Can we talk about cost?

[blingbunny10]

Thinking about purchasing a custom version of this ring from an Etsy vendor for a 11.7x8.5 pear.


What would you expect this to cost for:
1) diamond halo (.24ctw), H, SI-1 but w/ silver shank
2) diamond halo and diamond shank as pictured w/ .32ctw

Am I allowed to ask about cost here?

Sidenote: a different vendor actually said she couldn't provide a quote before starting work! Is that pretty standard? I do understand that the price of materials change, but I just can't imagine not have SOME idea of price before sending a deposit and beginning custom work! Bummer, too, because her stuff looked absolutely beautiful.

 

[chrono]

Sure you can ask about the cost. I am very surprised to hear of a vendor not providing a quote before starting work and would not accept such a term. Who knows if I'll be slapped with a $4000 charge after all is said and done. I understand that sometimes the vendor cannot give you a fixed quotation but should at least provide you an estimate done in good faith.

 

[maccers]

I can't comment on what that might cost however I have had a similar experience with one vendor. He made the distinction between an estimate and a quote. To him, an estimate is a broad range price while a quote was much closer to what was projected. I got the impression from him that I couldn't hold him to an estimate and he didn't want to do a quote unless I made a down payment. Long story short, we parted ways. In your scenario, I'd be cautious working with a vendor that can't provide you an estimate or a quote. That would make me question how much they know about custom work or business, for that matter.

 

[emmmme]

I've had some custom work done by a couple of different Etsy vendors and have always gotten a direct quote in writing, following a special reserved listing when we agree to go ahead. It's not uncommon to pay for the item in full before the work begins, but for someone to not know how much it will cost? I think it's a big red flag if they cannot estimate the cost of their work -- perhaps they are not very experienced. Additionally I've seen some Etsy vendors prepare reserved listings for instalments, but I would never agree to that unless a price was stated from the beginning.

Even when I have simply asked about the cost of certain customizations without any promise to buy, I have always gotten a direct response with a clear numerical value!!

 

[JewelFreak]

Can't imagine going into custom work without a price quote. That's unprofessional & makes me wonder whether the workmanship would be likewise. I'd insist on a written quote giving at least a narrow range of price, or say buh-by. Plenty of other vendors can do a similar ring.

--- Laurie

 

[LD]

Well here's a comparison BUT it's in w/gold with lots more diamonds than you've been quoted (and it would fit your stone!):

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pear-Shape-9x12mm-18ct-White-Gold-0-89Ct-Diamond-Engagement-Setting-Semi-Ring-/181066953305?pt=UK_Jewellery_Watches_FineJewellery_CA&hash=item2a286e7259

If you think about it, an Etsy seller will either make one from scratch or will buy it in. Interestingly in silver it won't be that much cheaper than the one I've linked to BECAUSE it will (presumably) be made and therefore you have to factor in time etc.

Two other things to consider: (1) the diamonds in the photo you've posted do NOT look nice. (2) if you buy one custom made and then don't like it can you return it?

What's your budget? We may be able to find an alternative for you.

 

[royalstarrynight]

I feel like it's giving some one a carte blanche!

I'm ok with some variances especially if I make major changes half way through the process. I'd steer away. There are plenty more vendors who will work with you in a much more predictable way.

 

[blingbunny10]

LD -

I was hoping to keep it around $500 or a bit more depending on the vendor's reputation and whether there's a setting fee. I also thought about doing a white gold diamond halo w/ silver band. Do you think the metals would wear differently and look strangely mismatched?

 

[blingbunny10]

Regarding the lan.bo setting above, I was setting a small spinel and recently bought a LOGR setting that a local jeweler bashed the heck out of. It made me feel bad about the whole project (my first project, too!) and now I'm not very excited to pick it up from being set.

So I'm trying to avoid the Chinese settings for this next project, if I can.

 

[chrono]

You need a new jeweller if yours isn't keen on settings from China. Many PSers (myself included) own one of these and had them set with no issues.

 

[blingbunny10]

You need a new jeweller if yours isn't keen on settings from China. Many PSers (myself included) own one of these and had them set with no issues.

It wasn't my regular jeweler, but I went with him because he has a great rep and quoted me $30 cheaper than elsewhere. He looked at the setting under the scope (and showed me) where two of the diamonds actually sat on top of the prongs at certain spots. I did end up leaving the gem/setting with him to be set, but yeah, not a good experience.

