How much should I trust solomon brothers?

[Aret03]

I know they are not one of the preferred vendors here on PS, but they offered over than a $500 discount in comparison to Whiteflash for the designer engagement ring and custom full eternity wedding band I want.

Should I trust them enough to just buy the discounted wedding set from them, and ALSO trust them enough to let them set my $20,000 center stone?

 

[AprilBaby]

I don’t know about trust but quality wise WF would blow them off the charts.

 

[gm89uk]

Have you already got the centre stone, who is it from?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I think he is saying he priced the same designer set at both places and Solomon Brothers won on price. The thing we cannot answer is how well SBs bench does with prongs!!! I'd ask if they do claw prongs (if that is what you want) and then ask for pictures of rings they have set. They are a reputable company, but I haven't seen enough workmanship from them to have any opinion.

If my diamond came from Whiteflash, I'd absolutely have them order the setting and set the diamond. Technically you could buy the band wherever the price is lowest if there is a big difference.

 

[MollyMalone]

Would either Solomon Brothers or Whiteflash actually be the one to set the center stone? I'm wondering if Simon G. is one of the "brand names" who prefers that the center stone be sent to them, so they can ensure that the ring they are making is perfectly suited to the stone; they then set the center stone before sending the completed e-ring to their authorized retailer.

 

[Aret03]

Have you already got the centre stone, who is it from?

Yes I already have the stone. It's a BG Signature diamond.

 

[Aret03]

Would either Solomon Brothers or Whiteflash actually be the one to set the center stone? I'm wondering if Simon G. is one of the "brand names" who prefer that the center stone be sent to them, so they can ensure that the ring they are making is perfectly suited to the stone; they then set the center stone before sending the completed e-ring to their authorized retailer.

I'm pretty sure it would be set by one of Solomon's jewelers. However, the custom wedding band that I'm making go full eternity, (instead of half)... I think Simon G. does that customization with their team... Or at least I hope. I'm beginning to *possibly think* that Solomon might be doing that customization themselves with *potentially* lower quality melee diamonds to save the money. That's the only way I could understand them quoting me soooo much less for the exact same design I sent Whiteflash. I have no evidence to prove that though, just a complete guess.

 

[marymm]

How much would I trust Solomon Brothers? Zero.

You get what you pay for.

If you want your center stone to be set safely and beautifully, by a reputable and stand-up vendor, I'd strongly encourage you to turn away from Solomon Brothers and check with Lesley@ BGD to see if they caan get the setting for you, or else for sure go with WF.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[Aret03]

How much would I trust Solomon Brothers? Zero.

You get what you pay for.

If you want your center stone to be set safely and beautifully, by a reputable and stand-up vendor, I'd strongly encourage you to turn away from Solomon Brothers and check with Lesley@ BGD to see if they caan get the setting for you, or else for sure go with WF.

Just my 2 cents.

@marymm Great point and good idea. Thank you and will do.

 

[LLJsmom]

If its a BGD signature, I'd be super careful with it. I'd try to get BG to set it for you. Or like @marymm said see if they can get the setting for you. That's one precious diamond you have there. I've read some not so great stories on PS about experiences with Solomon Brothers. I am sure they have many happy customers, but even just a few unhappy ones would cause me to be nervous.

 

[MollyMalone]

I'm pretty sure it would be set by one of Solomon's jewelers. However, the custom wedding band that I'm making go full eternity, (instead of half)... I think Simon G. does that customization with their team... Or at least I hope. I'm beginning to *possibly think* that Solomon might be doing that customization themselves with *potentially* lower quality melee diamonds to save the money. That's the only way I could understand them quoting me soooo much less for the exact same design I sent Whiteflash. I have no evidence to prove that though, just a complete guess.

That kind of "after-market" bastardized customization you're fearing would be a sure-fire way for Solomon Brothers to lose their authorized retailer status with Simon G. Plus, if it's the TR 431 wedding band that's in your first PS post, there's no way to to add additional melee to the band, as it would come from Simon G., without that add-on being noticeable:
https://www.simongjewelry.com/product/tr431-wedding-band/

I'd clarify with both Solomon Brothers and WF as to whether Simon G. will want, and set, the center stone. If Simon G. is going to do the setting, I'd feel comfortable putting the order in through Solomon Brothers. If Simon G. will not be setting the center stone, have you nailed down how much of a setting fee, if any, WF and Solomon Brothers will charge?* There may be a difference there that will reduce the $500 price differential. And if I may gently point out, $500 is (I'm guesstimating) less than 2% of the total package price for T 431 e-ring and full eternity band.

Has BGD already shipped the diamond to you? If not, WF is only about 10 miles from BGD, so a in-person transfer should be easy-peasy for the two dealers to arrange, which imo would be a nice little bit of peace of mind.

* Since BGD is not an authorized Simon G. retailer, I doubt they can obtain the setting for you; plus, IIRC only Simon G. authorized retailers can handle any future warranty work/claim. But if you discover that I'm wrong, please let us know! And you might nevertheless decide to order the e-ring semi-mount from an authorized retailer & have that sent to BGD for them to set your Signature diamond.

