custom settings in Maryland

[justyndiane]

Hi,
I''m looking for a jeweler in my area to do a custom platinum wedding band setting with the diamonds I have. Any recommendations? I live in Annapolis and would prefer something nearby, but I''ll travel in the Maryland, DC and Virginia area.

I''ve read some info on this site about custom settings...very helful...but am curious about what factors will drive up costs, shouldn''t affect costs, etc. Specifically:
-Are labor costs usually flat rates? If I have several diamonds of different sizes, is setting all those going to cost me more?
-In addition to labor and the metal itself, are there usually any sorts of "design fees?" That is, costs just to plan what the ring will look like...I already have a pretty specific idea of what I want.
-How often and much do platinum prices fluctuate? How do I know I''m paying an appropriate price for the current market?

Any other tips will be extremely appreciated. Thank you!

 

[GlitterGal]

Hi justyndiane,

‘Noobie’, a frequent forum poster who lives in Virginia, had a custom ring done by Quest Manufacturing a custom jeweler located in Northern Virginia, just outside of Washington D.C. His wife’s anniversary ring turned out spectacular as you can see from this link to the thread and he loved his experience working with that company. You may want to check them out.

As for design fees and costs, I would think that for a custom job, the pricing structure varies from company to company and would depend on the intricacy of the design. For a ballpark figure of where the price of platinum stands, you can check the Kitco website for daily, real time pricing (all prices are in US$ per ounce).

Hope this helps. Good luck and please keep us posted.

Kindest regards always,
Linda

 

[diamondlil]

Hi Justyndiane and welcome. I live in Maryland also (25 miles south of Annapolis). I am in the process of having a custom e-ring and wedding ring made for me by a jeweler in the Baltimore area. They are JM Jewelers in Parkville, MD. Their website is www.jmcustom.com. The owner/designer is Ed Milad.




I hope to be getting my finished rings in about a week. It has been a long process, but hopefully worth it in the end. Assuming all goes well, I'll post my story. I thought about posting along the way, but I worried I'd jinx the project.

DiamondLil

 

[justyndiane]

Thanks for all your help guys! I will check out Quest and keep you posted.

 

[mdguy]

ARTFX gallery in Annapolis has a resident jeweler, Jeff Delude. He only stocks settings he has designed. He will also custom design a ring for you. He also cuts alot of gem-stones on-site. He works in gold, silver and platinum.