Should be careful when you order on Future Fashionista!!

[Sammyjoe]

So sorry to read this Gga also sorry to everyone else whose items are not what is expected.

 

[lulilu]

So sorry gga, to hear about your appraisal. I have not purchased anything from Elana, but was very close to buying earrings for my daughter.

This is a sad situation.

 

[Suzie]

When I strike up the courage I will have my 5 items appraised.

 

[catcat]

Oh dear, that sounds bad, I will try to get an appaisal for everything I bought, I don't really know where to turn as my local jeweller is extremly expensive I do live in the south of france and I don't necessarily want to spend huge amounts, but I will call them to day.

Oh honey, you don't even know the half. 2 hours...2 looooooong painful disillusioning hours.

PS: please, any past customers of FF, get your stuff evaluated. The appraiser I used for this works with Roadshow and two major auction houses, but maybe she could be mistaken...

 

[lovely64]

I´m very sorry to hear this gga. I guess my guy wasn´t that off then. No need for a second appraisal. I´m not effected in a big way by this, I only bought a pair of not so expencive earrings. Many others have bought much more, and that is very very sad.

I suspect that the diamond merchandise will prove to have the lowest value. The pearls may be some what "safe".

 

[gga]

I´m very sorry to hear this gga. I guess my guy wasn´t that off then. No need for a second appraisal. I´m not effected in a big way by this, I only bought a pair of not so expencive earrings. Many others have bought much more, and that is very very sad.

I suspect that the diamond merchandise will prove to have the lowest value. The pearls may be some what "safe".

That was my experience. Without exception, she thought my pearls were beautiful, if overpriced. She thought I might have paid less if I'd gone to, say, Bailey, Banks, & Biddle, but she said there wasn't a pearl strand in the bunch she would be ashamed to broker or represent.

The diamonds were not so lucky. For any customer keeping count, There are now 2 appraisals in agreement on the poor quality and value of the diamond hoops. My appraiser says they were not made at a jeweler's bench in Wisconsin, but in China. She said they were so ugly they made her eyes hurt.

Please keep in mind that if you take items to be appraised, most appraisers will try to find something nice to say about anything you bring in. It's generally bad for business to badmouth a client's items. In this case, I purposely and clearly instructed the appraiser to give me an evaluation as if I were a friend and a fellow jeweler looking to buy these for resale or store stock, that I was looking for an unvarnished opinion, not hearts and flowers. I did indeed get unvarnished, lol. If someone else were to take their items for appraisal, unless you specifically tell them to be brutally honest, they will likely try to find something positive to say. In the case of the diamond hoops the positive would have begun and ended with "Wow, they certainly are sparkly!".

 

[alliemia]

I'd recommend contacting your credit card. Even if you think it's been too long, they cover fraud and lying about custom made hoops and they are made in china crap is fraud, IMO.

And just wondering, why did everyone trust her at face value and not get the high price items appraised after purchase. Future fashionista is hardly a well known site. I only heard of her on here, I wouldn't send her thousands.

So sorry for those who got burned.

 

[hlfinn]

That was my experience. Without exception, she thought my pearls were beautiful, if overpriced. She thought I might have paid less if I'd gone to, say, Bailey, Banks, & Biddle, but she said there wasn't a pearl strand in the bunch she would be ashamed to broker or represent.

The diamonds were not so lucky. For any customer keeping count, There are now 2 appraisals in agreement on the poor quality and value of the diamond hoops. My appraiser says they were not made at a jeweler's bench in Wisconsin, but in China. She said they were so ugly they made her eyes hurt.

Please keep in mind that if you take items to be appraised, most appraisers will try to find something nice to say about anything you bring in. It's generally bad for business to badmouth a client's items. In this case, I purposely and clearly instructed the appraiser to give me an evaluation as if I were a friend and a fellow jeweler looking to buy these for resale or store stock, that I was looking for an unvarnished opinion, not hearts and flowers. I did indeed get unvarnished, lol. If someone else were to take their items for appraisal, unless you specifically tell them to be brutally honest, they will likely try to find something positive to say. In the case of the diamond hoops the positive would have begun and ended with "Wow, they certainly are sparkly!".

i am really sorry to hear about this gga. but i lol'd at "they certainly are sparkly!"

 

[onegirlcreative]

oh gga, i am so so sorry about this. i was so hoping—even with everything that is going on with FF right now—that your appraisal would have come back with a glowing report. at least to somewhat cushion the blow, kwim?

please, if there is any recourse on your end such as a credit card chargeback, or whatever, please do so. i don't even want to know how much you spent on those earrings that were apparently made in china. how embarrassing (for FF, not you)!

may i ask, how long ago did you purchase them?

please, keep us posted if you decide to do anything legally with this information, as it may help others who have items that were not of value as well.

