Advice and Perspective on Setting a Loose Diamond

[daintyG]

I need help with knowing what to do and expect with setting a loose diamond. If you have suggestions on a jeweler near Louisville, KY, that'd be great.

I have a .41 EC I got from IDJ. I want to spent as little as possible setting it, since it was not that expensive of a stone. I considered setting it in silver and even had an appointment with a silversmith, but decided it's not that much cheaper than gold. So I asked LOGR to make a thin diamond semi-mount with a peg head to fit the stone. This is still pending; I haven't paid yet. Well, I met with the silversmith again to show him the sketch of the ring, ask him to confirm the diamond measurements, and see what he says about setting the diamond for me. I paid him $20 for our first meeting, where we accomplished nothing. He told me today it'll cost another $20 for him to measure the diamond with his micrometer(?), so scratch that. He also talked a long time about how I was taking a big risk trusting this other company to make a ring that would fit the stone (then went on a tangent on all the different risks involved in creating jewelry and not designing an entire ring with one vendor). I told him I am risking $30 if I need to return the ring and have heard that I can trust them to accept a return honestly. He still insisted this was not a good choice. He suggested I just get a shank and have him finish it from there. To me, that sounds like a scare tactic to get higher labor charges for himself. He never told me how much he would charge just for setting the stone, or for anything except measuring the stone.

Is it really that complicated to have different vendors provide the ring and set the diamond? To me, it seems as simple as: 1) order a semi-mount using the dimensions specified on GIA cert and 2) the jeweler can set the diamond. However, I'm not experienced in this at all.

Please help me to have a realistic perspective on this. And suggest what I can do. I am probably not going to stick with the silversmith, so suggestions on jewelers are welcome, too.

 

[chrono]

LOGR has provided many settings to posters in the Coloured Stone section of PS without any issues, then they have it set at their local jeweller's. I don't understand why the silversmith required payment for the first meeting and payment to measure the diamond. My local jeweller measures my stones for me for free using his digital mmeter. If anything, from what I'm reading, I would not trust this guy and deal with him again.

 

[daintyG]

Thank you Chrono. I don't see why he would charge to measure the stone, either. It seems so simple to me. But this whole process seems much simpler to me than it does to him!

I realized this after the fact, but he requires $20 up front to start any project, which he charges in the first meeting. The thing is, all I wanted to know was the starting price for a SS stock piece or customized simple solitaire. I didn't need an appointment for that! And during the appointment he would never tell me a ballpark price on anything. I discovered it myself when I looked in his Stuller catalog. I asked him, "What if I decide I don't want you to set my diamond, then?" He said it will be store credit toward him doing some other work for me. Gee, great. So I am thinking I will have the diamond set elsewhere and then use my store credit to have him size down a band I have, so the $20 doesn't totally get wasted.

But really, am I doing it wrong to tell LOGR "My stone's dimensions are A x B x C.'" And then expect to be able to bring the ring to a jeweler to set it, no problem?

 

[antiquesparkler]

I toyed with the idea of going with LOGR for a reset recently and went back and forth with them asking lots of questions. They just wanted all the dimensions of the stone and said they would custom make it to fit the stone. He told me right away that there would need to be adjustments made by the jeweler setting the stone- especially for mine because I have an OEC thats a little wonky. If for some reason the diamond wasnt able to be set into it, you would be out $30, right?

Which setting were you thinking of going with? Just curious.

 

[daintyG]

Right. I would be out $30, so I'm not sure why the silversmith wanted to scare me so much. Even after I told him that, he still persisted. I am just having them modify their thin diamond band and put a peg head on it. I'm thinking peg head in case I want to sell/reset the diamond I have now, so I can just put a new head on the ring and reuse it in the future.