Setting - splurge on Leon Mege or save with Whiteflash?

[shucash]

hey everyone.

What a fantastic resource here. I''ve learned alot, but need the advice of wiser folks right now.

Just bought an .81 point, E, VS2, H&A, round stone from GOG here in NYC (fantastic experience by the way). I''m looking to have a custom setting done.

Here is my idea:

2mm platinum shank with a single row of pave (no milgrain), 3/4ths the way around the rounded band.
Four prong claw setting. The smaller details I''ll leave up to the artist.

I want a delicate, sexy ring. I asked for quotes from Leon Mege here in Manhattan, and WhiteFlash.
Leon''s quote for the setting was roughly $900 more than WF (and a little more than half the price of the stone itself!). However, I''m really determined to get very well made pave, especially since it took me so long to find this incredible stone.

Do you think the $900 savings is worth going with Whiteflash? Or am I being silly and should I just bite the bullet, comission Mege, and be done with it? The only thing that makes me pause is that the piece isn''t dripping in pave - but then again - it does have some.

Anyone with a cooler head care to comment or add their thoughts?
Vin

 

[appletini]

I think you'll end up with a beautiful ring either way. The questoins you need to ask yourself are how much are you willing to spend and how long are you willing to wait? WF will be 2-3 weeks, whereas Leon Mege will be 2 months. I have a custom whiteflash ring that I contstantly get compliments on.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

This is one of those very personal decisions that no one can answer for you! But my personal feeling is that if a setting costs 50% of the value of the stone, I would go back and spend more on the center stone and less on the setting! I know there are others who value the setting equally to the stone. But my personal guideline would be that I wouldn''t want to spend more than about 25% of the value of the stone on the setting, unless there are other major diamonds involved (as in a 3 stone ring), of course. However, I think the key for you is to look at sample rings and see who can custom make something of the quality you desire. When you pay for a name, you have the satisfaction of knowing who made it, but it is really tacky to go around saying..this is a Leon Mege! Not that the average person on the street will even know who that is anyway! (I do love Leon Mege and Tiffany, but I''d have WhiteFlash make a nice close reproduction for me.)

 

[shucash]

This is all making good sense.

I haven''t heard anyone complain about the quality from custom Whiteflash work. That was my main concern. I want to be sure that the pave will be set properly and the melee used will be of a high grade.

Hmm... still thinking,
Vin

 

[diamondseeker2006]

You can and should specify the kind of melee you want regardless of who makes it.

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 2/18/2006 10:10:41 AM
Author: diamondseeker2006

When you pay for a name, you have the satisfaction of knowing who made it, but it is really tacky to go around saying..this is a Leon Mege! Not that the average person on the street will even know who that is anyway!

Honestly, you don''t know who made it even if it''s a Leon Mege now. He doesn''t craft the rings; his apprentices do. He''s not involved in making the pieces himself any longer.

That said, I''d likely go with Whiteflash. I cannot see paying for a "name" when the "name" isn''t making the piece anyway. Their melee is top quality, so that isn''t a concern. They''ve made a few custom pieces for me, and I''ve been very pleased with the workmanship.

A note on pave: No matter WHO makes it, pave can have issues. Several folks here have had stone loss issues, and they have happened with a wide enough array of vendors that it''s not a given vendor''s quality....it''s the nature of the style. I lost a small melee in my necklace from WF; Kaleigh lost a small stone from her piece from Quest; Allycat lost a stone from her Leon Mege piece. It''s just a liability of the delicacy of melee, so be aware of that going in.

However, I''ve had my custom e-ring and w-ring from WF for nearly 2 years now, and both have had no problems at all. The quality is top-shelf. Mara''s wedding ring is one of their custom pieces, too, and has been problem-free.

 

[jaz464]

Have you seen this thread that showcases custom WF rings?

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-me-your-whiteflash-custom-e-rings.30417/=

Mine is not in the thread but it is in here:

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-ring-will-soon-be-on-its-way.37170/=

I am so happy with the quality of the ring and the ACA diamonds used in the pave are so gorgous and sparkly.

