Where can I get a setting like this?

[AmeliaG]

I'd like to get this setting for my new Roger Dery blue Asscher sapphire but DiamondsByLauren semi-mounts appear to be only for their diamonds.

http://www.diamondsbylauren.com/index.php/jewelry/Asscher-diamond-ring101ct-asscher-cut-fancy-light-yellow-vs1-gia-rare-beauty-r4210

I think the Asscher centerstone and bullets sidestone combination looks luscious. I really like the proportions. Any ideas on where else I could get a setting like this? I understand copyright so it doesn't need to be an exact copy. I would want to keep the proportions of sidestones to center stone and the claw prongs though.

Thanks in advance.

 

[AmeliaG]

For your reference, the sapphire I purchased is here.

 

[chrono]

Why don't you ask DBL, you just never know until you ask. Another alternative that is less expensive with a similar but not exact look is to get side baguettes.

 

[0-0-0]

Yes please ask. DBL actually sets and sells stones cut by Roger. For example: http://www.diamondsbylauren.com/index.php/jewelry/loose-aquamarine-precision-cut-389ct-aquamarine-square-radiant-cut-beautiful-blue-r4188

 

[AmeliaG]

Thanks ladies. David can do it but prices start at $4k. I'm not sure I can justify spending $4k on a setting for a $1k center stone.

 

[chrono]

Thbmok is male. Bullets are specialty cuts and cost more. For the budget conscious, I'd suggest tapered baguettes. I've seen plenty of inexpensive standard mounts like that. If not adverse to Chinese made settings on eBay (see recommended vendor thread), it'll cost you a mere few hundred dollars for one.

 

[AmeliaG]

Ah, sorry, Thbmok.

Hmm, the only shop I found that carries something similar on Etsy is Treasury by Dima, a Diamond District shop with an ebay presence. Their reviews are split in half on Yelp and they look expensive.

So far, I haven't found any of the regular preferred PS vendors who carry something similar.

ETA: I found a somewhat similar setting by Daniel_M on his Sold page. I know he is preferred by many Pricescopers so I sent him an email. Any feedback for him for this type ring? It doesn't seem to be his regular style.

http://www.etsy.com/transaction/88229171

 

[chrono]

I found one on LOGR for a princess cut stone for $330. The baguettes look a bit straight though. Jewelryhoo had a nicer baguette setting for an emerald cut 7x10 mm stone for $550 but with your stone being smaller, it should cost less. Both vendors can swap out the basket to fit your stone. The other nice thing Jewelryhoo had over LOGR is better metalwork and no need to upgrade the diamonds. I can't link it using my phone but the item number is 280979956554.

 

[AmeliaG]

Thanks Chrono. What do you think about the prices and quality of Daniel M. I don't mind paying more that a couple hundred dollars if I can get good quality. In addition, Daniel-m offered to give me a quote for both vendor-supplied and customer-supplied side stones. I don't know which would be better but I don't even know where to source side stones..

 

[bluebirrrd]

Here is a Show Me Your Daniel M Goodies thread if you have not already looked at it: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-me-your-daniel-m-goodies.156131/

You mentioned not wanting to spend too much on a setting considering the relative cost of the gemstone. A $3,000 ring is still a $3,000 ring whether the gem cost $500 or $2,000. I loooove diamonds with lower valued gems like turquoise, schiller sunstone, watermelon tourmaline, lapis lazuli and dendritic agate as examples. If my budget allowed it (it doesn't) I would absolutely get bullets for that sapphire. Just sayin'

 

[FrekeChild]

Thanks Chrono. What do you think about the prices and quality of Daniel M. I don't mind paying more that a couple hundred dollars if I can get good quality. In addition, Daniel-m offered to give me a quote for both vendor-supplied and customer-supplied side stones. I don't know which would be better but I don't even know where to source side stones..

I know a lot about Daniel M. I'd assume that ring you posted above was a CAD creation, and for silver, those prices typically start at $300 and go upwards with just a center stone. I have had several pieces made by Daniel M. I usually have him work with silver because my budget usually only allows for it.

The center stones and fancy shaped diamonds were all sourced by me, baguettes in the purple, marquis shapes in the earrings, the carres in the blue-green.

 

[chrono]

Daniel M does good work and it might be best for him to source the side stones in your case. Expect to pay at least $1000 in WG.

 

[T L]

I found one on LOGR for a princess cut stone for $330. The baguettes look a bit straight though. Jewelryhoo had a nicer baguette setting for an emerald cut 7x10 mm stone for $550 but with your stone being smaller, it should cost less. Both vendors can swap out the basket to fit your stone. The other nice thing Jewelryhoo had over LOGR is better metalwork and no need to upgrade the diamonds. I can't link it using my phone but the item number is 280979956554.

