Cost of custom cut gemstone melee?

[CHRISTY-DANIELLE]

I bought an antique ring thinking I would get the emerald melee replaced. There's 16 stones, all about 1.5mm. I've reached out to a respected jeweler who does restoration and I have sticker shock. $600 for the emeralds and $400 to set them. Just wondering if that seems about right to any of you with experience.
The ring looks like this:

And I want to get the channels repaired and new emeralds that are colored more like this:

 

[Bron357]

Unfortunately yes, and I think that’s a reasonable price.
The problem is they all have to be colour matched and precision cut, then an experienced jeweller has the labor intensive and fiddle job of getting them nicely into the setting.
Have you contacted David Klass?
Another to try might be Ivy & Rose, they sell their target rings with precision cut melee, maybe they have a more economical source?

 

[CHRISTY-DANIELLE]

Thank you @Bron357! I really trust your opinion! I thought of DK, but this guy actually is DK's source for custom cut stones, so I don't think the price would differ much! I can see that it would be a tedious job cutting these tiny stones and then setting them. So $600 for .80ct of emerald might be what I have to pay. Emerald is my birthstone so I think I would really enjoy having this ring restored and would wear it often.