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March 2024 by Michael M.
This family owned jeweler has many excellent reviews, so we put them on our short list of a handful of local Austin stores to visit. We were looking for a number of items, but to start with a 4 carat total weight round diamond eternity ring of high quality (F, VS1). The visit to Avant Garde did not go well. The most awful part of the experience for us was the salesperson and the rude and belittling way we were treated. When we described to the Avant Garde salesperson what we were interested in purchasing, her reaction was odd, rude and belittling. She told us as the customer that we didn't want a ring with so many carats, but something 1/4 to maybe 1/2 that size. This was not pleasant advice; it was said in a rude and belittling way. She said this in a way that came across to us as if she was implying we could not afford such a ring. Regardless, we certainly got the message that she did not want to spend time helping us. She did not say that directly, of course, but the message was clear and we left. Another poor aspect of the service for us at Avant Garde is that we had made an appointment through their web site. For all the other jewelers we met with, we made the appointment by phone and had a chance to talk with someone to detail what we were looking for. With Avant Garde, their website appointment workflow provides an opportunity to enter the details of what you are looking for, which we did. Unfortunately, when we arrived at what we thought was the scheduled time, Avant Garde told us that they had no record of our appointment. We showed them on an iPhone the email/calendar confirmation, but their reaction was disinterest. They did not look at the confirmation to get details, or to help them find our appointment in their system. After I left a 1 star review on Google, the owner mentioned that they now found the appointment and it was for a later time. It does show on my calendar (invite sent by Avant Garde's Calendly service) at the time we thought was correct, but regardless of the actual appointment time the issue is how the situation was managed including -- most especially -- how we were treated by the Avant Garde salesperson. Our experience at Avant Garde from initial greeting, the appointment mixup, and especially right through to the salesperson interaction was awful. The follow up from Brian, the Avant Garde owner, in reply to my Google review and in email exchanges with him has been quick to focus just on the appointment time and to blame us as the customer. With respect to the customer service and his salesperson's behavior his answer is in essence "We understand that there may be differing perspectives on the situation". Our recommendation is to skip Avant Garde and look elsewhere.
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February 2024 by Elissa S.
I went in with a heavy-ish 14k gold pendant I wanted melted into a ring. Brian himself talked to me about the project and asked if the gold pendant was sentimental. No, I said, I just have it. Brian showed me a few ring styles to get an idea of what I wanted (I needed a replacement wedding band). He did a lot of pushing buttons on a calculator and let me know that I could order a ring from them and use the gold I had as credit. It would be the best deal, he said, rather than getting my gold melted down. So it wouldn't be the same gold from the pendant in the ring, but they would accept the pendant as a partial "payment." Sounds great! Brian ordered the ring for me and it arrived very quickly. The store held onto my pendant while the ring was on order and when I came to pick up, all I had to pay was the balance, which was really quite reasonable. This place was quite busy both times I went in, so I was surprised that the owner himself came out to talk to me. I would guess that he loves the custom jewelry making part of the job, because when the first person helping me heard that I was interested in melting down a piece to make something new, she grabbed Brian immediately. All of the other salespeople were occupied with selling the jewelry from in cases. Anyway, the attention I received was really quite lovely and Brian was super friendly. I'll definitely go back if I need something custom made.
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February 2024 by Lisa B.
Top-notch customer service!!!! I was quite impressed with the attention and care I received when I was there to see about getting my ring adjusted because of my fingers swelling from arthritis. I highly recommend this place for jewelry repair.
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January 2024 by Brittany J.
Terrible service. Condescending. Strange interaction. Last went there for a jewelry repair in 2018. Since then something must have changed. Took a week after I dropped off my jewelry to get a call that they couldn't repair it (even though they repaired it in 2018) because it wasn't solid gold. When was in, I asked about a custom piece that they were going to research. Never heard back.
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September 2023 by Baylor B.
Amazing experience. They taught me so much and got me a great price! Would recommend!
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August 2023 by HG H.
I had the lovely privilege of working with mostly Brian, the owner, and his team at Avant Garde. I came in looking for one thing and left with another. Brian was able to share his experiences with me and knew what I was looking for and what I was trying to achieve. I wanted to get an anniversary ring (a completely different style & metal than my original engagement ring & bands). Brian was able to find the perfect diamond shape (elongated oval) that would match what my eye was used to seeing with my cushion cut diamond . I spent time with him trying on and viewing the diamonds in the CAD and loose and I am in LOVE with my rings. I truly hope to visit his store again and perhaps get an even larger stone if the budget works !
