Question:
I wanted to ask .... have any of you ordered from Fire Mountain Gems? I
just placed my first order, online and have to say, I will definitely order
through their 800 number next time, because it took WAY too long to do it
over the web.
Just wanted to know if they shipped quickly and if everything arrived in
order. Were you satisfied with the items, such as quality, size, etc.?
Have any of you had any problems with them? If so, what were they?
Do you order from any other jewelry supplier, or would you say they're one
of the best? And last but not least, how do you feel about their prices?
By the way, you may see this post in a few other newsgroups, such as
jewelry, etc... because I'm trying to get everyone's opinion.
Answer:
-For what they carry, Fire Mountain is a good supplier. If you are looking
for fine quality rather than great price points, look elsewhere. But they
carry a great selection of preset jewelry components in a variety of stones
and designs and we have never had a problem with them. I have never been to
their site, I have their catalogue.
->I wanted to ask .... have any of you ordered from Fire Mountain Gems? I
>just placed my first order, online and have to say, I will definitely order
>through their 800 number next time, because it took WAY too long to do it
>over the web.
Very few suppliers are better on the web than on the phone.
>Just wanted to know if they shipped quickly and if everything arrived in
>order. Were you satisfied with the items, such as quality, size, etc.?
>Have any of you had any problems with them? If so, what were they?
Only problem I've ever had was their being out of things I
ordered. Other than they're my favorite supplier for stones.
Of course, since I'm not a jewelry maker my level of satisfaction
may be different from others....
-> I wanted to ask .... have any of you ordered from Fire Mountain Gems? I
> just placed my first order, online and have to say, I will definitely order
> through their 800 number next time, because it took WAY too long to do it
> over the web.
This may have more to do with your connection speed than their web
server. I order on line all the time from my "day job" where I have a
T1 connection and most on-line sites are fine. Though I honestly can't
recall if I've ordered from the Fire Mountain site before. I may have
called.
> Just wanted to know if they shipped quickly and if everything arrived in
> order. Were you satisfied with the items, such as quality, size, etc.?
I've ordered from FM and Rio Grande and the shipping and quality of
what I ordered seemed comparable. But I've only ordered metal beads
and findings.
> Have any of you had any problems with them? If so, what were they?
I have a "problem" with FM, but it's not a service or materials
quality problem. It's a print design and production issue and it's
probably because that's my "day job!" I hate, hate, hate their
catalog. There's no other way to put it. I love Rio Grande's in
comparison.
I'd buy items other than metal beads or findings from FM - like glass
beads or other color-specific items - if they had them reproduced
(printed) well. They need to use neutral backgrounds to photograph
their gemstones and beads. I don't even *look* at some of the items in
the catalog because the backgrounds "fight" with the colored items and
I know from my experience in the printing business that there's no way
they've come even *close* to the actual color of a given bead or
gemstone - especially not with those horrid backgrounds. (Heh..the bad
news is, printing can't come close to the actual color, period.)
Rio Grande has the right idea at least with a neutral (or actually
non-existant) background for their products. But they seem to have
less of a bead inventory than FM.
> Do you order from any other jewelry supplier, or would you say they're one
> of the best? And last but not least, how do you feel about their prices?
I think RG and FM's prices are comparable. If you count shipping and
the fee for an order under $X amount that I recall FM charging, their
prices for what I ordered were only pennies apart. FM and RG package
their items in different quantities, too.
I think if you order a good quantity, FM might be cheaper. And they
are more bead-oriented, if that's what you do. I'd prefer their
selection if it didn't hurt me to look at it!
