Turn around time for setting gemstones?

[Narwhal]

Hi all,

I am newish, got a sapphire few months ago and just won a LOGR setting. I was calling around to have it set and the response i got was not until the new year. Is that a normal turn around time? I was thinking a few days! I leave on Tues for home and was hoping to have it by then. Should i try some other places? One place refused to quote a time until it saw the stone/setting. I am just looking for ballparks.

Thanks!

 

[deorwine]

I would think that normally places might have a faster turnaround time than 2 weeks, but you have to realize that it''s the Christmas season... so jewelers will have both more work than normal for Christmas presents and such, as well as potentially fewer workers than normal (if their bench people are going on vacation, etc. for Christmas/New Year''s).

 

[MakingTheGrade]

If you go to a large Jareds, they can usually do it within the day.

I just go down to the jewelery district here, there are always benchmen that can set it that day around there.

 

[Narwhal]

Yeah, i figured that might be the reason, but wasn''t sure. I called Windy City and they can do it in a day or two, but I went tonight to drop it off and there was no parking. I will maybe try again tomorrow on my day off.

As a side note, how much do you ladies expect to pay for setting a ring?

thanks!

 

[FrekeChild]

Anywhere from $25-100.

 

[Liane]

Around here a basic prong setting can be done in about an hour. It''s possible that the place you tried didn''t know exactly what kind of setting you had, or was worried about a potentially soft stone, or was just really booked up. If you''re clear about what type of setting it is (4-prong, 6-prong, anything potentially delicate like pave near the prongs), as well as the size and type of your stone, you might get more definite estimates.

For setting a single stone I''d agree with Freke''s estimate of $25 to $100 (although I have been stuck with the jeweler''s equivalent of a corkage fee on custom projects where I was providing my own stone and have had to pay a lot more in those situations, that doesn''t seem applicable to your project).

 

[chrono]

Some places can get it done while you wait, others are swamped and you might have to wait a week, others even longer. It all depends on the availability and schedule of the benchperson. In addition, it only gets worse during certain busy seasons like V-Day, Xmas and other popular jewellery gifting occasions.

Some places will not quote without seeing the stone and setting for a good reason. They want to be sure there are no issues with the stone to eliminate the risk of it getting damaged in the process. They also want to be sure the stone will fit into the setting. They want to be sure the setting isn’t defective.

As to cost, depending on the size of the stone, complexity of the setting, the type of gemstone, prices can vary. I’ve seen charges from $50 all the way up to $100.

 

[Arcadian]

It kind of makes sense as some jewelery stores have quite a backlog. The one that won''t quote you until they see it, well that makes some sense too.

It makes it harder when you don''t have a regular jeweler to go to unfortunately. I pay 45 and up for having a stone set. Price is dependent on the setting and what other work I may want done to that setting.

-A