M Martin & Company Jewelers

12/21/09

Make this your first and last stop!

by LuisaNick at Citysearch

After months of looking for the perfect engagement ring, my boyfriend (now fiance!) and I decided to check out M Martin and Company....I told Mr. Martin what I was looking for and how I wanted my ring to look. He was able to design and modify a ring into the most beautiful, perfect engagement ring! My fiance and I are so happy with the final ring! We are recommending him to all our family and friends for any of their jewelry needs. The price was unbeatable as well, which made the ring all the better! We will definitely return to him for our wedding bands and any future fine jewelry purchases. Thank you so much!

• Pros: personal service, not crowded, educational, "best in class"
• Cons: can't think of any

10/08/08

Genuine top class Jewelers

by BMAC7 at Citysearch

When chosing my engagement ring for my Fiance , i had searched the city far and wide, from shopping Mall's to main street stores and most of the shops at Jewelers row downtown. I found that when i steped into M Martin's store it was a total different experience. There i met Mr Steve Martin who was willing to spend time showing me different things that i had not seen or heard of at the other stores. He was an absolute gentleman and acted like a true professional. When i seen the final product after it had been made i was very happy as i think i got a fabulous deal, a ring with a excellent cut in diamond, clarity and grading. I would recommend M Martin jewelers as a top class establishment with wonderful staff and will sure be using them in the future.

• Pros: Guaranteed a true, honest and professional service.
• Cons: None!!!

Response from this business

srm555– March 06, 2009 at 11:09:17 PST

We hand select every diamond we sell, which is why I insist that the sales people on my staff be trained and experienced GIA gemologists. A little known fact is that very few jewelers hold the title of Graduate Gemologist from GIA. People don't know this and never bother to ask the jeweler if he is a GIA Graduate Gemologist before making their appointment (they should!). We use some of the top diamond cutters in the world and put a lot of effort into every selection. We do not just order diamonds for customers off a computer screen, which unfortunately is the way a lot of stores operate these days.

08/19/08

The best!

by gliot1 at Citysearch

23 years ago I bought my then fiance (now ex-wife..lol) a ring from M. Martin. It was beautiful and people routinely stopped her in the hall or at the store or on the street to tell her what a beautiful ring it was! I took this ring at times to be inspected at your normal mall jewlery store and they too commented on the beauty and told me they couldn't even get a stone like it! I was concerned enough that each time I got the ring back I would inspect it through a lupe to ensure it was still our stone! Steve taught me so much about buying a stone, and taught me the most important aspect of a jeweler...trust! I now am again pondering "giving it a go" and unlike many others here will be going to M. Martin first and I imagine last to buy my next engagement ring. Save me a good one, Steve!

• Pros: You will get twice the ring for half the price; jewelry stores confirmed!
• Cons: No fancy chairs or decor....(who cares)

Response from this business

srm555– March 06, 2009 at 10:48:05 PST

We have, of course, remodeled the store since you've been in. Here's an interesting fact: We are the oldest established jewelry business in the Jewelers Center (70 years) which is something people find comforting considering all the stores going out of business these days. We have no intention of ever moving because our low overhead location helps us keep our prices down.

07/17/08

Very Educational

by therickgwb at Citysearch

When looking for an engagement ring, I walked in here off the street with no referral or appointment. Mr. Martin sat me down and spent an hour teaching me about diamonds and pulling out some he happened to have in the store. He was patient, intelligent, and very pleasant to learn from.

Unfortunately, I didn't realize how crucial having an appointment at a lot of these stores was because they have to pull diamonds in from other stores they sell through. As I was under some time constraints to essentially pick something out that day, I ended up buying the diamond from another store that I had made an appointment with (not to take anything away from them, because it worked out great). Nevertheless, my experience with Mr. Martin was so pleasant I thought it was only fair to encourage everyone to check him out when you are in the market.

• Pros: Nice guy, good teacher
• Cons: Appointment necessary if you want to see anything

05/09/08

One store you will want to visit

by ilrjs at Citysearch

This is one store you will want to visit. First of all, if you want to know anything about diamonds, visit their web site. They have more information on their site than every other site I visited combined. I had previously shopped around a bit on Jewelers Row looking for a round GIA stone with the cut grade of "excellent" and barely found any. Steve was able to show me the largest selection of GIA diamonds with the "excellent" cut grade that I could find anywhere. Of course, then I found out "the boss" (my girlfriend) wanted a princess cut. I figured if their round diamonds were all so nice, their princess cuts would be too. I picked out a beautiful stone my girlfriend loves. I was impressed by their knowledge (a wall full of GIA diplomas) and felt comforatble the the store had been in business for over sixty years. There is no question I will be a lifetime customer.