My vote is to go with WF. They are so easy to work with and I have read some negative things about Leon's company lately.

Having said that, you do say that you want to leave the details of your setting up to the artist. This sounds like something that might be better suited to LM. They seem as though they may do the "artist's take" a little better.

 

[MissAva]

I agree with Alj why work with someone who is known to be difficult? He will talk to you about the piece and then pass it on to someone who works for him.
I have had two custom orders with Whiteflash, my engagement ring and a halo necklace. They are both really lovely and I have had several compliments on my necklace and how much sparkle and flash the .08point diamonds put off.
I would work with Whiteflash I don’t think spending an extra 900$ will get you a nicer or better ring.

 

[indecisive]

There was a thread around here before where Leon told them he didn''t want to work with such a "small" diamond as their stone, I think it was an asscher. That pretty much turned me off. Do either of them replace lost melee for free? That is something to think about with pave. If WF does I would go with them in a heartbeat. They have made some gorgeous rings!

 

[mrssalvo]

Well, i''m going to go against the popular vote and say neither

If I had to choose, I''d go with Leon. I personally wouldn''t care if leon made it or not and he''d be worth the wait. There are many designer''s out there who don''t make their own rings and you still pay the premium. Regarding pave, as far as I know WF casts their rings. Leon''s are handmade which means it is formed by hand and every seat drilled by machine to exact measurements of the stone. You may want to read up on pave, there are tons of threads if you do a search here. It does have potential to fall out and has in the example''s Al mentioned. Of course, I''ve said it before but i''m sure there are plenty of people who have had no trouble with their rings that we never hear about. Here''s a good thread you might want to start with..

loss of pave stones

Do you have pictures of settings you are thinking about?

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 2/18/2006 12:04:17 PM
Author: indecisive
There was a thread around here before where Leon told them he didn''t want to work with such a ''small'' diamond as their stone, I think it was an asscher. That pretty much turned me off. Do either of them replace lost melee for free? That is something to think about with pave. If WF does I would go with them in a heartbeat. They have made some gorgeous rings!

I don''t think WF replaces melee for free but they are cheap to replace and a local jeweler could probably do it for far less than even the shipping cost to get it to WF and back..

 

[valeria101]

Date: 2/18/2006 11:25:00 AM
Author: Matatora
I agree with Alj why work with someone who is known to be difficult?

Because of rare quality...

If you happen to like something they have done or reach an agreement without difficulty... why not. At least the worst misunderstanding reported about Art of Platinum here was in a case where the order was placed by an intermediary - for ''Windowshopper'' if I remember right. They work mostly for the trade, not directly for clients.

It may not be feasible to dictate small details of design with these guys, but looking at what the finished product gets to be, it wouldn''t cross my mind to do so either.

My 2c

 

[Kaleigh]

I''d go with WF. These days as Al said Leon doesn''t do the work so much anymore and he can be difficult to deal with. Or talk to Pete at Quest, they do a great job too. Good luck, whatever you decide.

 

[MissAva]

Date: 2/18/2006 1:03:27 PM
Author: valeria101

Date: 2/18/2006 11:25:00 AM
Author: Matatora
I agree with Alj why work with someone who is known to be difficult?

Because of rare quality...

If you happen to like something they have done or reach an agreement without difficulty... why not. At least the worst misunderstanding reported about Art of Platinum here was in a case where the order was placed by an intermediary - for ''Windowshopper'' if I remember right. They work mostly for the trade, not directly for clients.

It may not be feasible to dictate small details of design with these guys, but looking at what the finished product gets to be, it wouldn''t cross my mind to do so either.

My 2c

That is an excellent point….I probably should not have responded to this thread since by and large I do not find LM designs to be aesthetically pleasing.

 

[Mara]

I love the IDEA of a Leon Mege ring....the whole handmade tiny claw prongs sparkly thing is appealing to me...BUT I have heard enough about him to really not be sure I'd ever want to work with him, I don't know if we'd get along.

