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MonicaW wrote: ↑Mon Oct 16, 2017 10:21 am
I am completely devasted by this. I loved Summer. And don't care for any artist who doesn't care about the future of the dolls they make. That means they are not artists they are in it for the money. Lots of money! Shame on Andrea Arcello not fixing any Summers and not reimbursing any Summers
Monica,
I totally agree with you. Personally, I think Andrea sculpts the sweetest little faces. I love all her babies. But because of the way she handled the Summer edition along with the disasters that occurred with the Elliot Lucas edition, I refuse to purchase her dolls.
AN amazing sweet talented loving caring doll artist that has been around for ages and will be around forever is going to fix her with the silpoxy. Thank God for doll artists that care so much they help fix dolls that aren't even theirs.
MonicaW wrote: ↑Mon Oct 16, 2017 12:46 pm
AN amazing sweet talented loving caring doll artist that has been around for ages and will be around forever is going to fix her with the silpoxy. Thank God for doll artists that care so much they help fix dolls that aren't even theirs.
I'm really glad to hear that another artist is going to help repair your Summer........it is such a shame that after all this time Andrea still hasn't helped to take care of all these faulty dolls.
I honestly only buy from certain artists that I trust, and that stand behind their work!
So far my Summer is ok, but it's disheartening to know an artist will not stand behind her work. That's just sad and I'm sorry your Summer is like that. You shouldn't have to put out a dime even for glue when you pay such big $$$ for a doll.
MonicaW wrote: ↑Mon Oct 16, 2017 12:46 pm
AN amazing sweet talented loving caring doll artist that has been around for ages and will be around forever is going to fix her with the silpoxy. Thank God for doll artists that care so much they help fix dolls that aren't even theirs.
I'm really glad to hear that another artist is going to help repair your Summer........it is such a shame that after all this time Andrea still hasn't helped to take care of all these faulty dolls.
I honestly only buy from certain artists that I trust, and that stand behind their work!
I believe that Andrea sculpted Maizie as a replacement for Summer? I may be wrong, but I thought she offered her to those who had issues with Summer at a good price? I do know that she had trouble with the silicone and Michelle Fagan not being forthright with info on the kind of silicone used....it IS sad and a lot of money that has been lost....
In my opinion, Andrea sculpts amazing faces and realistic expressions.
Michelle is on DollFan these days — maybe she can explain what type of silicone was used when she was pouring for Andrea and why there is a problem. Just a thought!
Andrea now pours her own dolls (as a result of what happened when others poured for her) and went through a learning curve with Elliott Lucas and learned some tough lessons. I have one of the last Elliott Lucas’s made and he is perfection. Every doll that I have gotten in since then is perfection. She truly has mastered her silicone pouring — her sculpts are at the top along with other well-sought after artists. She makes some of the most realistic looking babies in my opinion — maybe others have different opinions on these sculpts — but everyone has different tastes. She now offers a two-year warranty on her dolls if you are the original owner in writing. I’m not sure of another artist who does that. Silicone is a very difficult medium to work with. I’d also like to say that Andrea did fix every problem that ever came along with any doll that I received. No artist is perfect. Just wanted to say. Please remember that this is just my opinion and my experiences which is all I can write about. Maggie and Eleanor that I recently received are perfection. I was in awe of them when I took them out of the box. I only wish every doll moved me that much. Wish I could keep them.
I also truly feel bad for all the collectors who have had problems that are unaddressed.
I have an Arcello whose leg sheered off right where it went into the body. It was just lying on a bed and had not been handled. Also one of my Fagans split in two at the inside bend of the elbow. I will say for Melissa that I bought a nine-year-old silicone from her at the first ROSE show. She is a big doll and is still perfectly intact. I also have some older Fagan mini silicones. Those have held up as well. I am wondering if the weight of the larger silicones plays a part in their splitting, etc. I truly feel for you. I can't afford to buy silicones and see them have such issues so I have been sticking to reborns although there are many beautiful silicones out that I love.
Monica I am sorry you have had these issues. This issue keeps coming up and I wish Michelle would let us know what exactly was used for these dolls. I know there are some Summers that are still perfect. I have seen several artist with this same issue and I do believe they are the older ones and I agree with Susan, this has been a learning curve for lots of Artist. Just looking back 4-5 years there is such a difference in how these silicones are being poured/made.
I have collected many of Andrea’s babies and her sculpting is fantastic. Since she is now pouring her own silicone which is amazing, she does stand behind her work for 2 years which is more than I can say for many Artist. Monica, it’s unfortunate that this issue has not been resolved but glad to know she will be fixed. Andrea will carry this Summer reputation with her even though she was mislead on what she was getting. I do know that Andrea is a hard working artist who is learning just like any other artist. She has perfected her silicone by pouring them herself and has done an amazing job.