• Pros: Honest and knowledgeable
• Cons: None

11/23/07

The ONLY jeweler you'll ever need

by billymayshays at Citysearch

M Martin & Co. came highly recommended by a close friend and though now living in Bulgaria, I gave them a try. Steve answered all of my questions thoroughly and exceeded ALL other jewelers - even the well-known ones with their characteristic turquoise-blue boxes I visited in person. I felt confident enough and ended up buying a beautiful 1+carat diamond engagement ring in a custom setting ONLINE without visiting in person. After the wedding, my wife and I visited Chicago and dropped by the shop to have her rings cleaned and polished and finally met Steve and the team in person. Probably a little crazy, but we just made another visit all the way from Europe to downtown Chicago specifically to visit their shop and then spend a few days in Museums and shopping. M Martin & Co. are truly iconic jewelers for Chicago!

• Pros: Service, Quality, Knowledge, Location
• Cons: None

Response from this business

srm555– December 12, 2007 at 13:30:19 PST

Thanks, Bill. We always like to see you when you are in the the U.S. visiting your family. By the way, it was really nice of you to share your wedding pictures with us.

11/20/07

trustworthy, honest and friendly

by naplesflorida at Citysearch

M.Martin was recommended by several of our friends. I had to get my wife an anniversary present. I specifically asked for the owner, Steve. He was very helpful and made good suggestions which were within the budget I had set for myself. I walked out very happy and my wife thought I was a hero!

• Pros: Really knew his product. Not like chain stores were the clerk might be there for a short time.
• Cons: None

Response from this business

srm555– December 12, 2007 at 13:26:14 PST

Our business has been around for 68 years. My sales people average over 20 years experience.

10/23/07

Great diamonds to look at

by jimmyg4 at Citysearch

I found my shopping experience to be interesting. I started out going to a couple of stores that had a lot of diamonds listed on their web site. Neither store actually had any of the diamonds listed but offered to order similar ones for me from their computer. Thinking this was the norm for doing business, I had one of the stores order in two diamonds for me to see. The jeweler told me both of them looked nice judging by the numbers on the computer screen. I came back a few days later but didn't like either stone. On the way out of the Jewelry Center Building I stopped at M. Martin and Co. Though they were kind of busy and I didn't have an appointment, Stan took care of me. He was able to show me actual diamonds for me to compare. He explained how they select their diamonds, and also showed me why you can't look at numbers on a computer screen to tell if a diamond is nice (he didn't have to convince me on that). I found a stone the first time and a mounting that was perfect. I don't claim to be an expert, but their stones sure looked nicer that anything else I had seen.

• Pros: They showed diamonds-not numbers from a computer screen.
• Cons: None

08/22/07

If you like quality

by nemojr at Citysearch

I worked in a jewelry store for a few years working my way through college and law school, and although this was a number of years ago, I think I am better versed in diamonds and jewelry than most consumers. I was looking for a princess or round diamond. Of a number of places I visited, the stones at M. Martin were by far the best "make" as we used to call it in the trade. I decided to buy a GIA stone with an "excellent" cut grade. They were able to show me more stones with this cut grade than any of the stores I visited. The reality was that most of the stores I visited didn't have any. I found their mountings were of the highest quality also. I not only looked at the mounting I was buying, but I looked at the general quality and execution of others they had in stock. I bought a mounting they had and made some slight design changes which they executed perfectly. You will do very well to check them out.

• Pros: Nice people. I worked with Steve and Stan.
• Cons: Absolutely none

06/18/07

Good business to deal with

by billy100 at Citysearch

I've never posted a review before but I thought I should because City Search helped me, so I hope this helps others. I started shopping for a diamond on Jewelers Row on Wabash. I wasn't very happy and sometimes felt I was getting high pressure. Because I had done so much research before starting to shop, I thought I knew enough to purchase over the internet. I bought a stone from a large company. I thought I bought their best signature ideal diamond. I went back to Jewelers Row but this time went into the Jewelers Center Building, which I didn't go in before. I happened on to M. Martin Jewelers. I figured as long as I was there I would look at what they had to offer. They showed me a stone for an equivalent price that frankly blew mine away. What I liked is that they explained a lot of things to me that I didn't know and at no time did they every disparage the diamond I had. I told them I need a day or two to think. I researched their company-they have a very informative web site and felt a lot more comfortable when I read some of the other CS reviews. I went back the next day and purchased the diamond and mounting (returned the internet stone). I am very happy with my purchase.

• Pros: Nice people, good quality merchandise
• Cons: none

Response from this business

srm555– August 17, 2007 at 11:47:44 PDT

We always work hard to find the finest diamonds and gem stones for our customers. The beauty of a diamond cannot be expressed solely by a bunch of numbers.