I guess I'm thinking if it's going to be at least $500 for Chinese setting/sizing/shipping plus another $100 to get the stone set, I might as well put the whole $600 into custom work?

 

[chrono]

Was that a LOGR, Lanbo or some other? I'm curious to know for future reference. It should not cost you $100 to get a stone set. That is a ripoff. Custom work is going to be expensive no matter what metal is used because of the higher price of metals and the labour cost to set each individual melee in the halo and shank. I don't think you can get quality work for a halo setting for under $1000 in WG.

 

[blingbunny10]

Was that a LOGR, Lanbo or some other? I'm curious to know for future reference. It should not cost you $100 to get a stone set. That is a ripoff. Custom work is going to be expensive no matter what metal is used because of the higher price of metals and the labour cost to set each individual melee in the halo and shank. I don't think you can get quality work for a halo setting for under $1000 in WG.

It was a LOGR. The lowest I got in my area was $70. Quest, Dominion, and other PS recs were all quoting me $100-150.

Would it make sense to get a silver shank? I didn't want to spend too much on this particular stone's setting. I understand the head (or at least the prong work) should probably be in gold.

 

[Kelly12]

It's gorgeous, but it doesn't have a price. May the vendor thinks her ring is so gorgeous that nobody can afford it.

 

[blingbunny10]

Kelly12 and others - to be clear, I do have a quote for the ring pictured and am soliciting thoughts on fair cost. A separate vendor refused to quote for a different project.

 

[chrono]

The usual PS vendors are expensive when it comes to the setting fee. Try IDJ as they are more reasonable.

 

[SapphireSun]

I don't think with your budget you should be looking at local custom made rings, it's a lot more to make a custom made ring than to just buy one already made. I did get a custom made ring, but through an online retailer because I found my local jewelers were charging rent fees along with their time and materials. If you don't have the money I wouldn't knock off Chinese made because it's how most Americans can afford things.

 

[LD]

Silver and white gold wear differently. I also don't think you'll find a jeweller to do this - not sure why you'd want to because actually the cost of silver at the moment is fairly close to gold so you wouldn't be saving much.

If you buy a cheap setting from LOGR the finish and diamonds is not as good as their expensive ones. If you had contacted them about the diamonds (and maybe taken a photo and sent it to them) I'm pretty sure they would have given you money off or you could have returned the item. Their cheaper settings are "cast" - this means that the diamonds are set in the gold during the making process - not put in afterwards. This does means that sometimes during the firing process, diamonds can shift. However, it shouldn't mean that the integrity is affected unless the diamond has shifted to such an extent that it's not held in at all. I would strongly suggest that you ask that particular jeweller for a quote to make you the same ring - I bet you he'd quote you double what you paid. It is VERY common for jewellers to become "sniffy" and "bash" Chinese settings because basically it's doing them out of business.

Chrono, TL and I have all put very good gemstones into LOGR and Lan.bo settings and believe me, you couldn't get three more picky people!!!! However with the Chinese suppliers, you get what you pay for (but it'd still be cheaper than sourcing locally).

If you're going custom you will be paying around $1000 because of the element of being hand made/designed. If you use one of the Chinese suppliers, you will pay half that because they mass produce. So I guess it's up to you and where you budget lies. For $500 I doubt very much whether you would match the diamond and gold weight.

 

[blingbunny10]

LD - very helpful post, thank you.

Silver and white gold wear differently. I also don't think you'll find a jeweller to do this - not sure why you'd want to because actually the cost of silver at the moment is fairly close to gold so you wouldn't be saving much.

An etsy vendor advised me against this today for the reasons you just posted... So now the choice is between all silver or paying almost double for all gold. My only concern about silver is prong/halo work.

If you buy a cheap setting from LOGR the finish and diamonds is not as good as their expensive ones. If you had contacted them about the diamonds (and maybe taken a photo and sent it to them) I'm pretty sure they would have given you money off or you could have returned the item. Their cheaper settings are "cast" - this means that the diamonds are set in the gold during the making process - not put in afterwards. This does means that sometimes during the firing process, diamonds can shift.

I may contact LOGR to see whether they might offer me a credit. It's been a couple of months since I ordered the setting (was out of town for the holidays, etc.) and with the Chinese New Year coming up, I realize it may be a lost cause. Good to know about the cast diamonds. I will look at other LOGR settings with that in mind.

