Best buys online for diamonds, but...

[lovelylulu]

...can you find the same kinds of discounts when you purchase a setting online or are setting pretty much the same prices either on line or at a B&M


thanks!

 

[diamondsbylauren]

Hi lulu,
To properly frame this qustion, let''s compare it to buying a kitchen counter.
If you were to purchase the best granite- at a very low price- you''d have a chunk''o''rock- NOT a counter. You couyld screw the whole thing up trying to cut and fit it yourself.......

SO- if you wanted to purchase the parts for a ring, then you could likely save money buying online- but really, the main thing most ring shoppers need is service. Someone to set and polish- someone to make sure the right parts are used.

The best custom made rings are likely a but less online as compared to a walk in store.......but consider ALL the details whn you choose.

 

[lovelylulu]

Thanks david!

I''m thinking though more about the purchase of a "brand" setting -- are setting prices for a particular designer uniform or is there a way to find a discount online.

Maybe, I don''t fully understand the process -- I have a diamond and i''m looking for a setting. would the person i purchase the setting from also set the stone? or could that be done somewhere else...sorry for these newbie questions.

 

[diamondsbylauren]

H Lulu,
No problem at all- I''m glad to help if I can!
When you say designer" that usually means the sales are limited to athourized dealers- who are not likely to want to discount an exclusive line.
Alternatively, there are some very high quality sellers of rings who can duplicate many of the designer lines- but here again- the finest shops don''t really discount a lot.
For example, take the simple act of setting a diamond.
I can find setters who are happy to charge $5 to set a 2carat diamond. We pay about 10 times that amount. I''ll tell you this- when it''s my diamond going into a seting, that''s the LAST time I''d approach the $50 setter with a request that he work for less.
What I''m saying is this: It''s YOUR ring to wear for a long time. If you save a few hundred now, you may be stuck with a badly made ring for years.

I''m not suggesting you pay crazy high prices either.

Let''s look at some specifics:
What''s the shape and size of your diamond,do you want side stones?

 

[lovelylulu]

oh david, how i do wish i had all those answers for you...

things in my e-ring design quest have changed quite a lot just yesterday. for the past couple of months, my BF and I have been browsing diamond shapes/settings trying to pick out the perfect ring. however, we have been held up a bit by pesky budget contraints, etc...

then out of the blue, talking to my mom on the phone, she said that my grandmother really wants me to have her diamond to use for my e-ring. my grandma is so dear to me that it would be such a meaningful ring -- but -- her diamond is round -- something i''ve never even considered. round is all i know. and it''s old, because i think it also belonged to my great grandma. my mom estimates it is approx. 1ct, but i really don''t know for sure.

now i''m looking for settings that suit a round center and really like a particular designers -- i''m not sure how the setting of the diamond would go.

i''m not at all trying to cheap out on setting the diamond (i want it set perfectly), just was wondering if buying a setting online is more affordable than in a store...

 

[diamondsbylauren]

Cheapskate cheapskate

Did I call you cheap?

Seriously......


OK- you will really need your gandma''s stone to get started.
It may be that ofter all these years there''s some abrasion, or chips that need to be repaired.

When you look at the center diamond , it will guide you on your way to designing a ring.
if it''s an older cut, you may want to go for an antique style setting.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 10/12/2005 4:44:38 PM
Author: lovelylulu

i''m not at all trying to cheap out on setting the diamond (i want it set perfectly), just was wondering if buying a setting online is more affordable than in a store...

That would take a nice survey of retailers carrying the line you are interested in. Sometimes there is only a lower bound set by the maker for retail prices, but this is not the only kind of arrangement. So... who knws.

Another little rule that seems to aply both online and off is that settings are offered at higher prices if the same shop does not supply the diamond. Since you already have the stone, this sort of arangement may not be good news for you. I am sure you have heard about this too, if it applies to the setting and the sellers you are considering is yet another question.

 

[lovelylulu]

i guess i''ll just have to shop around the best that i can -- but really i can''t complain if my BF doesn''t have to lay out any money for the stone then we can absorb the fact that we might not find the greatest deal on the setting.


By the way, what is an average price i should expect to pay to have a jeweler set a stone into a setting???