pink sapphire question

[Niel]

2k in plat, but I may still go with RG... I like the skin matching colors!

I'll have time to think about metal choice though.

Maybe even unplated white gold, if that's a choice. Don't have any unplated white pieces, I'd be interested in trying it out.

And you dont want any diamonds at all?

 

[teklit]

2k in plat, but I may still go with RG... I like the skin matching colors!

I'll have time to think about metal choice though.

Maybe even unplated white gold, if that's a choice. Don't have any unplated white pieces, I'd be interested in trying it out.

And you dont want any diamonds at all?

Nope, plain metal.

 

[teklit]

Ok, I guess I'll just send the David Klass people a message.
He seems to be highly recommended around here.

Hopefully he won't laugh at my modest project! :p He does such gorgeous blingy pieces.

 

[Niel]

Ok, I guess I'll just send the David Klass people a message.
He seems to be highly recommended around here.

Hopefully he won't laugh at my modest project! :p He does such gorgeous blingy pieces.

I'd contact Victor Canera as well. He says his plain solitiare are about 2k. I'd show him the inspiration and see if he can do it for your budget. His stuff is top notch. Yes it's the top of your budget, but if its an e ring, and its in the budget, I'd do it

 

[Niel]

DK will never laugh at you!

 

[teklit]

Thanks, contacted Victor too.


To tell you the truth, my budget is a bit flexible. I just thought 2k would be a fair price for a freshly fabricated piece.

 

[chrono]

If you want it easy on your end, then going with VC might be best for you. DK is great and all but you need to have the patience to go through several CAD revisions to get the flow of the design just right.

 

[pinkjewel]

If you want it easy on your end, then going with VC might be best for you. DK is great and all but you need to have the patience to go through several CAD revisions to get the flow of the design just right.

ditto

 

[teklit]

Neither David Klass or Victor Canera replied.

But I'm kind of happy they didn't because I contacted a local, privately owned, jeweler today. Don't know why I didn't think of this earlier, heck I probably could have bought the stone through them from gem2000. Anyways, this jeweler has done some work for me in the past, simple work- repaired my husbands heirloom tie-tack and made a pair of simple threader earrings for me.

I scheduled an appointment to talk to them in depth tomorrow.

The lady I talked to said they do their work in-house. It's a classy joint, and they've been family operated for over 50 years.
Are there any questions y'all might suggest I ask?

 

[ElleK]

I would ask to see their custom work in person before you decide to go with them for sure. I'd also ask about their design and fabrication processes, if it's a carved wax, CADs, handforged, etc. Make sure their aesthetic is what you're looking for. Ask if you will be working directly with the bench, or is there a middleman.

Keep in mind that custom is typically non-refundable and non-returnable.

...if you read between the lines, you might be able to gather that I had an unfortunate experience many years ago with a custom piece because I didn't ask the right questions....

 

[teklit]

Aww, I'm sorry you had a bad experience. Thanks for sharing your life lessons with me though, that's kind of you. I especially like the part about asking to see some of their other custom work, great idea!

 

[chrono]

I would ask to see their custom work in person before you decide to go with them for sure. I'd also ask about their design and fabrication processes, if it's a carved wax, CADs, handforged, etc. Make sure their aesthetic is what you're looking for. Ask if you will be working directly with the bench, or is there a middleman.

Keep in mind that custom is typically non-refundable and non-returnable.

...if you read between the lines, you might be able to gather that I had an unfortunate experience many years ago with a custom piece because I didn't ask the right questions....

Couldn't agree with this more.

 

[teklit]

They had a portfolio of custom pieces they had done over the years, super intricate stuff, not like my setting, but I guess it's proof that they're familiar with custom work. They also had a couple of custom lines of jewelry on display with charming stories to go with them. One line I really loved, a lot.

They do have their own bench, but she said they send a lot of custom jobs to someone they've been working with for a long time.

My piece will be CAD molded, and she will send pictures for me to approve before proceeding.

Does that sound good?

 

[ElleK]

Who will you be working with? Obviously not the bench, someone in the store I imagine? Did you talk directly to the person who does their custom designs? And who is the CAD designer? The bench person? Or someone in the store?

Most stores can and will do custom work. It's just a matter of making sure it's a good fit for you and your project.

Also, if you're wanting a platinum solitaire, it shouldn't cost $2k unless you're looking at a really heavy ring or handforged by someone high end.

 

[teklit]

I'm pretty sure I'll be dealing with the young lady I spoke with yesterday, turns out she is the daughter, 3rd generation. She was with me the whole time I was there today.
She brought her cousin up front to speak with me, a bench worker. His fingers were a bit grungy and he was wearing some kind of jewelers' goggles. Pretty much he just confirmed that the setting could be replicated without any problems. I didn't get into the specifics with him.
She also introduced me to their gemologist.

Of course everyone was extremely friendly.

I can't confidently answer any of the other questions you asked. I'll call the daughter tomorrow and get a few more specifics about the fabrication of my piece. The who and the where.

Thank you for the guidance.

 

[chrono]

One more thing that is important to mention. Don't just view their diamond settings. See how many coloured stones they have set. CS takes a gentler touch with more skill to set than diamonds. See whether the stones are well seated, set high/low, and other nitty gritty details to make sure they are what you are looking for.

 

[teklit]

Can't sleep and I'm thinking about my ring. It should be ready January 8th. I'll post pics when I get it!

I asked them to let me inspect the ring before they set the stone. I saw it last wednesday, it looks perfect, nice and polished inside all the grooves and gaps, and the prongs that form the basket look crisp and clean. (Hope that makes sense)

They do have experience setting gemstones, over half of their display cases were filled with non-diamond pieces, and in the portfolio she showed me, a good portion of the pieces had some kind of gemstone. Also, one of the lines of jewelry the original grandfather designed for his wife has sapphires in it, art deco style.

The first two cads for my solitaire were scrapped. I asked them to crisscross the prongs underneath in an attempt to close the window, but it looked stupid, made the "basket" protrude a lot, and that natural flow look was lost. So I ended up going with an exact replica of the BE setting.

I also ended up choosing rose gold. Their gemologist actually assisted me with this decision. She dismissed the unplated white gold idea immediately, said she only likes filigree antique styles with un-wg, and she said in her opinion my setting would just end up looking like sterling silver. She was no help deciding between plat and rg, though. We propped my stone in some settings they had and she couldn't make up her mind either.

The final total was just under $1300. Perhaps too much for 14k but I'm fine with that, they've been great so far, and I like the idea of spending local.