Chrono, TL and I have all put very good gemstones into LOGR and Lan.bo settings and believe me, you couldn't get three more picky people!!!! However with the Chinese suppliers, you get what you pay for (but it'd still be cheaper than sourcing locally).

May I ask if you tend to upgrade the diamonds? Last I asked, LOGR said they'd charge me $150 or so to upgrade, and it seems from searching the threads that there's no consensus among posters re: upgrading.

If you're going custom you will be paying around $1000 because of the element of being hand made/designed. If you use one of the Chinese suppliers, you will pay half that because they mass produce. So I guess it's up to you and where you budget lies. For $500 I doubt very much whether you would match the diamond and gold weight.

I'm now wondering if I should go with argentium silver w/ DanielM for around $600 assuming diamonds can be securely and precisely set in silver.... But for that price, perhaps I should take a look at gold settings from LOGR. The big cost in my area is having a jeweler set the stone into an LOGR setting, though. So I'm torn!

 

[LD]

Glad to have helped.

For what it's worth, I wouldn't go down the silver route (especially if you're going to set it with diamonds) UNLESS this isn't a special piece. If it's a special piece I would suggest getting gold - if you buy an LOGR or Lan.bo you can always sell it later on to finance another piece as there are always takers for them!

In terms of upgrading diamonds? With LOGR if I'm buying one of their cheaper settings then it's essential to upgrade I'm afraid. If you buy one of their more expensive settings the diamonds tend to be good in them. With Lan.bo the general quality of their diamonds in all settings is much better than LOGR (and you don't have to pay for the upgrade). Amongst those of us who have regularly bought settings from both this is very much the general consensus also. With both vendors, the beauty is that if you're not happy you can send back for a refund!

I do like Argentium silver and would definitely consider that for a project but I'm just not sure if I would set it with diamonds so that it looked like one of the settings you typically see made in gold (if that makes sense). I love silver for plain shanks or shanks with leaves, very decorative items, that sort of thing?

 

[blingbunny10]

For what it's worth, I wouldn't go down the silver route (especially if you're going to set it with diamonds) UNLESS this isn't a special piece. If it's a special piece I would suggest getting gold - if you buy an LOGR or Lan.bo you can always sell it later on to finance another piece as there are always takers for them!

Definitely not a special piece -- I'm actually setting the stones I care about least first to get a bit of practice, develop my eye, etc. if that makes sense. At the same time, I want diamonds, lol! I guess I'm doing the opposite of many posters, setting my least favorite stones first!

With Lan.bo the general quality of their diamonds in all settings is much better than LOGR (and you don't have to pay for the upgrade). Amongst those of us who have regularly bought settings from both this is very much the general consensus also.

Good to know. I've looked at Lan.bo's ebay store, but he never seems to have much listed! Will continue to keep an eye out, though. His prices seem higher, but it's worth it given what you say about upgrading LOGR.

I do like Argentium silver and would definitely consider that for a project but I'm just not sure if I would set it with diamonds so that it looked like one of the settings you typically see made in gold (if that makes sense). I love silver for plain shanks or shanks with leaves, very decorative items, that sort of thing?

Definitely makes sense. A silver u-prong or swirly design would be nice for some of my other stones, but not for a pear shape, I think?

 

[deorwine]

Silver and white gold wear differently. I also don't think you'll find a jeweller to do this - not sure why you'd want to because actually the cost of silver at the moment is fairly close to gold so you wouldn't be saving much.

...I just looked up silver and gold prices, and silver is $31.12/oz and gold is $1658.20/oz. And silver is less dense than gold, too. So, no, the cost isn't even remotely the same.

Maybe what you meant is that the amounts of metal in a ring head are so small that it's going to be a negligible part of the cost of the ring?

Anyway, the point about them wearing differently is a good one.

 

[chrono]

And most regular jewellers have little experience working with silver so if it needs work (resize, polish, rebuild, etc), you'll have to send it back to the original Etsy vendor.

I hope LD will clarify but in the US, silver is still much cheaper than gold per ounce. They aren't even close. The part that's going to make it expensive is the labour to set the melees though. I'm not sure the savings of the silver shank will be sufficient to make it more affordable. What I do know is that the jeweller who bashed your LOGR cannot make an identical setting for the price you paid. It'll be at least double. For how little the setting costs, one cannot expect perfection. You can't have it all.