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August 2023 by Madysen Luttrell
Brian is the best of the best! He helped us custom make my engagement ring in 2019 and he worked extremely hard on getting us the exact ring we wanted with my daughter’s birth stone on it over the past few months. We will always go back to Brian for all of our jeweler needs. Him and his team are truly the best!
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July 2023 by Diana Berno
My fiancé and I chose Avant Garde to help us design and craft my engagement ring and we couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome. From our very first scouting trip to our final pickup we were welcomed and heard. We had a vision and Matt and Jennica helped make it a reality, guiding us throughout the journey and working with our budget. We’re really delighted overall with having Avant Garde Jewelers be part of our story.
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July 2023 by Rebecca S
I cannot express how grateful we are to have put our trust in Drew and the entire Avant Garde team. An absolute joy working with them to build our dream Engagement ring!We did lots of research around the Austin area for different local jewelers and out of all of them we knew we had to go with Avant Garde. We were absolutely blown away by this business and cannot recommend this place enough!! Would give 6 stars if I could!!
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July 2023 by Sue F Clark
Jewelry, for me, tells a story that can be passed down. On the mend from a copperhead bite, I found a dainty, sparkly, quality snake necklace at Avant Garde.Drew couldn’t have been more helpful, professional or polite if he tried! His amazing customer service paired with his family’s meticulously curated selection of fine jewelry were certainly defining factors in my purchase. In fact, I have my eye on another 2 pieces from the same designer’s collection.Bottom line, I haven’t found a shop in Austin to rival with Ylang Ylang in Dallas until Avante Garde. So excited to become a new and hopefully returning customer.Thank you, Drew! Try not to let those earrings or the gorgeous heart necklace escape before I can afford to bring them home with me?!
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July 2023 by Matt Buchanan
Drew helped me with creating a custom ring for my wife and I’s anniversary. He showed me a few options in person that were premade which were beautiful but not what I was looking for. He then took me to a custom section and helped me build one from scratch so I could get exactly what I wanted! The process was very easy and not stressful at all. I was in a rush to get the ring made within three weeks. Drew gave me a date it would be finished, and that was the day I was able to pick up so they are true to their word! Highly recommend Avant Garde and Drew! I will be going back for all my jewelry needs.
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June 2023 by Zachary Todd
Don't bother going anywhere else! The best jeweler for that special piece of jewelry with top tier customer service. My now fiancé and I recently visited Avant Garde where we had the pleasure of working with Drew. Drew was very patient during the entire process, answered all of our questions in detail, and made the whole experience enjoyable and easy. Definitely went above and beyond to make sure everything was perfect. Even better, a family owned company who makes you feel like family the moment you walk through the door. Huge thanks to Drew and the Avant Garde crew!
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June 2023 by John Feinberg
Brian and his team are the masters of their craft! My (now fiancé) and I worked with Brian to design a custom engagement ring to make it our own and make it unique. Everyone worked their magic and we ended up with the most spectacular ring we hoped for! I'm so happy with the entire process and would highly recommend Brian and his team for all jewelry work!
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May 2023 by Jane Jeong
I had an amazing time at Avant Garde Jewellery. They're very knowledgeable about diamonds and are really professional. They took the time to explain everything to us, making sure we knew exactly what we were getting. Plus, their customer service is the best - they really get what you're looking for. And my engagement ring? It's stunning, I can't take my eyes off of it! Mihaela, who helped us out, was a gem. I highly recommend Avant Garde to anyone looking for some quality jewelry!!
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May 2023 by laura forero
My husband and I were looking for a place that could help us with our rings. I found this family owned business and we felt so lucky! Brian the owner was attentive and super sweet from the begining working with me to fix my heirloom engagement ring that seemed like a tough job to do since it was vintage. Him and his team helped me figure out the missing stone, resized it and even engraved it. For my husband they found the right ring for him for our wedding and also engraved it. We had such an amazing experience with Drew he helped along the process and answered any questions wehad. I will be using Avant Garde jewelers for a long time! It felt likd talking to family when we worked with them.
