I am looking to add a halo to my .41 ct diamond for our 25th anniversary. It is a gorgeous diamond in color and clarity (hubby went for quality over size). I am not looking to change the anything else (simple solitaire with yellow gold, plain band), just to add the halo to my diamond to give it a bit more presence. I went to two local, mom and pop jewelers (both very reputable) and had completely different experiences.
First place--told the associate what I wanted, she responded w/ "no problem--we can work with that ring and add a halo easily." She had sample halos and CZ stones to approximate the size of my stone so she could give me an example of what it would look like. She made a few calls and quoted me a price of just $780, but gave me discount for a sale which brought it down to $480 something. She also told me she is a metalsmith (although not the designer) and answered questions about diamond size in the halo, spacing, how the center stone would sit, etc.
Second place--told the associate what I wanted, and she kindly told me she didn't think it could be done and that I'd need to buy a whole new setting to get that look I desired. I told her that another local jeweler was able to do it. She looked at my ring and still thought it'd be tough to do w/ my 6 prong tulip shank with two (arches? not sure what to call them) supporting the sides. Then she asked someone else in the back, came back, and said, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure we could do that." She looked up a halo in a catalog (hard to see what it looked like, really), and said it would cost me $200. I asked if they'd ever done anything like that, and she told me no, but that their designer could give me the look I wanted (based on a premade ring I pointed out). She said they'd order it, I could see it, and then decide if I wanted to proceed.
What to do? Go with the one that costs $300 more, where the associate knew exactly what I wanted, or go with the cheaper place (where I've always had good service)? I anticipate replies will suggest the first, more expensive quote, but price is truly a factor. I know that both of those prices seem like a "drop in the bucket" compared to most diamond changes on here, but to us it is a large sum. Thanks in advice for your replies/help!
First place--told the associate what I wanted, she responded w/ "no problem--we can work with that ring and add a halo easily." She had sample halos and CZ stones to approximate the size of my stone so she could give me an example of what it would look like. She made a few calls and quoted me a price of just $780, but gave me discount for a sale which brought it down to $480 something. She also told me she is a metalsmith (although not the designer) and answered questions about diamond size in the halo, spacing, how the center stone would sit, etc.
Second place--told the associate what I wanted, and she kindly told me she didn't think it could be done and that I'd need to buy a whole new setting to get that look I desired. I told her that another local jeweler was able to do it. She looked at my ring and still thought it'd be tough to do w/ my 6 prong tulip shank with two (arches? not sure what to call them) supporting the sides. Then she asked someone else in the back, came back, and said, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure we could do that." She looked up a halo in a catalog (hard to see what it looked like, really), and said it would cost me $200. I asked if they'd ever done anything like that, and she told me no, but that their designer could give me the look I wanted (based on a premade ring I pointed out). She said they'd order it, I could see it, and then decide if I wanted to proceed.
What to do? Go with the one that costs $300 more, where the associate knew exactly what I wanted, or go with the cheaper place (where I've always had good service)? I anticipate replies will suggest the first, more expensive quote, but price is truly a factor. I know that both of those prices seem like a "drop in the bucket" compared to most diamond changes on here, but to us it is a large sum. Thanks in advice for your replies/help!
After all of that happened, DH said "You should just keep your ring as is. Don't change it at all or as little as possible." He is thinking the anniversary band was bad karma. I reminded him that I originally wanted something simple so I could change/add to it. So, I am trying to honor the original setting as much as possible but still add a little something extra for this milestone. So, an entirely new setting is out of the question to keep the peace, but I agree that would be the most sensible thing to do.
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