 

[VAgemguy]

I assume that LD meant that the labor involved with making something out of gold vs. silver will be the same. Presumably, the value of the precious metals is a relatively minor component of the total cost of the project. Even if gold is worth $1650 per ounce (roughly $53 per gram of 24K or $31 per gram of 14K), a 3 gram 14K ring would only have about $93 worth of gold content. The rest of the cost would be attributable to labor/workmanship.

 

[LD]

I assume that LD meant that the labor involved with making something out of gold vs. silver will be the same. Presumably, the value of the precious metals is a relatively minor component of the total cost of the project. Even if gold is worth $1650 per ounce (roughly $53 per gram of 24K or $31 per gram of 14K), a 3 gram 14K ring would only have about $93 worth of gold content. The rest of the cost would be attributable to labor/workmanship.

Sorry, yes I did! Interestingly though, when gold and platinum went through the roof, many designers were turning to silver and even though it wasn't as expensive to buy (gram for gram) the prices of silver pieces started to go up as demand (presumably) turned to it. Silver is still a less expensive material but I'm not sure it represents as much of a cost saving and people assume.

 

[blingbunny10]

I assume that LD meant that the labor involved with making something out of gold vs. silver will be the same. Presumably, the value of the precious metals is a relatively minor component of the total cost of the project. Even if gold is worth $1650 per ounce (roughly $53 per gram of 24K or $31 per gram of 14K), a 3 gram 14K ring would only have about $93 worth of gold content. The rest of the cost would be attributable to labor/workmanship.

Sorry, yes I did! Interestingly though, when gold and platinum went through the roof, many designers were turning to silver and even though it wasn't as expensive to buy (gram for gram) the prices of silver pieces started to go up as demand (presumably) turned to it. Silver is still a less expensive material but I'm not sure it represents as much of a cost saving and people assume.

LD -
One vendor quoted me $600 for silver, $1100 for 14k gold (same ring).
Another said he would take $200-300 off for a silver shank rather than 14k.
I'm not sure if these are typical of silver v gold estimates, but I thought those savings were pretty substantial!

 

[texaskj]

Since you're trying to keep the cost down, have you thought about some other clear stone for the halo? White quartz or white sapphires?

 

[chrono]

Quartz will not hold up well but white sapphires will. In terms of cost, I don't the savings will be significant because diamonds that tiny aren't expensive. The cost lies in the labour of setting each individual melee.

Blingbunny,
I am surprised that the cost savings is significant! How is the quality of workmanship from those vendors?

 

[LD]

I assume that LD meant that the labor involved with making something out of gold vs. silver will be the same. Presumably, the value of the precious metals is a relatively minor component of the total cost of the project. Even if gold is worth $1650 per ounce (roughly $53 per gram of 24K or $31 per gram of 14K), a 3 gram 14K ring would only have about $93 worth of gold content. The rest of the cost would be attributable to labor/workmanship.

Sorry, yes I did! Interestingly though, when gold and platinum went through the roof, many designers were turning to silver and even though it wasn't as expensive to buy (gram for gram) the prices of silver pieces started to go up as demand (presumably) turned to it. Silver is still a less expensive material but I'm not sure it represents as much of a cost saving and people assume.

LD -
One vendor quoted me $600 for silver, $1100 for 14k gold (same ring).
Another said he would take $200-300 off for a silver shank rather than 14k.
I'm not sure if these are typical of silver v gold estimates, but I thought those savings were pretty substantial!

The top quote differs significantly and I haven't seen such a disparity. I don't understand how the vendor can justify such a huge difference. I am more accustomed to seeing the $200-300 difference.

 

[emmmme]

LD -
One vendor quoted me $600 for silver, $1100 for 14k gold (same ring).
Another said he would take $200-300 off for a silver shank rather than 14k.
I'm not sure if these are typical of silver v gold estimates, but I thought those savings were pretty substantial!

The top quote differs significantly and I haven't seen such a disparity. I don't understand how the vendor can justify such a huge difference. I am more accustomed to seeing the $200-300 difference.

About 8 months ago I was quoted $560 for a 14k white gold ring whose silver version sells for $130. Not sure how much materials' costs have fluctuated in the meantime but it was a pretty big difference.