Monica, I hope your Summer is back to you very soon!
I have heard too many horror stories just like this! It's reborns for me! I just can't afford to invest that kind of money, take those kind of risks, and not be able to hold and change my babies. If all I can do is look at them thru glass then I don't want them
This is awful. I’m sorry it happened to you Monica. I’ve heard too many nightmares about Andrea’s dolls and I’ll not own one because of it. It’s sad. I’m so glad that someone is helping you with Summer.
Erin wrote... This is awful. I’m sorry it happened to you Monica. I’ve heard too many nightmares about Andrea’s dolls and I’ll not own one because of it. It’s sad. I’m so glad that someone is helping you with Summer.
I agree with you Erin...I heard too many nightmares about her dolls too !
Monica, I am so happy for you that there are wonderful and caring people on here to help one another
Maize was not a replacement doll for Summer. I have Maize too. She is made of a different silicone. I use to say Thank God my Summer is ok but like Melissa said it is just a matter of time. She will be fixed but (not really) so I can still enjoy her but that doesn't meant other things won't happen to her. Why should the customers take the total loss during this learning Period? The artist did make alot of profit. It seems to me maybe give 50% back so it is an even loss. None of us knew this was a learning period as Melissa repeatly warned us about the silicone Michelle was using . Michelle was constantly defending the silicone. Never said it was a learning period. Are we going to hear that again in years from other artists. There are so many different kinds of silicones out there now. Many artists pour themselves.
Monica, I am so very sorry to hear that this happened to your Summer! It's so heartbreaking. I am glad that someone is willing to fix her for you. Did you try also reaching out to Andrea to see how she would help resolve the issue? I think it is fair to make her aware of the situation rather than assume that she wouldn't be willing to help.
I have several babies by Andrea (Emerie Mei -- two of them, Melina, and Maggie) and all of them are in perfect condition, thankfully. I know that she now does her own pouring and uses a different silicone. I am sad to hear of the past issues and I hope that Andrea would make things right the best that she can. I admire her sculpting and she has been nothing but gracious and kind to me as a customer. I can only judge from my personal experience, but I also don't own any of her older babies or any of the tin silicone babies.
Big hugs to you, and I hope that your baby gets fixed very soon!
Years ago I had a silicone that was only displayed, didn’t even change clothing yet she lost her head. Several others that ripped at the neck, elbows, behind the knees, even across the top of the foot/ankle area. All had peeling paint. These were from different artists. This is why I’m scared of silicone dolls...the only silicone I’ve had that was smooth with nice painting was a Helland.
I agree Andrea Arcello is an Amazing Artist. I have her silicone Maizie. And she is pure perfection. The silicone she uses now is beautiful. I am very upset about all of this because Summer was a lifetime baby for me. But the more I think about this the person to blame is MICHELLE FAGAN!!!! She was Queen for many years. God forbid anyone spoke up and said anything bad about her. She made so much money off these dolls that are now falling apart . Many amazing artists trusted MICHELLE FAGAN with their artwork. She made the molds. She made the silicone. She charged alot of money for that!!!!! On top of it she made her own dolls. I know an artist whose had one doll not come back right and she would not pour another. When questioned by Melissa she swore by her silicone. And now she is back in the doll world selling more dolls??? Where is her accountability in all of this??? When I first wrote this I was so upset now I have had time to think about it. The one I truly should be upset with we all should be upset with is MICHELLE FAGAN and that includes the artists!!!! That still doesn't mean I don't think Andrea Arcello should have made good on all the Summers that are damaged! And I will never buy another doll from Andrea Arcello again because of it!!
Last edited by MonicaW on Tue Oct 17, 2017 5:59 am, edited 4 times in total.
LynnW wrote: ↑Mon Oct 16, 2017 9:10 pm
Monica, I am so very sorry to hear that this happened to your Summer! It's so heartbreaking. I am glad that someone is willing to fix her for you. Did you try also reaching out to Andrea to see how she would help resolve the issue? I think it is fair to make her aware of the situation rather than assume that she wouldn't be willing to help.
I have several babies by Andrea (Emerie Mei -- two of them, Melina, and Maggie) and all of them are in perfect condition, thankfully. I know that she now does her own pouring and uses a different silicone. I am sad to hear of the past issues and I hope that Andrea would make things right the best that she can. I admire her sculpting and she has been nothing but gracious and kind to me as a customer. I can only judge from my personal experience, but I also don't own any of her older babies or any of the tin silicone babies.