LaurenThePartier has some LOGR settings with the longer baguette, if someone can find photos of it on here. I believe you can request LOGR to add longer baguettes for an additional sum. It might be cost effective if you are on a budget. I suspect the price would be around $500 to $700 in his today prices. Not sure though.


ETA:
Here's Lauren's baguette ring (one of many she has). It's by LOGR I believe.



I don't know if this one has the longer baguette, but he can do that if its requested. I once asked him, that's how I know.

 

[AmeliaG]

FrekeChild, those rings are gorgeous. I especially love the profile. Where did you source your own sidestoned from?

Chrono, I'm beginning to like your idea of having Daniel source the sidestones. I want to save money but buying my own sidestones is starting to look like terra incognita.

I also dug up some pictures from rings I was considering last year. The handmade Elixir by HeartofWater captivated my interest last year and I still adore it. I'm not sure if its the right ring for this sapphire though. Elixir looks more whimsical and the double baguettes ring looks more classy. Sally quoted me a bit over $600 for the Elixir which is not much less than her rings with center stones.

Alternatively I think the Elixir would look great with the Peridot Asscher I'm receiving on Monday.

 

[FrekeChild]

The carres were from a yellow gold band (probably from the 80s) that was missing one carre and had a princess as a replacement. I believe this was originally purchased off ebay. I still have the princess and a carre left. I bought it on DB.

The baguettes were from a yellow gold ring setting that was definitely from the 80s, and it was taken apart for the stones. I still have several of those left. I got these from a friend.

The marquis diamonds were from a ring I found on ebay. One of them was cracked, so I only got 5 out of it.

So basically, cheap/old/broken jewelry from ebay or DB would be the best bet for finding sidestones in old rings.


Honestly I think the reason for the rings vs just the setting price from HoW is because she uses pretty cheap stones in her stock pieces. Lots of pink tourmalines, peridot, quartz, etc, which are not on the higher end of the gemstone cost spectrum.

 

[AmeliaG]

Thanks FrekeChild,

It looks like the HOW setting is best suited to my peridot. I think I'm going to take chrono's suggestion and ask Daniel to source the side stones.

OTOH, I found this marvelous Brian Gavin setting.

 

[chrono]

I agree with Freke with regards to the reasoning why the HOW setting quoted is barely more than what is currently listed with a stone; the stones used cost very little (tens of dollars). Maybe it's my perception but the setting seems top heavy and a bit high?

 

[AmeliaG]

Hmmm, thanks Chrono but that's got me puzzled. I know peridots are less expensive than sapphires but the Peter Toracca peridot I'm receiving today or tomorrow costs about $250. I'm trying to wrap my head around a peridot of that size costing somewhere from $50 tp $75 which is what it would have to cost for the cost of the setting alone to be over $600.

What do y'all think about the Brian Gavin ring? Its almost twice the cost of the sapphire but I think I can justify in my mind by thinking of it as paying for $1000 for the sapphire, $1000 for the sidestones and $1000 for the ring. Oh, the mindgames we play on ourselves to justify purchases. I think the Brian Gavin should be better quality but the question is whether it is of sufficently higher quality to justify being almost double in cost.

 

[chrono]

You are comparing a US precision cut stone to something that was done is Asia, where the overhead costs are vastly different. A "small time" lapidary will pay higher pricing on a small parcel compared to what a larger company buys in bulk (then resells). Then, there's also his time and labour involved, which is going to cost more than what wages are in Asia. I've seen plenty of peridots online (not US faceted) that costs a mere $12 for a 1 carat stone, even for some that are not olive at all.

BGD operates on a higher scale than someone like HOW. Their settings are thicker and stronger, the finish is excellent and holds up to magnification. They also almost always pick very well cut sidestones. Yes, the question is whether this is worth it to you. Some are really fussy about the entire package and others just want something nice (doesn't have to be great) to hold the stone.

 

[AmeliaG]

Thanks Chrono. I knew there was a reason. I'm just learning and appreciate the time you're taking to explain things.

I was really wondering how the Brian Gavin rings would compare to the Daniel_M rings. For an Etsy supplier, Daniel's quality seems really good. I'm assuming that Brian Gavin's quality is a bit higher than Daniel's rings but I'm wondering if the price difference reflects the quality difference.

IOW if Brian Gavin's settings are twice as expensive than Daniel's, would you consider them twice as good?

 

[chrono]

I can safely say that the BGD ring will have better workmanship than Daniel M. and I'm not knocking DM at all, I think his workmanship is quite good too, considering the pricing. Not having the two in hand, it would be unfair for me to make an assessment whether it will be twice as good or not. Personally, if it is a complicated design or I just need an extreme level of workmanship with fantastic diamond accents, I'll go with BGD. If it is a generic or more common design and I don't need to loupe every curve and nook and cranny, the DM setting will be a more than viable choice. This is a very personal decision which unfortunately, no one can tell you what your tolerance level is.

