How much should something like this cost?

[Odilia]

How much should something like this set cost?
specs are: 14kt YG; round brilliant cut diamond, approx. wt .94 ct, J Color, SI1 clarity w/ 6 tiny diamonds. Wedding band has 9 diamonds. They’re from around the ‘50’s.

 

[Odilia]

Another picture:

Also another question: How does one judge the monetary value of a used ring?

 

[Odilia]

One more picture, and also, feel free to comment on whether you even think it is pretty or not.
Is there anything unappealing about it?

 

[jcrow]

don''t know the value. but i do know that i really like it! very pretty, sweet, and feminine.

 

[diamondsbylauren]

I agree! It''s very pretty.
I would suggest having the diamond re-examined by a jeweler- in the photos it looks a lot larger than .92 carats.

Have them measure the millimeter size ( diameter) of the diamond.

The size will make a big difference in the value.

 

[Mara]

That is a really beautiful set Odilia! That center stone DEFINITELY looks bigger than .92c!!

The stone itself looks like it may have some darkness in the center but I guess that would not be unheard of with a more vintage cut. The stone also looks like has a bit of yellow tint to it from the side, but I really love that set.

I have no idea how to value it, I''d take it to a independent appraiser and get their expert opinion, also they will be able to tell you more about the stone.

 

[mrssalvo]

I too think it''s a beautiful set. It look''s older than the 50''s to me, in a good way

What ring size are you? i only ask b/c i wear a 3.5 and my 1 carat looked large in the pics. I agree that your stone looks a lot bigger than .94. Definitely take it to an independant appraiser or if you have a nice, honest jeweler they could probably at least give you a ball park figure.

 

[LadyluvsLuxury]

I LOVE that set, I absolutely love yellow gold sets, every pretty!! And I just adore warmer colore stones in yellow gold..gives it such a lovely vintage feel! I agree with the others, take it to an appraiser (preferably an independent appraiser).

 

[Odilia]

Wow, thanks everyone for your comments! They help a lot. My finger is a size 5.25. The rings in the picture are my size too, which is another bonus to this set. The diamond might be looking bigger because the bands are so narrow.

My reason for thinking of this ring is that I''ve been trying to find a better match for my WB than my thin solitaire.

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/help-desperately-need-input-on-what-to-wear-w-wb.31878/

Originally I thought maybe I''d have something like it made, with my diamond, but more and more I keep thinking, this entire set (wedding, eng. ring and diamond) all cost less than many ER settings I see. (I think they were asking about $2700 for the set.) To have a setting made might even cost a lot, and I still only have one diamond. If I got this set, I would have so many options: wear this set as is; wear this ER with my WB, and eventually get my eng. diamond reset in something else as an anniversary ring in white, and then I would have more versatility.

I will post a picture of it with my WB. Not as perfect a match as the set itself, but it''s one of the best matches I''ve seen for my band. What do you think?

 

[Odilia]

I should probably clarify, when I said, "and I still only have one diamond" - I didn''t mean to imply that I am greedily coveting another ~1ct diamond, (although it would be nice!), but just that I would have spent all that money on a setting, either an imperfect off-the-shelf one or custom made - not sure how it would turn out, vs. this one coming with its own diamond in a ring that I think might work with my wedding band at around the same price.

 

[sarita]

Odilia,

I think I mentioned this in your other thread about looking for options w/ your w-band but let me say it again even if I did - I love your wedding band! It''s so charming.

I think the E-ring setting works very well with it. I, for one, would very much enjoy the option of the set by itself, the E-ring w/ your W-band, or just your own band by itself on some days. Versatility, and they all go together very nicely. let us know what you decide

PS: Agree that that is a big looking roch there!

 

[Patty]

I think it looks bigger than .92c for sure! And it looks wonderful with your wedding band. It''s a perfect match!

If I were you, though, I would have it independently appraised before purchasing. The price sounds great but you don''t know what you are getting until you have it appraised.

 

[queenbee]

I wouldn''t know anything about the value, but you should get a jeweler to look at it before buying. It''s BEAUTIFUL though...

 

[denverappraiser]

Odilia,

I normally would not comment on a valuation thread like this because there are so many other variables that go into the decision but I thought I should chime in to agree with Davids comment that your size estimate may be wrong. A size 5 1/2 finger is 15.8mm in diameter. A few quick measurements on my monitor with my granddaughters Spongebob ruler suggest that the diameter of the diamond is 53% of the diameter of the ring. This would indicate an 8.3mm diamond. A typical 0.94ct round diamond will be about 6.3mm in diameter. If this is being sold as a 0.94, there may be a serious bargain in the works here.

Thanks Spongebob.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Independent Appraisals in Denver

 

[Odilia]

I think the size might be right, because here is a picture of it next to my diamond. My diamond is 1.09ct, and the diameter is 6.70 min x 6.73 max. The depth is 4.07mm; maybe I''ll post a side view as well.

 

[Odilia]

Here is a side view comparing my solitaire to the antique.

 

[denverappraiser]

Odilia,

I stand corrected. Photography can make a big difference. Notice how different the apparent size is in these two images.

