design cost?

[i_like_tiffany_please_dont_hate_me]

how much does it cost to design your own ring? generally speaking, of course. obviously it will depend on the compexity of the work etc, but in general, any ideas?

I want a platinum pave setting, so know it is going to be expensive, I am just wondering how much?

thanks,

 

[strmrdr]

about 60% to 100% of what a simular designer piece would cost.

 

[i_like_tiffany_please_dont_hate_me]

thanks strm,

but is that 60-100% of the cost of the setting? ie, if a normal setting costs $3000, designing your own will cost between $1800 and $3000?

or is that 60-100% over the cost of the setting? ie, if a normal setting costs $3000, designing your own setting will cost between $4800 and $6000?

I imagined it would be more expensive than a regular setting because they would only be making one and the variable costs would have to be met in the cost of that one ring, rather than spread across the unit cost of many rings, but from what you said, it seems like it would be cheaper? maybe because there is no designer premium?

 

[strmrdr]

the lower number.
There is an insane markup on name designer settings well over what it costs to make them.

Compared to the cost of a mass produced setting like one from stuller then it could be 60%-100% higher also.

 

[i_like_tiffany_please_dont_hate_me]

excellent, thanks!

I also think it will be really nice to design it myself, to give her something I created, something unique

I just hope she loves it

thanks for the help!

 

[strmrdr]

i designed my own ring I love doing that.
In my case I took an existing ring and added a to it to make it mine.
That is easier to do with gold than plat however.

Did the same for her ring also.

 

[i_like_tiffany_please_dont_hate_me]

Date: 12/19/2004 3:46:17 PM
Author: strmrdr
i designed my own ring I love doing that.
In my case I took an existing ring and added a to it to make it mine.
That is easier to do with gold than plat however.

Did the same for her ring also.

how difficult was it to design? I am not looking for something too extravagant, something like this perhaps - I really don''t know precisely what at this point

 

[strmrdr]

Something like that you could do rough sketches and general ideas but it would take an artist or someone really good with cad to design that.
Mine were easier because they were simple designs.

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

DG:

That is a gorgeous ring to have designed.

I have had 4 rings designed. Like storm mentions to create a wax will take a competent wax carver to draw from your original picture which can either done by sketch or cad. Something in Platinum is going to run you more.

This ring has several things that factor into the design which will add to the extra cost. Pave can be intricate work along with the three channels on each side of the band and furthermore the hand engraving at the base of each side of the ring.

I would start your budget for this ring anywhere from $1500-$2000 in Platinum depending on who your working with.

There is a lot of inticate work and lot of setting in that design you posted along with engraving.

Either way custom is the way to go...

 

[i_like_tiffany_please_dont_hate_me]

I would start your budget for this ring anywhere from $1500-$2000 in Platinum depending on who your working with.

There is a lot of inticate work and lot of setting in that design you posted along with engraving.

Either way custom is the way to go...

thanks cgsn

depending on the stone I can find at the time, I am looking at around $3000 budget for the setting (or about $4500 if I go with an SI1, which I don''t really want to do)

one of the main reasons I was thinking of going custom is because it is more personal and unique, I will look into getting a setting designed after Christmas, thanks

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

Hey DG:

With a budget of 3k, you should have plenty of room.

I have 2 si-1 diamonds and you don't even know.(They are really clean...)

 

[Michael_E]

diamondgeezer,
When designing a ring or any other piece of jewelry there are several things to think about. Comfort, wearability and looks are primary and then comes the intricacies of actually building the piece. The cost of the material will be about the same regardless of how intricate the ring will be. However the total cost will be heavily influenced by how difficult and time consuming the ring is to build as well as how it is built. A ring that is computer designed with the wax made on a rapid protoyping machine and then cast, is the least expensive, while a ring that is fabricated from multiple parts that are then all soldered together is the most expensive. The ring that you''ve shown can be built either way and the diamonds shown aren''t really pave, but just bead set in rows. The total cost for that ring would depend on the number of diamonds, their size and quality. When I estimate a piece like that I usually figure on the diamonds costing between $1200 and $1600 per carat, (which includes the cost of setting them, bead work around them, etc.; VS quality mellee, of course). The basic mounting would run between $900 and $2000 or more, depending on how heavy it is, which is influenced by its width, thickness, etc. Any engraving adds to the cost, starting at about $100 and going up to where everything else goes in this business...the sky.
As you can see, your design has a tremendous influence on the end cost, so decide what matters most to you and let whoever is doing the work know exactly what you want most, what you will spend and then listen to their recommendations to arrive at something that really works for you.

 

[i_like_tiffany_please_dont_hate_me]

I have 2 si-1 diamonds and you don''t even know.(They are really clean...)

ty, I am not sure I''d want to risk it, buying online especially

but I hear that WF personally inspect the diamonds, so they could tell me if it wasn''t eye-clean

I will think about it

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

Most places you deal with online especially vendors of this forum have a return policy:

Personally I have dealt with:

Niceice.com
Goodoldgold.com
Eightstar Company
Whitflash.com

All a very reputable with return policies..You don''t like what you see, you can send it back. Most vendors you deal with will do some digging to find that perfect si-1 for you. I have seen some face up si-2 beauties too. Anything up to a carat should be hard to notice to begin with..With a good vendor you can''t go wrong plucking a nice cherry si-1.

Anyway I am a big fan of online, but we all have our preferences...

 

[strmrdr]

I agree si-1 from a trusted vendor == bang for the buck in rounds.
asscher id stay in the vs range.

 

[PhillipSchmidt]

Pave'' setting is cheap and that is what you are paying for. A bought ring costs the metal weight + x mark-up.

About 50% of the people who offer pave'' seting are good, but you just have to look at past pieces. I say 50% and to me that is high, but there arn''t that many poor setters out there.

It is not a setting style that is time consuming.

If it is done in-house ot out-of-house ios another matter as far as costs go.

Phillip.

 

[i_like_tiffany_please_dont_hate_me]

Date: 12/20/2004 7:30:32 PM
Author: strmrdr
I agree si-1 from a trusted vendor == bang for the buck in rounds.
asscher id stay in the vs range.

yeah... perhaps, but I think it is about getting a mind-clean stone, especially as it is the engagement ring

thanks for the advice, I will think about it