Cost of colored stone vs cost of setting - thoughts?

[asscher_girl]

Hi All,

I wasn't sure if I should post this in RT or CS but here we go.

I found an image of a ring that I fell in love with and I want to recreate it. The center stone is actually a brown diamond but I want to do a brown colored stone instead (well I'd love to do a brown diamond but it might be a bit pricey).

Here's my thoughts - I don't know exactly how much the setting is going to cost, but I'm estimating $1500 to $2500 (I'm waiting to hear back from BGD on a quote).

The stone - depending on which type I go with, it would be between $200 - $500, there is one other possibility but I don't know how much it would be yet, I would guess $500 to $1000.

I guess I just don't know if it makes sense to spend $2K +/- on a setting for only a $500 stone. Should the value of a colored stone be more in proportion to the setting? This would be my first venture into colored stones and I don't know what's typical.

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Largosmom]

I have set a $40 stone in a $500 setting because I love the stone...I say if you love it, why not?

Laura

 

[swingirl]

The ring is the finished product: stone + setting. Only you can decide what proportion you want to spend on each, but when it comes to a colored stone I think the setting makes the ring. So I'd have no problem with a blingy expensive setting.

 

[Kismet]

There are people to whom the center stone is the most important part and will spend as little as possible to set their stones. In the other camp there are people to whom the finished product is the most important and will spend more on a setting to get the look they want. The first option would probably limit you to pre-made settings a la LOGR or maybe some simple custom silver work or buying really expensive stones. The second option gets you what you want but is a lot harder on the wallet. You have to decide what's most important to you.

I fall into the second camp. I think I've only ever had 1 piece of jewelry made where the center stone was more expensive than the setting.

 

[FrekeChild]

Hmmm...some of my choices:

$15 stone, $350 setting
$85 stone, $550 setting
$100 stone, $3,500 setting
$450 stone, $900 setting
$35 stone, $3,500 setting

etc.

 

[asscher_girl]

Thanks Largosmom!

Hey Swingirl! what you said makes a lot of sense, it's the finished product I'm after. I guess I'm just looking at my past experiences (but that's only been with diamonds) and my settings have been so much cheaper than the diamond.

Thanks Kismet, I think I fall into the second group too. I want this to be something really special and made just for me (of course I'm recreating something existing so someone owns it somewhere, but that doesn't matter to me) so I think I'm willing for fork over the extra $$ to get exactly what I want. And like Swingirl said, the setting can make the ring, which I totally agree with.

Wow Freke, that's quite a range, thanks so much for sharing.

 

[FrekeChild]

Lol. I was thinking about my most expensive settings and stones, but I didn't really think about some of my cheapest of some that have the stone as being more expensive...

$45 for the stone $100 for the setting
$150 for the stone, $75 for the setting
$500 for the stone, $100 for the setting
$250 for the stone, $90 for the setting


Now this is a necklace, but it's the other way around:
$350 for the stone, $65 for the setting

 

[SB621]

I have a $60 colored stone in a $1500 setting...there is no right answer to this question- all that matters is that you love the end product.

 

[chrono]

Do you have the brown stone in hand yet? Have you seen it in person? A brown coloured stone isn’t going to have the same impact as a brown diamond because it won’t show any fiery dispersion. This may answer your question as to whether it is worth spending 4x more on the setting than the stone. As mentioned above, it all depends on your priorities. To some, the entire package matters most while to others, the center stone is the most important. I’m in the entire package camp but I also am not willing to spend more on the setting than the stone itself.

 

[Pandora II]

ditto Chrono 100%

 

[cellentani]

What about a brown zircon? If it's well-cut, there should be great dispersion - just watch the double refraction, if that bothers you.

Like others, my stone and setting ratio are all over the map, ranging from a free stone in a $500 setting, to a $1300 stone in a $450 setting.

 

[kelpie]

Well you don't want to go "polishing a turd" as my handyman would say and put a cruddy stone in an expensive custom setting. But if it is a stone you adore and see yourself wearing the cost of the setting vs cost of the stone isn't really important as long as it's worth it to you. For me the colored stones that make my heart sing get custom settings which happen to have been about twice the cost of the stone. That is reflection of my stone budget more than my setting budget since I'm pretty opportunistic about buying stones I think are awesome deals... I don't go planning and searching and plan the whole piece ahead unless I already have some of the parts.

Brown diamonds are fairly inexpensive and you shouldn't discount them as an option yet. Here's an example from a seller I have purchased from (yes cut is not the best and clarity grade is too generous) they accepted my best offer that was maybe 35% of the asking price, the videos are accurate.

http://cgi.ebay.com/0-72-Ct-Fiery-Round-Fancy-Coffee-Cognac-Natural-Diamond-/150468198864?pt=Loose_Diamonds&hash=item23089a81d0

 

[asscher_girl]

I don't have the brown stone in hand yet. I am speaking with Doug Menadue of Bespoke Gems to have something custom cut. It will be an emerald cut 9 mm x 7 mm (approx) in a brown/champagne tone. The ring will be bezel set so it would be better if the stone was a bit lighter because of the bezel.

Good point about the fiery dispersion Chrono, thank you. Do you think since it's an emerald cut and emerald cut diamonds don't sparkle like an RB for example, then a colored stone version might be able to get a bit closer in apperance?

I have been looking for a colored brown/champ diamond but it's been difficult in that size.

The brown stones Doug mentioned were: smokey quartz, brown zircon (but this might have a touch of red or plum in it) or maybe a brownish tourmaline called Dravite.

The one other thought is to go with a Tsavorite, I know, totally opposite of a brown stone and a lot more expensive than quartz or zircon but I just love a yummy tsav so we'll see what he can come up with

Thank you all for your thoughts and ideas. It looks like settings vs center stones are all over the place so I guess I just need to decide what is right for this project.

I'll be sure to update you all once I make my decision!

 

[FrekeChild]

Ok, I've been eying these for a while now...
http://www.customgemstones.com/ZIRCON/zi1356.html
http://www.customgemstones.com/ZIRCON/zi1414.html

 

[asscher_girl]

that emerald cut zircon is purrrrrty Freke Thanks for link!

 

[chrono]

An emerald cut diamond may not sparkle like an RB but it will still show large flashes of fire. In terms of refractive index (showing the more dispersion), the lowest is quartz, then dravite, and the highest is zircon. On the downside, zircon is brittle, thus has a tendency to wear along the facet edges, so caution should be taken since this is going to be a ring stone.

 

[StonieGrl]

One thing to keep in mind is that when YOU buy the 'featured' stone to be set you aren't calculating for the insane markup that a jeweler can do to that same stone, which then pumps the 'cost' of that stone up and would thus amortize the cost of the setting/design.

I got my start here on CS using JKT for almost all my stones and then I branched out with Janish Jewels and did a Stuller setting with Michael E.

I think the best way to approach it is find the setting you love, because if you 'settle' on the setting you will never really love that piece and get the ZING!!!! you deserve when you put it on and wear it.