 

[FrekeChild]

You are comparing a US precision cut stone to something that was done is Asia, where the overhead costs are vastly different. A "small time" lapidary will pay higher pricing on a small parcel compared to what a larger company buys in bulk (then resells). Then, there's also his time and labour involved, which is going to cost more than what wages are in Asia. I've seen plenty of peridots online (not US faceted) that costs a mere $12 for a 1 carat stone, even for some that are not olive at all.

BGD operates on a higher scale than someone like HOW. Their settings are thicker and stronger, the finish is excellent and holds up to magnification. They also almost always pick very well cut sidestones. Yes, the question is whether this is worth it to you. Some are really fussy about the entire package and others just want something nice (doesn't have to be great) to hold the stone.

What Chrono said.

I have a Jeff White peridot that was originally $350. It's in a $90 silver Daniel M setting. My JW peridot is minty green, and it's an asscher. HoW's peridots are not precision cut, and they tend towards the olive end of the spectrum rather than the more highly sought after apple green and even farther from the mint green of mine.

I do not own anything made by HoW. I will not own HoW. I think their settings are cheaply mass made and recently there have been threads about their customer service that read "Too bad it's not what you wanted. Pay more and we'll redo it!" I have handled HoW and I'm not impressed by the workmanship. They were not rings that I saw lasting even my lifetime, much less my daughter's lifetime, which is what I'm going for.

On the spectrum, best to worst of the three: BGD > Daniel M > HoW

I LOVE Daniel M and his wife Caren. They are fantastic people, but you have to remember he's making these items by hand in his home. Their finishing standards are not up to BGD's. My budget has not and will not allow for BGD, but I have DM make stuff for me all of the time, because I'd rather have two items set in less than perfect settings instead of one item set perfectly. It just depends on your priorities!

I wouldn't say that BGD is twice as good as DM (I have seen both, I own many DM pieces, but I would say that they both make good solid pieces.) Being the owner of a MWM, I'll say that neither live up to that standard!

 

[AmeliaG]

Ah, curious! Who is MVM, FrekeChild?

Chrono, your statement about simple vs. complex design made me ponder. A 3-stone asscher ring with baguette sidestones doesn't seem like a complicated design which is a point in favor of Daniel M. OTOH, it's such a nice sapphire, it seems like a shame to use side stones that aren't as well cut.

 

[FrekeChild]

Ah, curious! Who is MVM, FrekeChild?

Chrono, your statement about simple vs. complex design made me ponder. A 3-stone asscher ring with baguette sidestones doesn't seem like a complicated design which is a point in favor of Daniel M. OTOH, it's such a nice sapphire, it seems like a shame to use side stones that aren't as well cut.

MWM is Mark Morrell. I own one of his "Torchiere" settings.

http://www.mwmjewelry.com/

Here is a tapered baguette setting with a large AVC:
http://www.mwmjewelry.com/GC_comp_2Ls.jpg

I have 3 rings with baguette sides, but none were from DM. All of them were secondhand settings, but one took a long time to find, as it was an unusual size and shape.

 

[AmeliaG]

Hmmm, the quote from Daniel M is higher than i thought. If he supplies the baguettes of the size I'm looking for, the quote is $1560. That's not too different from Brian Gavin's ring. I think I'll get on the phone with Lesley and figure out exactly how much their ring will cost.

 

[chrono]

Expect the BGD quotation to be $2500 and upwards. When I was shopping for quotes for a similar design 2 years ago, pricing was already $2000 in platinum before metal prices went sky high.

 

[AmeliaG]

I'm not looking for platinum; rather 18K gold. The quote on their website for an 18K gold emerald cut + baguettes ring is $1695 (first BG ring picture on this page).

 

[Rockdiamond]

Why don't you ask DBL, you just never know until you ask. Another alternative that is less expensive with a similar but not exact look is to get side baguettes.

Bingo!
IN general tapered baguettes can save you both on the stones themselves, as well as the setting to hold it ( tb's will use a bar, rather than a shaped "v" at the outside edge for the bullets- plus the shaped prongs are also add cost to rings ( in general)

These are very fine details-and the truth us many buyers are not that detail oriented, and will love TB's just as much.
Interesting discussion- especially TG's posts about silver.
I myself have a lot of considerations on how to deal with lovely semi precious stones.
They cost a fraction what a diamond does- and in many cases they are large so that nice settings cost a lot- especially considering the demographics of the cost of the center.....