 

[gga]

oh gga, i am so so sorry about this. i was so hoping—even with everything that is going on with FF right now—that your appraisal would have come back with a glowing report. at least to somewhat cushion the blow, kwim?

please, if there is any recourse on your end such as a credit card chargeback, or whatever, please do so. i don't even want to know how much you spent on those earrings that were apparently made in china. how embarrassing (for FF, not you)!

may i ask, how long ago did you purchase them?

please, keep us posted if you decide to do anything legally with this information, as it may help others who have items that were not of value as well.

Thank you all for the kind words, but there's no legal recourse for me in this case.

And to answer alliemia's question about having things evaluated: This is my first experience at being defrauded at this level. I wouldn't have gone to the trouble or expense of insuring the items I bought from her, so it never occurred to me to have them evaluated. I took her, as I take most people, at their word until I have an evidence-based reason to doubt them.

And thanks, HLFINN. To a magpie like me, sparkly is a definite compliment, lol.

 

[Stophle]

gga, I'm so sorry this happened to you. I'm very glad to hear the pearls really are the quality we all hoped they were, at least. Thank you for coming forward to warn everyone about their previous purchases, when I'm sure it must be upsetting for you.

 

[catcat]

Sparkly , lol mine are too. Seriously I will take my stuff to my jeweller next week, so are we talking fake, enhanced ???
I bought for a couple of thousend $'s and only diamonds based on the same principle you were talking about below but I also knew a couple of people that had bought from her and seemed very happy so personally I was very confident.

Thank you all for the kind words, but there's no legal recourse for me in this case.

And to answer alliemia's question about having things evaluated: This is my first experience at being defrauded at this level. I wouldn't have gone to the trouble or expense of insuring the items I bought from her, so it never occurred to me to have them evaluated. I took her, as I take most people, at their word until I have an evidence-based reason to doubt them.

And thanks, HLFINN. To a magpie like me, sparkly is a definite compliment, lol.

 

[gga]

Sparkly , lol mine are too. Seriously I will take my stuff to my jeweller next week, so are we talking fake, enhanced ???
I bought for a couple of thousend $'s and only diamonds based on the same principle you were talking about below but I also knew a couple of people that had bought from her and seemed very happy so personally I was very confident.

The diamonds are very poor quality, (as in approximately $200 per carat quality diamonds) the diamond weight was inflated on receipt and website, and the appraiser said the hoops I showed her were made in China, not Wisconsin as I was told at point of purchase.

I hope your appraiser gives you a different report, catcat, but I'm comfortable with my appraiser's credentials and won't ever be happy with those hoops at this point.

 

[lulilu]

That was my experience. Without exception, she thought my pearls were beautiful, if overpriced. She thought I might have paid less if I'd gone to, say, Bailey, Banks, & Biddle, but she said there wasn't a pearl strand in the bunch she would be ashamed to broker or represent.

The diamonds were not so lucky. For any customer keeping count, There are now 2 appraisals in agreement on the poor quality and value of the diamond hoops. My appraiser says they were not made at a jeweler's bench in Wisconsin, but in China. She said they were so ugly they made her eyes hurt.

Please keep in mind that if you take items to be appraised, most appraisers will try to find something nice to say about anything you bring in. It's generally bad for business to badmouth a client's items. In this case, I purposely and clearly instructed the appraiser to give me an evaluation as if I were a friend and a fellow jeweler looking to buy these for resale or store stock, that I was looking for an unvarnished opinion, not hearts and flowers. I did indeed get unvarnished, lol. If someone else were to take their items for appraisal, unless you specifically tell them to be brutally honest, they will likely try to find something positive to say. In the case of the diamond hoops the positive would have begun and ended with "Wow, they certainly are sparkly!".

Wasn't being handmade by Elana one of the big selling points? Didn't she talk about being up all night making stuff? Yikes.

 

[Irishgal]

When I strike up the courage I will have my 5 items appraised.

You are more brave than I.

I purchased some diamond hoops from Elana and after reading of GGAs experience, I think I will just pass on the appraisal, as I have a sick feeling I know what will happen.
When I had asked Elana via her website what she estimated the hoops would cost retail she gave me a number that was almost twice her asking price, but now my guess is that they are worth maybe maybe 20% of what I bought them for.

Hard lesson learned by a lot of us. Personally, it really made me take a step back and think about all purchases that are one offs, online stores and such,and I think going forward I will go straight to a store or vendor that I have dealt with in the past and have evidence that they are honest and fair.
I hope everyone is ok, things like this can take up space in our head and really cause pain and anger.