn’t want to pay for one to be done and I was sure Solitaire would sort it out for me. So I went out at lunch during the week, hopped on a bus, and headed up. But I was quite surprised when Solitaire was in a different place — number 8, to be precise. I could see ahead to the corner where I thought I was heading. I dug out my old valuation and yep, the typeface was the same as the new sign so I ventured in. I was greeted with a smile by a girl sitting at a desk. I immediately noticed that there was virtually no jewellery on display — just two very small displays of wedding bands. The next thing I noticed was a large man in a suit picking his teeth in a mirror on the wall. You’d think he’d stop when a customer walked in but nope. I suppose again I didn’t look the part, in jeans and walking shoes, with a satchel thrown over my shoulder.
I asked the girl for a new valuation, and she went up to Mr Teeth Picker. While she’s talking, he picks up a phone, dials it, and starts leaving a message. He finished the message (in a very loud voice, Australian, sounding more like he’s selling a stolen telly than what seemed to be a large loose diamond) and tells her to just copy the current valuation verbatim, but that he’ll revalue the ring. He then picks it up, glances at it, glances at the old valuation, and seemingly randomly picks a number out of the air, which is 50% more than it was in 2007. Now I know it should be good that the value has gone up, but it seemed inflated and will just cost me more to insure. He then leaves the shop and she starts writing it out.
Halfway through her never-​ending copying, another woman comes out of the back and they start talking like I’m not even there, just completely unprofessionally. The girl writing out my valuation sighs and asks the other girl if she really has to write it all, and the other girl tells her it’s good enough just leave it. So she finishes up and hands me the new valuation. At this point I ask for the old one back but they won’t let me have it as I could then claim to have 2 of the same ring. I say they can mark it void, draw a line through it, whatever, but I’d like it as it’s my only record of buying the ring. But they won’t budge and make me leave it. It makes no sense — if I had said I lost it and not brought it, I’d have it. And if I was going to commit insurance fraud, you’d think I would have done it in the past 7 years.
So a great shop completely ruined by staff — I think it must be under new ownership, as the charming lady who ran it before would never have allowed this. A big disappointment! I know this review is long, but if you’re looking to spend that kind of money somewhere, I think it’s better to know the full story. Perhaps I just hit them on a bad day — but somehow, I doubt it.