 

[MollyMalone]

Oops, I just thought of something else... will you be insuring the loose stone, and then the completed rings, through Jewelers Mutual? It's the only company I know of that offers a rider for loose stones before, and while they are being set. I seem to remember seeing (on JM's previous web site) that JM's standard, loose stone rider only allows for a 30-day lag between the stone's purchase and the setting of the stone. So that's another aspect of the process for you to seek clarification on.

 

[rockysalamander]

Are you the wearer of the ring? If not, don't have a wedding band made yet. Let the wearer choose it.

 

[WillyDiamond]

They are not a preferred vendor on PS for a reason.

Better price? Diamonds are no different from other things you buy......you get what you pay for.

I am trying to understand why someone would buy from a vendor if right upfront they have doubts for such a large and important purchase?

It's your coin. Good luck.

 

[farrahlyn]

Side note here... .are you SURE you want to do full eternity? I'd do 3/4 eternity for sizing issues. ring sizes change with weight fluctuations, pregnancy, age, etc. I absolutely would not go full eternity. After pregnancy my ring size changed permanently despite being back at pre pregnancy weight.

 

[MollyMalone]

They are not a preferred vendor on PS for a reason.
Better price? Diamonds are no different from other things you buy......you get what you pay for.
I am trying to understand why someone would buy from a vendor if right upfront they have doubts for such a large and important purchase?
It's your coin. Good luck.

I actually skimmed through 5+ years of PS posts that mentioned Solomon Brothers before I posted last night. What griping I saw came primarily from those who had gone to the B&M store & been subjected to an off-putting "hard sell"; I didn't see any complaints from anyone who'd made an online purchase. And more than one person in the past mentioned their very favorable trade-up policy (100% credit towards a new purchase, no requirement that you spend double or the like) -- altho' I'm not seeing anything about a trade-up policy on their current web site. Their no-questions-asked return for full refund policy is still a 30-day window; yes, custom/special orders are not returnable, but that's par for the course, and the customer is responsible for return shipping-insurance charges (not unusual).
https://www.solomonbrothers.com/return-policy/

The PSers who most frequently make diamond vendor recommendations favor those who offer online, diamond shopping tools such as photos, videos, ASETs, etc. & above-average trade-in/buy back policies. Which is understandable, but that's not (yet) Solomon Brothers' business model or one that all PS Featured Sponsors emulate. And there are people who aren't fussed by the prospect of ordering a diamond at a lower price & then returning it if they aren't thrilled once it's in hand, nor do they consider an excellent trade-in/buy back policy a major plus.

In any event, Aret03 is not looking to purchase the center stone from Solomon Brothers; Brian Gavin got his business on that major purchase. He's been considering SB for the Simon G. wedding band & e-ring semi-mount.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

If you buy a diamond from an internet vendor who does not have the setting you want, then my advice is to find out who in your city (or nearby city) carries the designer brand you want and have them order the rings you want. I would not be shipping my diamond to another diamond vendor. That makes no sense to me. It would have made the most sense to buy a WF diamond if they had the setting you wanted. But now that you have the stone, I see no reason to go through the hassle of shipping the diamond somewhere else. As Molly said, some ring brands like to set the stone themselves, and in other cases the local jeweler does it. But in either case, you must be very clear verbally and in writing with a picture of what kind of prongs you want to see on your stone.

 

[Aret03]

Side note here... .are you SURE you want to do full eternity? I'd do 3/4 eternity for sizing issues. ring sizes change with weight fluctuations, pregnancy, age, etc. I absolutely would not go full eternity. After pregnancy my ring size changed permanently despite being back at pre pregnancy weight.

@farrahlyn that's a good point. I just think it would look great to have them going fully around without stopping. Do you a viable workaround would be to bump up the wedding band by 1/8th of the size of the engagement ring?

 

[tyty333]

@farrahlyn that's a good point. I just think it would look great to have them going fully around without stopping. Do you a viable workaround would be to bump up the wedding band by 1/8th of the size of the engagement ring?

1/8th of the size is not very much IMO. My finger size has fluctuated at least 1/4 size (not including pregnancy when they probably went up a full size).

 

[Aret03]

I think he is saying he priced the same designer set at both places and Solomon Brothers won on price. The thing we cannot answer is how well SBs bench does with prongs!!! I'd ask if they do claw prongs (if that is what you want) and then ask for pictures of rings they have set. They are a reputable company, but I haven't seen enough workmanship from them to have any opinion.

If my diamond came from Whiteflash, I'd absolutely have them order the setting and set the diamond. Technically you could buy the band wherever the price is lowest if there is a big difference.

I never thought of that @diamondseeker2006 , Thanks for bringing that up! The diamond has already shipped and BG was actually kind enough to offer to set the diamond for free after I explained my worries! Should I be worried that BG won't know how to properly set it because even though they have an amazing team... they don't carry that setting/design? I just have to ship the loose stone and setting back to BG together. Here are some images of the setting. The prongs are pretty unique in that they almost rise a bit above the table of the diamond itself.