I don't love the idea of 'artists' who feel like they can take the license to tell you what you should be wanting or tell you that they won't work with your stone because of XYZ or that your design won't look good etc. I remember when Alj inquired about a beautiful 3 stone setting for her center and sides and he told her that the design she wanted wouldn't look good with smaller stones (a 1.25 and .40c sides small??) because the setting she liked was set with a 2c and 1c sides. Well imagine her happy surprise when she had WF create a similar setting with modifications to her specs and it turned out stunning and looked amazing even with her TINY LITTLE STONES!!!

Above and beyond that is that now he has other benchmen helping and doing the work for him. So IMO I agree, why pay for a LM ring and go through the whole process, when he may not even touch the piece?

So yes I love the idea of a LM but in the end I think I'm more practical to want to work with someone who I feel comfortable with, who I know I can speak freely to and work with on the design without fear that my ideas would be scoffed at or not incorporated. I have worked with other custom jewelers where they discount what you say OR they make their own determinations on what will look best and make the changes without telling you and I hate that. So my vote would be for WF custom in this scenario! The cheaper price is a nice aside as well.

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 2/18/2006 1:03:27 PM
Author: valeria101

Date: 2/18/2006 11:25:00 AM
Author: Matatora
I agree with Alj why work with someone who is known to be difficult?

Because of rare quality...

If you happen to like something they have done or reach an agreement without difficulty... why not. At least the worst misunderstanding reported about Art of Platinum here was in a case where the order was placed by an intermediary - for 'Windowshopper' if I remember right. They work mostly for the trade, not directly for clients.

It may not be feasible to dictate small details of design with these guys, but looking at what the finished product gets to be, it wouldn't cross my mind to do so either.

My 2c

Just to clarify, I wasn't the person who brought up his difficult as a reason not to select him. That was an observation offered by someone else....one that I find equally dead on, but I didn't offer that observation to begin with.

Having said that, I did find him resistant to creating what *I* wanted to see. He essentially told me that I shouldn't want to spend $2-3K on a setting of his when my stone was only worth $6k.

....Also, I was inspired by a design of his but wanted to lower the side stones, and he told me it "wouldn't look good/right." Someone else made what I wanted to see, and it looks right to me.....and to anyone else who's loved it too!

So, I guess that I'd say to Val's comment......yes, rare quality is wonderful, but it isn't a substitute for seeing what you want to see. Recently a woman posted an e-ring that looked like a man's pinkie ring. I'm sure the quality and workmanship was stellar, and it was handcrafted/rare.....but she hated the DESIGN.

I've seen paintings that were rare...........but UGLY. If I want rarity, I'll go for it in the stone, not in the design of the setting!

Caviar is a high-quality product, but that doesn't mean I'll LIKE it.

Personally, I've seen a LM ring......and I've seen a WF crafted ring. I think either boasts a high level of quality, so I don't see the point in paying for a name....especially when that "name" didn't even craft the ring himself. That's just me.

 

[mrssalvo]

In my discussions with Leon about a project that never happened he was always very polite but I did get the feeling he likes to do things his way. I agree that if you want a lot of input on the design he probably would not be the one to work with. If you see something he has made and say, "make me this" i''d think you''d be fine. You are not far, why not schedule an appt. with him.

not to confuse you even more but Wink Jones make this setting which sounds a lot like you are describing you want.

