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| - If you value transparency, honesty, fair prices, and an experience that makes you feel welcome and part of the family then Allen's Jewelers and Karen Allen is the place to shop. I traveled from San Francisco to visit Karen after hearing about her store and the experience working with her from a close friend. To be clear - she blew all the competition away across all the spectrums that are important. Buying a engagement ring from her was a great experience that left me feeling better educated to make a decision than ever before.
I indicated to Karen before my flight into Charlotte what I was looking for along a variety of cuts, clarity, carat, and color and budget. She selected a half dozen stones before I arrived and worked with me for 3 hours after she closed on one weekday and then again spent time the following evening after her closing hours with me again reviewing everything. She took all that time to break down each characteristics of the stone and we also reviewed everything under a high power microscope - of the half dozen or so jewelers I visited in California, none would do this, nor did they offer much of a comparison between stones. Karen takes the time to get the client ready to make a decision - at her store or otherwise. She never tried to get me to make a decision, despite me being in town only for a few days on a business trip, and just told me to stay in touch if I decide to go with one of her options. We left it at that and I called her the following week to discuss additional details and then told her a day later that I would go with one of her diamonds and the setting I liked.
I felt she was entirely transparent and honest with me - again - something you do not get from luxury item sales experience very often. She is fully certified from GIA and AGS, a rare combination, and that education showed in how we worked together.
I would not hesitate to recommend her store to anyone in the Charlotte/North Carolina area as well as those flying in from out of state like me from San Francisco. If I ever buy another piece of jewelry or upgrade my diamond she would be first on my list to contact.
I'll post photos of the engagement ring soon to this review.
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