Big hugs to you, and I hope that your baby gets fixed very soon!
Hugs,
Lynn
Hi Lynn!
Andrea is definitely aware of this issue as it was a huge blow up all over all social media and she was and still is un-willing to make any restitution to the collectors that had Summer. It was determined that Michelle Fagan had used Tin Silicone and between her and Andrea, they should have worked out some way to help re-pay the collectors who's dolls were bad, but each kept denying there was an issue, which upset collectors even more. Then there were a lot of issues with her Elliot Lucas edition with paint not being right on most of the dolls she sent out so there was another huge blow up with collectors that were very displeased.
I believe now that she has "worked out the kinks" as people are saying with her current editions following her Elliot Lucas, but many collectors are still feeling burned because of her refusal to make things right with those previous editions, and people lost a lot of money on those dolls, which is why you will find a lot of anger towards her that goes back years.
I'm glad that you haven't had to experience that with Andrea, as she does sculpt such beautiful babies........but let's face it, if you lose thousands of dollars because of her not making things right, it might taint you on all her future work no matter how beautiful they might be.
I was affected by the Summer Edition, so I am still leary of buying another doll from her, which is a shame because I think they are really beautifully sculpted, but once bitten twice shy you could say is how I feel about certain artists that don't make good on bad dolls.
I was told for sure that it was not TIN silicone — Vikki Ebbeling ran an experiment — she hallowed out a Summer for a very dear elderly client as an experiment and filled it with silicone that she uses on her awesome dolls. The silicone cured to the silicone that Summer was made with. If it had been tin, it would not have cured. The doll is solid to this day. So all the people who have been informed that it was tin, I will put my faith into a very well known, experienced artist who has never had a doll returned because of her silicone that I am aware of. Her and her husband also put years and years of research into their silicone pouring. (Please do not contact Vikki to repair a Summer as she does not have the time to do this — it was a long process and a lot of labor to run this experiment.) I am not a silicone expert at all — I have no idea what silicone Michelle was using for the Summer edition. That leaves me to believe that maybe additives where added or something that weakened the silicone as a possibility. If only Michelle would speak on this matter to clear things up. It also makes me so very curious as to why some of the dolls are not falling apart. Is there a possibility that the silicone supply was running low and additives where used to make the supply go further until a new supply was received???? Again, Michelle should address this issue. It’s long overdue.
Susan@childrenoftheheart wrote: ↑Tue Oct 17, 2017 6:31 am
I was told for sure that it was not TIN silicone — Vikki Ebbeling ran an experiment — she hallowed out a Summer for a very dear elderly client as an experiment and filled it with silicone that she uses on her awesome dolls. The silicone cured to the silicone that Summer was made with. If it had been tin, it would not have cured. The doll is solid to this day. So all the people who have been informed that it was tin, I will put my faith into a very well known, experienced artist who has never had a doll returned because of her silicone that I am aware of. Her and her husband also put years and years of research into their silicone pouring. (Please do not contact Vikki to repair a Summer as she does not have the time to do this — it was a long process and a lot of labor to run this experiment.) I am not a silicone expert at all — I have no idea what silicone Michelle was using for the Summer edition. That leaves me to believe that maybe additives where added or something that weakened the silicone as a possibility. If only Michelle would speak on this matter to clear things up. It also makes me so very curious as to why some of the dolls are not falling apart. Is there a possibility that the silicone supply was running low and additives where used to make the supply go further until a new supply was received???? Again, Michelle should address this issue. It’s long overdue.
Hi Susan!
I didn't know that Vikki had done this experiment on one of the dolls from this edition........I had heard that another artist did the same thing and she thought that the doll she had done this on was made with tin, so who knows. I think there were so many Summer dolls made that lord only knows what Michelle used to make each doll with, and maybe it was different with each doll since we know that not all went bad, which makes no sense if Michelle was using the same mixture for the whole edition.......but I agree that it's long overdue that Michelle should be addressing this issue........I still feel sick thinking about the money I lost in that doll.
Hugs, Carol
It's so heartbreaking. I am glad that someone is willing to fix her for you. Did you try also reaching out to Andrea to see how she would help resolve the issue? I think it is fair to make her aware of the situation rather than assume that she wouldn't be willing to help. 
I think there were so many Summer dolls made that lord only knows what Michelle used to make each doll with, and maybe it was different with each doll since we know that not all went bad, which makes no sense if Michelle was using the same mixture for the whole edition.......but I agree that it's long overdue that Michelle should be addressing this issue........I still feel sick thinking about the money I lost in that doll.