Thoughts on Alexis Russell engagement rings.

My wife and I got married about a decade ago. We were basically kids at the time and I got her a VERY modest engagement ring. In the years since we've both progressed in our careers and lives, and it feels like maybe an upgrade to something a little more representative of our current taste wouldn't be too unreasonable.

Both of us have seen and really like the style of Alexis Russell's ( Custom Engagement Rings & Fine Jewelry | Alexis Russell ) rings, but I have some reservations that are making me really hesitant to spend several thousand dollars on a piece from her:

First, I've read a few stories of people who bought rings from her and despite looking good in photos, found the quality in person to be very sub-par, even accounts of stones falling out of their settings. To make matters worse, it sounds like their customer service after the fact ranges from dismissive to downright hostile. Has anyone had direct experience with them that can back up or contradict these accounts?

Second, I actually really love the look of the salt and pepper diamonds that she uses, but I've read that they're considered inferior stones, and I can't help but feel that she's sort of charging top tier prices for cheap quality, regardless of whether I like the aesthetics or not. Am I off base on this? Am I weird for feeling like she's sort of ripping people off and not wanting to buy into that?

Is there any other jeweler I should look at that has similar modern styles but with better value/quality/service?

(To be clear, when I say "Value", I'm not looking for cheap, I'm perfectly happy to throw down some money, I just want what I'm buying to be worth what I'm paying for it)