Chinese Ebay Setting

[danielxlin]

Problem: two reputable jewelers (one beloved on Pricescope) I've shown the Chinese Ebay ring setting to absolutely refuse to set a gemstone in it. They believe the pave diamonds will fall out of the prongs. They hate the quality of the setting and say the diamonds on the setting are terribly ugly.

I accept the judgment (you get what you pay for) but don't really understand the vitriol. What's wrong with a cheap setting for something experimental and fun?

 

[T L]

Problem: two reputable jewelers (one beloved on Pricescope) I've shown the Chinese Ebay ring setting to absolutely refuse to set a gemstone in it. They believe the pave diamonds will fall out of the prongs. They hate the quality of the setting and say the diamonds on the setting are terribly ugly.

I accept the judgment (you get what you pay for) but don't really understand the vitriol. What's wrong with a cheap setting for something experimental and fun?

Did you get a setting that had actual diamonds IN the prongs, or are they regular metal prongs. Some of these newer designs have stones set into the actual prongs. If that's the case, they may be afraid to set the stone. My jeweler can set about anything though. I don't think they have to insult your settings though, how rude and snobbish.

 

[dk168]

I recently had my beloved EC diamond re-set in a semi-mount made by one of the Chinese setting vendors on the List of Vendors for Reference, and am very thrilled by the result.

The local jeweller that took out my EC from its original setting and re-set it in the new one charged me about one-sixth of the cost of the new setting as setting fee. A new setting being made by them will cost at least 4 times more than what I had paid for the new setting.

Cheap does not always equates to bad, and I would like to believe I am savvy enough to be able to differentiate between good and bad quality products.

I guess only time will tell if my confidence is mis-judged. In the meantime, I shall continue to enjoy having affordable ring settings being made in the Far East.

DK

 

[T L]

Cheap does not always equates to bad, and I would like to believe I am savvy enough to be able to differentiate between good and bad quality products.

I guess only time will tell if my confidence is mis-judged. In the meantime, I shall continue to enjoy having affordable ring settings being made in the Far East.

DK

Some of the Chinese ebay settings are very nice, especially my older LOGR's. They are gorgeous with excellent metal work, and really nice diamonds. Then there are some that are not that great. It was usually the cheaper ones I won on auction that had been of lower quality. I have one with such poor metal work and bad quality, it actually looks like a beat up antique and it kind of grew on me. LOL!

 

[dk168]

I have gone down the custom route so far due to my preference to have the main stone bezel-set, and the majority of semi-mounts have prongs.

I shall have another one made for an JD Aquamarine at the end of next month, and shall send the stone to them to set, rather than being charged a fortune to have it set by the local jeweller, as experienced with my EC diamond reset. The diamond has huge sentimental values aside of the cost to replace it, hence I did not send it out to be reset.

DK

 

[chrono]

Some of the Chinese eBay settings are well made and some are just accidents waiting to happen. Do you mind sharing a picture or two of the setting in question? I own several of these and they are holding up well as RHRs. Granted, these were purchased years ago when their quality is a lot higher than it is today. It seems to be hit and miss today, depending on both the vendor and particular design. IDJ might be more open to setting it, rather than the bigger/favourite PS setting vendors.

 

[danielxlin]

Problem: two reputable jewelers (one beloved on Pricescope) I've shown the Chinese Ebay ring setting to absolutely refuse to set a gemstone in it. They believe the pave diamonds will fall out of the prongs. They hate the quality of the setting and say the diamonds on the setting are terribly ugly.

I accept the judgment (you get what you pay for) but don't really understand the vitriol. What's wrong with a cheap setting for something experimental and fun?

Did you get a setting that had actual diamonds IN the prongs, or are they regular metal prongs. Some of these newer designs have stones set into the actual prongs. If that's the case, they may be afraid to set the stone. My jeweler can set about anything though. I don't think they have to insult your settings though, how rude and snobbish.

Yes, tiny diamonds in the prongs. I don't really care if they fall out, but it seems to be no-no for some bench jewelers. This setting came from the Lan.bo4 extended family, and I'm actually satisfied with its looks/price ratio, but I guess it's below normal first world standards.

 

[chrono]

Diamonds in the prongs are tricky - if made too thin and not only will the melees in the prongs fall out, the metal itself may not be strong enough to hold the main stone safely for normal wear.

 

[danielxlin]

I ended up putting in the gemstone, 7mm pink morganite from Brazil, myself. Didn't take much work with a calibrated stone and the right size prong setting. The only cost outlay was for a special kind of pliers to bend the prongs over ($13). Looks secure, no damage to the stone, no cheap pave fell out.

I don't know what these jewelers were so fussy about. Anti-Ebay prejudice.

 

[chrono]

To hold the stone in securely, you have to cut seats into the prong so that the girdle "sits" in the seat of the prong.
http://www.jckonline.com/article/293893-Practical_Stone_Setting_Part_V_Beginning_Prong_Setting.php