Carreras Jewelers

I had some old unworn, family jewelry that I had ended up with years ago and had remained unworn and in boxes. Since I had no emotional attachment to the pieces I took them in not realizing that I could get around 400.00−−500.00. Before going to Carreras, I had previously taken an old diamond ring to one of these «buy gold, diamond and silver» shops around Richmond and gotten a 40.00 offer on the ring. Took it to Carreras and they gave me about $ 700.00. Highly recommend, even if you are just curious! Plan to return in the near future with some more items that I am not wearing.

I have had a wonderful experience shopping for my engagement ring here. First, I have to put the rest of my review in context: I did not want a traditional ring at all. I didn’t want a blood diamond and I do not believe that the blood-​free diamonds are truly blood free. On top of that, the fact that he diamond market is contrived (diamond companies highly regulate diamond supply so that you pay more for them) is a little irritating. I also really love antique and non traditional rings in general. Finally, I didn’t want to pay thousands for a ring. I do not believe it symbolizes my love for my fiancé in any way whatsoever. At the end of the day, for me, it’s a ring and has no bearing on my commitment to my relationship. Why get a ring at all? Because it is a socially significant thing to do before you get married (ie our parents would kill us if we didn’t do a ring and have a wedding and we love our parents– even like them as people and friends– and since we really didn’t care about rings and weddings personally we were happy to make our parents happy)
So… That is a long way to say that I was an unusual client and I was looking for a non-​diamond or used diamond ring in a retro style. I love the silver/​gold work on old rings.
Well, not only do they have an extensive selection of estate rings here, they have the service to match. Sally Ashby was working that day and she is truly wonderful to work with. She totally got me! She showed me ring after ring that I loved. After selecting a few to put aside, we gave ourselves a week to think about it. When we came back, we looked again and Sally had more spot-​on rings for us. She also made the whole shopping experience pleasant by filling in the stories (histories) of the rings and talking about what she liked and what she thought I would like to know about the rings. She was very knowledgeable about not only diamonds but other stones as well. Finally, I really appreciated that she shared her opinions without forcing them on me– We clicked so well that her opinions mattered but she was very careful to put her opinions in context (she made it easy for me to better express what I wanted). My fiancé and I also appreciated that she did not try to push us out of our price range at all (under $ 1000). She even answered questions of a ring-​wearing newbie: yes, she wrote in an email, you can wear your ring in the shower and wash your hands without taking it off.
I am very happy with my ring: an Art Deco style ring with a diamond and blue stones on 18k white gold. I love the interesting story that went with it (the blue stones were manufactured and that was all the rage back in the day). I also got a great price for it and was able to trade in some gold bracelets that I no longer wore towards the final price.
I will be returning to get a matching wedding band!

My fiancé and I recently took a piece of family jewelry here and could not be more dissapointed with the quality of service. If I could give zero stars and know that this review would show up I gladly would have. I have no idea how your store can employ such condescending people and ever get repeat business. After three other gemelogists appraised our ring, you valued it at less than half of their evaluations. I dont understand how there can be that much discrepancy but your employees disrespectful attitude gives me an idea.
The fact that she tried to buy the ring from us at the price she suggested only adds to the disrespect I show your store. Thank you for nothing.

I had never been to Carreras but while waiting for a friend to get ready for a day at the pool I slipped over there yesterday since I was in the neighborhood and needed a watch repaired and a wristband re sized. First off, they have a secret parking area under the store, which I had never noticed before. Convenient in such a busy area. I was buzzed in and greeted by an employee who got to work immediately on my watch band. He was back in 10 minutes with it fixed and the parts in a bag… no charge! Now that is what I call service. The other band he did not have the parts for so he sent me to them to get it done. Great experience. They also had some great looking estate silver pieces if anyone is interested.

When I think of Carreras, the large collection of estate jewelry always comes to mind. This jeweler is spacious, taking up a whole building on Grove Ave., and one whole room is dedicated to estate. You’ll find pieces form the Victorian period up through Retro.
Along with the gorgeous estate stuff, Carreras also carries designer jewelry. A few designers represented include David Wysor, Peter Storm and Whitehouse Brothers. There are also engagement rings, gifts and items for children and men.
On my few times browsing the staff has always been very friendly and willing to show items from the case. I felt very welcome to browse the inventory and would certainly stop back for cool estate pieces.
Jewelry redesign, appraisal and repair are also available.