 

[Odilia]

{{{If this is being sold as a 0.94, there may be a serious bargain in the works here.}}}

So, since it is more likely 0.94, does it still sound like a decent price? I know there are lots of variables. And like everyone recommended, I will take it to a jeweler to see.

What is the best way to find out the value? If you get an official ''appraisal'', do they tell you how much it is worth (retail, now), or how much you should insure it for, because it''s harder to replace? I have heard the latter, which can be more than the former.

 

[denverappraiser]

Date: 9/12/2005 8:42:35 AM
Author: Odilia
{{{If this is being sold as a 0.94, there may be a serious bargain in the works here.}}}

So, since it is more likely 0.94, does it still sound like a decent price? I know there are lots of variables. And like everyone recommended, I will take it to a jeweler to see.

What is the best way to find out the value? If you get an official ''appraisal'', do they tell you how much it is worth (retail, now), or how much you should insure it for, because it''s harder to replace? I have heard the latter, which can be more than the former.

Odilia,

A professional appraiser should be able to address whatever question you wish. There is a tremendous amount of misunderstanding about what appraisers do and don’t do, even among appraisers. It’s worth devoting a little effort to shopping for the appraiser because there’s quite a bit of bad advice being presented under that name. As you correctly observe, value will probably change depending on the market selected and the way that market is approached. Sometimes this difference is considerable. A useful appraisal will say in the body of the report what marketplace is being described and the appraiser will discuss this issue during your appraisal session. Advice on how much you should expect to pay in a particular marketplace or how much you could expect to realize at resale are not the same thing as preparing documentation for your insurance company but your appraiser should be prepared to answer any of these.

I won’t give a value opinion without actually seeing and examining the piece and without discussing the market considerations with my client. There are far to many variables involved.

Here are some thoughts on getting the most out of your appraisal session.

In your appraisal shopping exercise, watch out for advertisements disguised as appraisals. They can do more harm than good. There are several clues:

a) They are presented along with an offer to sell you something ‘comparable’.
b) They look like an offer to buy.
c) They’re free.
d) They don’t ask you the purpose of the appraisal and describe an appropriate marketplace based on your answer.
Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Independent Appraisals in Denver

 

[Odilia]

Neil,
Thanks so much for the input. That helps a lot.

A few last things before I see if I can buy this: Here is a view of both rings - you can see that they are worn, although I don''t think too badly. Could this be an issue for me?

 

[Odilia]

And one other thing, ( I asked this elsewhere but it might be more appropriate here) -

Would you change the head on this ring? The Prongs look worn from being against the wedding ring (although I don''t think I saw any damage on the wedding ring). I like 4 prong - would that work okay?

 

[denverappraiser]

If you decide to buy this ring and plan on wearing it regularly, you should have the prongs checked. The tips look a little thin to me. This is not a difficult repair if it''s necessary. Ask your appraiser about it when you show it to them. Changing the head for a 4 prong version of the same general style is usually hard although it will depend on the security and setting work on the side stones and possibly on previous repairs that may have been done to the piece.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Independent Appraisals in Denver

 

[Odilia]

"The tips look a little thin to me. This is not a difficult repair if it''s necessary."

Yes, they did look thin. So to repair them, they can do that without changing the prongs?

"Changing the head for a 4 prong version of the same general style is usually hard"

I''m not quite sure what is meant by 4 prong version of the same general style. Can they change it to something that''s four prong in a different style?

For example, there is a ring made by Ritani that''s a very thin shank with 4 prongs (I''ll attach the pic), where the ring is still able to sit flush next to WB. Would it be impossible to make a head like this on such a ring?

 

[Odilia]

p.s. I don''t mean as far as the diamonds in that basket (?), etc. Just the idea of the prongs.

 

[mrssalvo]

here''s another example of flush prongs that ana photoshopped. don''t know if it will help or not..

 

[Odilia]

Thanks, mrssalvo! That does help. Where did you get that? (I sure wish I''d known about this forum when I was engaged!)

Also, if it helps, I will attach a pic of this ring from underneath.

 

[Odilia]

Another appraisal question: How much should an appraisal cost? One time I checked and it seemed to be about $60; so is that how much I should expect to pay to have a ring or set appraised that I am thinking of buying?

 

[Mara]

Date: 9/20/2005 12:02:29 PM
Author: Odilia
Another appraisal question: How much should an appraisal cost? One time I checked and it seemed to be about $60; so is that how much I should expect to pay to have a ring or set appraised that I am thinking of buying?

The appraisal cost can vary widely depending on who you use and where you live and where you go. For example a local place to me that sells jewels but also has an in-house appraiser costs about $75 for them to do a quickie internet appraisal (aka this is what it says it is, it''s a real diamond, color and clarity look fine etc). I have gone to them because I trust them but not all in-house jewelry appraisals will be unbiased.

But if I want to have something really scrutinized, I take it to my independent appraiser who charges about $125-150 per hour...on average one ring takes about an hour or so. It took her longer, aka 2 hours for my e-ring and w-ring because I had all these melee for her to check on as well.

So it really depends on what your preference or real NEED is. Good luck!

 

[Odilia]

Update: My husband liked the idea, and he even got them down a bit more in price. Am planning to get it appraised this week. Thanks so much for everyone''s help. I am excited.... Will keep you posted.....