 

[Aret03]

If you buy a diamond from an internet vendor who does not have the setting you want, then my advice is to find out who in your city (or nearby city) carries the designer brand you want and have them order the rings you want. I would not be shipping my diamond to another diamond vendor. That makes no sense to me. It would have made the most sense to buy a WF diamond if they had the setting you wanted. But now that you have the stone, I see no reason to go through the hassle of shipping the diamond somewhere else. As Molly said, some ring brands like to set the stone themselves, and in other cases the local jeweler does it. But in either case, you must be very clear verbally and in writing with a picture of what kind of prongs you want to see on your stone.

Yeah, that would probably be ideal, but there are no authorized simon g retailers within 2-3 hour drive of my house, and I was trying to save extra money by not having to pay taxes on it, on top of the lower prices these online vendors are quoting.

 

[Aret03]

Oops, I just thought of something else... will you be insuring the loose stone, and then the completed rings, through Jewelers Mutual? It's the only company I know of that offers a rider for loose stones before, and while they are being set. I seem to remember seeing (on JM's previous web site) that JM's standard, loose stone rider only allows for a 30-day lag between the stone's purchase and the setting of the stone. So that's another aspect of the process for you to seek clarification on.

@MollyMalone thanks for your responses! I was just planning on bundling the insurance with my home & auto so I didn't really look into Jewelers Mutual. I've been so excited that I've finally pulled the trigger on something that I've researched for so many months that I haven't thought that far ahead yet... but I should probably start looking into insurance options too ASAP.

 

[Aret03]

1/8th of the size is not very much IMO. My finger size has fluctuated at least 1/4 size (not including pregnancy when they probably went up a full size).

Would you say that's common for the size to go up 1/4? If I do need it resized down the road and it's full eternity, Is it possible to just sacrifice a few stones and pay a couple hundred bucks extra to get it resized and then put new stones attached in their place?

Also a random question: Does getting your e-ring resized ruin engraved messages on the interior?

 

[msop04]

I never thought of that @diamondseeker2006 , Thanks for bringing that up! The diamond has already shipped and BG was actually kind enough to offer to set the diamond for free after I explained my worries! Should I be worried that BG won't know how to properly set it because even though they have an amazing team... they don't carry that setting/design? I just have to ship the loose stone and setting back to BG together. Here are some images of the setting. The prongs are pretty unique in that they almost rise a bit above the table of the diamond itself.

No, I would not be worried. Those prongs aren't unique.
Best of luck to you, and do come back and post lots of photos of the finished ring!

 

[msop04]

Would you say that's common for the size to go up 1/4? If I do need it resized down the road and it's full eternity, Is it possible to just sacrifice a few stones and pay a couple hundred bucks extra to get it resized and then put new stones attached in their place?

Also a random question: Does getting your e-ring resized ruin engraved messages on the interior?

Here's the thing... when going full eternity, sometimes that's a risk you take. If you make it larger in anticipation your finger size will increase for whatever reason, then it doesn't fit right until then. And if/when your finger size does change, it may change so much that the eternity band won't fit anyway.

My finger size actually DECREASED by 1/2 size after losing my pregnancy weight, and I had to have my eternity sized from a 5.25 to a 4.75+ (between a 4.75-5.0, because this was the smallest it could be altered). Mine is a bezel eternity, so somehow DK worked his magic and was able to remove a tiny amount of space in between each bezel to reduce the size without removing a full bezeled diamond. ...crazy, I know. My point is that you just can't predict what's going to happen with your ring size, and modifications can only change the size so much. Any major change would require having the ring be remade, unfortunately.

Just my $0.02

 

[WillyDiamond]

Thanks for the clarification......if you bought the diamond from BGD, you are good to go.
I would take them up on the free setting.

 

[Aret03]

No, I would not be worried. Those prongs aren't unique.
Best of luck to you, and do come back and post lots of photos of the finished ring!

I'll be sure to post plenty! Thanks @msop04 for your that info. Maybe I should just go with 3/4 eternity.... I just think full would look a lot better. Tough decision.

 

[msop04]

I'll be sure to post plenty! Thanks @msop04 for your that info. Maybe I should just go with 3/4 eternity.... I just think full would look a lot better. Tough decision.

I agree that a full eternity looks best, but maybe you could do a 7/8 eternity? Or even do an eternity with one small space left without a diamond for sizing up or down? I'd do more than 3/4, if it were me.

 

[Aret03]

I didn't even think of that @msop04
7/8 eternity could be a perfect solution! Or do you think with this band design I could get away with one small space left without the diamond? It's a rounded 3 row pave.

 

[MollyMalone]

I fear that with more extensive pave, this will be a very difficult band to resize. I really like it "as is", especially the sculptural nature of the transition from the pave section into the plain shank : - )