"Diamond channel set cathedral. This elegant ring includes channel set diamonds - approximately .36 ct depending on finger size, lovely claw prongs and impeccable beauty! Shown here set with a 3 ct cushion. Pricing is for ring in platinum in size 4-7.5 and includes channel set diamonds. Center stone additional. Also available in 14 karat white or yellow gold at $895 and 18 karat gold at $995. Platinum pricing subject to change based on market conditions. Creation time - 3 weeks. "

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 2/18/2006 10:10:41 AM
Author: diamondseeker2006
This is one of those very personal decisions that no one can answer for you! But my personal feeling is that if a setting costs 50% of the value of the stone, I would go back and spend more on the center stone and less on the setting! I know there are others who value the setting equally to the stone. But my personal guideline would be that I wouldn''t want to spend more than about 25% of the value of the stone on the setting, unless there are other major diamonds involved (as in a 3 stone ring), of course. However, I think the key for you is to look at sample rings and see who can custom make something of the quality you desire. When you pay for a name, you have the satisfaction of knowing who made it, but it is really tacky to go around saying..this is a Leon Mege! Not that the average person on the street will even know who that is anyway! (I do love Leon Mege and Tiffany, but I''d have WhiteFlash make a nice close reproduction for me.)

i heard in many cases LM doesn''t even make the setting himself these days, because his business is growing too big. i hate to pay big bucks for a setting that leon may have never touched with his own two hands. i''m never into branded settings because they all get beat up after a few years,so in this case i would go with WF.

 

[butterfly 17]

If given a choice between the two, I would definitely go with Whiteflash. While I love LM''s work, etc. I see from what others have written that Whiteflash has bent over backwards to fix any problems/flaws/missing/loose pave with their rings. Heck, if you think the diamond is crooked or the prongs are not even, they will fix if for you, no questions asked. If you see something wrong in the pictures they send you prior to actually receiving the ring, you can also let them know and they will fix it prior to sending it out to you. That''s customer service!

ON the other hand, LM will not be as understanding and if you are not completely satisfied with his work, he may not fix it for you or charge you to do it.
If there is a missing pave, etc, then he will fix it I am sure, but if there is something else that you may not like, he may not think it''s enough of a problem in his eyes to fix it.

Don''t forget you save money as well and you can get a nice wedding band with that money.

By the way, I have purchased a setting from LM and I have also purchased from Whiteflash, so I am not just basing my entire opinion on others experience, but my own as well.

Oh, and you might want to look into Quest, Pearlmans or Topper''s (Slammie''s ring) as well, since you''re not completely decided on who to go with.

 

[jetmal]

hi,

I''m newer to the site, and just learning....but thought I would tell you what I thought.

on a average day, with interaction with normal people.....when your girlfirend shows someone her ring.....do you think someone is going to exclaim..."oh my, its a L.M.!!!!"
I highly doubt it. Most people (other than most of the PSers on this site) do not know name brands for rings. Onlookers are just going to say how beautiful the diamond is, and how gorgeous it looks on her, etc.......

so, my vote is to go with WF, and save some $$$$.....no one is going to know the difference in the real world.

Tina

 

[shucash]

You guys have been great. I''ve decided to go with WF for the design. I''ll keep everyone updated on the final product with plenty of photos when its done.

I think this is going to be good!
Vin

 

[valeria101]

Point taken...

Just one ting: it doesn''t look like Leon Mege has his a of branded jewelry, so ''paying for a name'' is not quite befitting the situation. It isn''t very clear when and why was believed that the rings from Art of Platinum are done by one person - if the shop has been growing in the couple of years since my first post here, even before that it was definitely not a one man orchestra. The shop works mostly for the trade, like Quest does. At a different level, I believe. But hey, this isn''t for me.

Gotta admit that... it doubt too many care for the silly level of detail these guys apply. This must be my week spot - about what happens to the metalwork in jewelry, like others may debate over a tenth of degree between H&A angles. It looks like it is allot more common to choose spending on a diamond than its ''frame'' - so, overlook the couple of posts I wrote on this thread: you may guess I am in the (one man?) opposite camp that would rather ditch the diamond altogether in favor of some exquisite jewelry work. Extremes don''t make much sense - I should remember that more often

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 2/19/2006 6:54:28 AM
Author: valeria101



you may guess I am in the (one man?) opposite camp that would rather ditch the diamond altogether in favor of some exquisite jewelry work. Extremes don''t make much sense - I should remember that more often

You''re not the only (one Man) ana..I''m with you