Where can I buy tiny 1 mm diamonds? what's the cost?

[duker]

I am planning to order a custom made jewel, with an opal I bought, and I want some tiny diamonds for it.
I asked on a local store, and the price was $9 per stone, I am not sure about the dimensions, but I think it was 1 mm or less. It was of good colour, perhaps G or better -they showed me other diamonds with more colour and it was a notorious difference the colourless-spark-.

I searched on ebay and there are sellers that offer lots of 50 diamonds for $60 approx. That is like $1.2 per stone. Their stones are .7 mm, and VVS clarity. The colour is G-H:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/50pcs-0-7mm-AAA-VVS-1st-Grade-Loose-Genuine-Natural-White-G-H-Diamond-Round-Lot-/120948970378

Also they send bigger diamonds, VS clarity, colour not specified, 1mm, $2.42 per stone.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/50pcs-Loose-Genuine-Natural-White-diamonds-Round-0-8-0-9-1-1-1-1-2-mm-sizes-/160812053330

The question is, what is the common wholesale price for tiny diamonds?
And where do you buy them?
What websites do you know?
Do you know reputable diamond dealers from Thailand or any other asian country on ebay or on the internet?

I want to get the best price for my money -so I can get more diamonds-. I would like to know your advice. I am pretty sure that the diamonds at the established store, on a building, are more expensive due to many extra expenses they have. So it is not surprise to me to find them cheaper on the internet. But I want to know what is the usual price, and if it is very risky to buy from that seller.

In example, the seller I showed you, has an almost perfect reputation, and the few negative feedbacks, are from people that had shipping problems.

I wait your advice, thank you.

 

[Gypsy]

You shouldn't buy your own melee really. You should just pick a custom setting vendor that uses good quality stones and let them make the setting, source the stones, etc.

 

[duker]

You shouldn't buy your own melee really. You should just pick a custom setting vendor that uses good quality stones and let them make the setting, source the stones, etc.

I am planning to experience this, thinking in future business possibilities. I am experimenting making this jewel, not for my pleasure, but to discover a potential business.

 

[Gypsy]

Don't know what to tell you then. If you are planning on providing custom jewels, from observing what our vendors here do, they either do it all in house (sourcing, designing, casting, finishing) or largely outsource it all to several benches, and the benches still source their own melee (from what I've gathered).

Also, I would recommend some education before imparting on a career in jewelry. If you don't even know the terminology for those "little stones" I don't think investing money, without investing the time to learn the ins and outs of the trade, is a good idea. There are many schools in the US for Jewelry Manufacturing education. The Revere Academy here in San Francisco is one of the best. If you really are interested in doing this I would suggest you contact them to see if they have any courses that are not techinical, but are more management level/high level -- or if they can suggest a place that does provide this.

 

[YoungPapa]

Hi Duker,

The cost of the melee is fairly inconsequential (unless you're mass producing). Whether you're paying $2/stone or $3/stone won't matter near as much as much as what you pay for qualified labor to actually make sure all those diamonds are secure, undamaged, and beautifully arranged.

With that said, I don't think we pay much less than $600/ct for melee, but we only use full-cut diamonds, not single-cuts like what you posted in the ebay auctions. A 1mm diamond is about .005ct, or $3/each at $600/ct.

If this is for a future business, pay what you like for the diamonds but understand the setting and design is what will make or break you in the long run.

 

[duker]

Hi Duker,

The cost of the melee is fairly inconsequential (unless you're mass producing). Whether you're paying $2/stone or $3/stone won't matter near as much as much as what you pay for qualified labor to actually make sure all those diamonds are secure, undamaged, and beautifully arranged.

With that said, I don't think we pay much less than $600/ct for melee, but we only use full-cut diamonds, not single-cuts like what you posted in the ebay auctions. A 1mm diamond is about .005ct, or $3/each at $600/ct.

If this is for a future business, pay what you like for the diamonds but understand the setting and design is what will make or break you in the long run.

I have the people to make it. Will charge $40 per gram of 14 K gold worked -they include the gold-. They are professional, and have a lot of experiences, as far as I know. Do you think it is a good fare?

May I know where you buy your diamonds?

 

[denverappraiser]

The cheapest source for melee is the ‘break out’ goods from pawn shops and the like that they get when they take apart the scrap gold things they’re buying. Whether or not you want the cheapest source is up to you, most don’t (which is why they’re cheap).

Consider buying supplies from your manufactuer. As was pointed out above, the labor costs for setting are generally more than the cost of stones for this sort of thing. I'm guessing they have a fair amount more practice at this than you and probably have their own sources.

Whether or not this is a good business venture depends largely on your own selling skills. Some people do ok with the sort of goods your'e talking about but the vast majority find it to be a difficult way to make a buck. Buying cheap stuf cheaply isn’t usually that hard. Selling it at a profit is considerably more difficult.

Is $40/gram a good rate? I've never met a capable craftsman who charges by the gram for his/her time and talents but yours may be the exception. I guess that's for you and your customers to decide. I see a HUGE incentive for the seller here to make things with the absolute minimum of labor, which rarely works out well. Its rather like trying to buy a racehorse by the pound.

 

[Karl_K]

melee prices are complicated and comparing prices is hard because 2 lots for different places will usually not be the same mix.
For example g-i vs-si2 with a wide range in size and weight can be 1/4th as much as a gh-vs matched lot well cut single cuts which I have seen offered for $1200 to $1400 per ct. This was a few years ago and they might be even higher now.
The advantage they are closely matched and you can grab any 2 and they will match each other closely and you don't have to spend the time sorting them into sets if you want to offer well matched diamonds.
The Swiss watch companies will pay those kinds of prices for the quality level so it sets the price bar high.