Is this a good price for a custom setting?

[M00C0W25]

Hello,

I am trying to have a custom platinum setting made to look like the Cartier 1895 setting. This is a solitaire for a diamond around .90cts. I was quoted $2400 and wanted to see if you thought this price is high/low/just right.

Thanks!
Matt

 

[jasontb]

I don''t know how much a custom ring should cost, but it doesn''t seem much more than the 1895 reproduction I found after a quick google search: http://www.betterthandiamond.com/diamonds/jewelry/rings/cartier1895.php

 

[Scintillating]

With pave or without?

Scintillating...

 

[LadyluvsLuxury]

Jasontb - I might be mistaken but isn''t your link to a diamond simulant site? I would imagine the price would be lower than having real diamonds.

 

[jasontb]

Date: 2/27/2006 7:31:10 PM
Author: LadyluvsLuxury
Jasontb - I might be mistaken but isn''t your link to a diamond simulant site? I would imagine the price would be lower than having real diamonds.

Haha, I didn''t even notice that. I just wonder what that setting looked like, threw it in google, and that popped up. I guess it is a simulant site.

*BUT* the ring is priced at $1500 for platinum with 0.45-ct of *natural* diamonds, without a center stone.

...and if the diamonds were in fact simulants, that would have made the OP''s custom ring an even better deal.

 

[M00C0W25]

This ring would NOT have the Pave Diamonds. It is just solid platinum, made for a single round diamond.

Thanks!
Matt

 

[E B]

I''m not sure how intricate a setting the Cartier is, but that seems like an awful lot for just platinum. We had my setting custom made, with pave, and it was much, much less than your quote.

 

[atroop711]

Hi...I had a custom HALO setting made with almost 1ct of ACA diamonds in white gold. It was not platinum but I did have intricate engraving + diamonds. I had 55 pts of aca and another 40pts of emerald cut (2 of them) diamonds. My cost was $2500.00. Hope this gives you an idea

 

[finerthings]

Depending on the designer, that price may not be out of the question.

 

[M00C0W25]

I was quoted the price by one of the well known vendors on the forum. It seems high to me since there are no engravings and no side/pave stones. I have attached some pictures below.

 

[princessv]

Custom work quotes varied for me quite a bit on my e-ring reset. I called many different vendors PS and local to give you an idea quotes ranged from below 2k to almost 5k (yowch!)

 

[pinkflamingo]

$2500 for a plain plat band seems like a lot... I would try to get some quotes from reputable places here to see if they can beat that price.

 

[strmrdr]

Depends on the quality level and who did it.
For a top end peice the price seems right.
For the average custom the price seems too high.

edit: no pave the price is way high imho unless its MM or someone else that level.

 

[pinkflamingo]

whiteflash

someone just posted this setting in another thread. what do you think of this setting? it looks very close for $549.

 

[pinkflamingo]

oops, i have no idea why that came up as anonymous. sorry

 

[M00C0W25]

There is one on WhiteFlash that looks almost exactly like it, but I am worried about the quality of it compared to the actual Cartier. I figured custom made would be better than this one, which appears to be cast. I contacted WF about a custom quote and details about this ring, but it has been over a week and I still haven''t heard from them.

http://www.whiteflash.com/Engagement-Rings/Fine-Line-Platinum-Solitaire-by-Le_691.htm#

 

[atroop711]

I would call WF. They are very busy and sometimes the email service is not that reliable. I had them make me something and it is beautiful. I dealt with Denise. She was great.

GL

 

[valeria101]

Date: 3/1/2006 8:18:39 AM
Author: M00C0W25

I figured custom made would be better than this one, which appears to be cast.

Handmade... I would have expected something around 2k... just because there aren't so many places doing such stuff.

I would be the last person on Earth to say 'it isn't worth it'.

If lower cost is feasible... maybe, but probably not by much unless you find someone at the other end of the Planet to do it.

My 2c



Just curious... was the quote related to... THIS There isn't much guesswork involved - only two or three sources of fabricated settings are mentioned around here with any frequency. Maybe every seller can provide the service, but there's little trace of it.

 

[marriahlyn]

ANYTHING you get from Whiteflash will be top quality!! I think your price quote is ridiculously high.

 

[M00C0W25]

valeria101 - I had not seen that thread before, I was basing my assumption on price and the pictures provided. I may send the pictures to PlatinumSmith and see how much they would charge.

Can anyone reccomend other places to request quotes from?

Thanks!

 

[tiger007g]

$2,500 for a simple platinum setting does seem like quite a lot!

Did you try Leon Mege? When I talked to him several weeks ago, he quoted me about $1,800 for a simple platinum setting with no pave.

 

[M00C0W25]

tiger007g - Thanks for the tip, I just sent a quote request!

So far I have sent requests to GoodOldGold, White Flash, PlatinumSmith, and Leon Mege; any other suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[mrssalvo]

Mark Morrell


here's the link to kberly's Mark Morrell ring similar to what you want.

 

[Boom]

Date: 3/2/2006 8:27:20 AM
Author: mrssalvo
Mark Morrell

I second Mark! His craftsmanship is the absolute best, very clean and elegant lines.

I got mine some time ago, but when I checked with him last year how much the same setting would cost now, it was quite a bit more than what I'd paid! Still it was a few hundred dollars less than your quote, and mine has a few tiny side diamonds.

Good luck!

 

[M00C0W25]

Virginia - Do you have a link to the Quest website?

 

[M00C0W25]

Thank you all for your help thus far!

I have sent out quote requests and the best prices have been from Leon Mege and Phillip Schmidt at PlatinumSmith, both of which were around $1200-$1400. GoG and Mike Morrell both quoted between $2000-$2500 and I have not recieved any information back from Quest or WF.

Of these who would do you think would be best?

Thanks Again!
Matt

 

[princessv]

I would vote Quest but then again I''m biased

. If you haven''t heard anything back from Quest, you should give them a call. I was just in there Saturday and Pete was saying he was rather swamped with emails and thinking that he might hire someone just to answer emails.

I really love looking at Mark Morrell''s and LM''s work though.

 

[BrownEyes]

I''ve read nothing but great things about PlatinumSmith on this Forum, however, why don''t you order the similar design by Le off the Whiteflash website first to see if you like it? I believe you could always return the setting if it didn''t meet your standards, but you may be surprised with the quality of the Whiteflash/Le design, in which case the savings to you would be substantial. Just a thought ...

 

[tiger007g]

Leon Mege''s work is gorgeous - he is working on a ring for me at the moment!! The only concern may be if you are on a tight timeframe. He seems to take longer than other jewelers I spoke with...

 

[M00C0W25]

I just received the quote from Quest and they are a bit under $1000! What do you all think I should do? A couple hundred dollars is not a big deal if it means a difference in quality, craftsmenship and finish.

I find it amazing that I have been quoted from around $1000 to over $2500 for the same setting.

Thanks Once Again,
Matt