I happened upon Lang's on a recent visit to SF and my head is still spinning from the quantity AND quality of this store's inventory -wow! I've never seen anything like it anywhere. I haven't purchased anything yet, but the saleswoman who worked with me (sorry, her name escapes me) couldn't have been more gracious or patient with my girlfriend and me. I intend to buy her a significant gift soon, and I have little doubt that this will be the place I go. Their website is pretty amazing also.

The welcoming staff and one-of-a-kind selection at Lang's made my engagement all the more memorable. My fiance and I were specifically looking for an authentic (no reproductions!!) art deco ring and were pleasantly surprised by how many impressive pieces the store had to offer. The friendly and knowledgeable salespeople (especially Suzanne, who knew everything about everything!) made it a very comfortable atmosphere and helped us find the PERFECT ring--to this day I have not found one that I find more special than mine. Thanks to Lang's, our ring shopping experience will always be cherished!

I was in town for my annual business trip to San Francisco. In the down time I had, my fiance and I wandered around looking for any unique jewelers since our wedding was coming up soon. We went into all the big names (Cartier, etc.) into the upscale stores, and finally the independent designers. Most sales people disregarded us, as we're a fairly offbeat and unconventional looking couple, not to mention we appear very young. So we were brushed off in most places or treated utter disdain at others.

We have given up looking and were on the way back to the hotel when we spotted Lang and decided to walk in on one last chance. Upon entering, I was overwhelmed by the variety of period jewelry that crowded the tiny shop. The lady behind the counter immediately welcomed us and was very friendly. I explained we were looking for wedding bands and that I wanted something to match my Edwardian engagement ring. She knew exactly what to pull out and took half an hour showing us everything she had, both vintage and new and explaining everything very clearly. She was not snooty, pushy or salesy. She made us feel comfortable and that really felt good.

After returning home, I contacted Alison there, who was equally nice and knowledgeble. We spoke by phone and over email for nearly a month and she was extremely helpful to me in having the ring I wanted custom made for me. I received it this weekend and words cannot express how beautiful it is. I highly recommend them if you are in the market for something exceptionally unique.

I went in looking for a vintage platinum/diamond wedding band to match my vintage engagement ring. I planned to spend in the neighborhood of $1500--not exactly chump change for a wedding band--and i was treated like a homeless person who had wandered in looking for spare change. They may have nice stuff, but there are plenty of other antique/estate jewelry stores around that have equally beautiful product without the attitude. Try Dianne's Old and New on Union Street or Brand X on Castro if you're looking for really classy vintage diamond jewelry. Both have great selection and extremely friendly and helpful staff. In both places i was encouraged to try a wide range of pieces, including several rings that were far below my stated $1500 budget.

I was disappointed as Lang was highly recommended. The staff are pretentious and gave me bad advice regarding one of my antique pieces.