Custom Ring - % breakout between setting & stone

[PierreBear]

Hi PS Friends,

I'm still on this journey to possibly have a custom ring made or perhaps purchasing an intricate setting. For those who have done either, do you mind sharing the amount (percentage wise might be easiest) that went into the setting versus the stone. I do understand that this is a personal question. Some might value the stone more than the setting but it would be helpful to just understand a thought process.

Side question - For those creating a custom ring, how much time did you allot yourself to get the finished project, including research time to make sure it's really the setting/style you want.

Thanks in advance!

 

[liaerfbv]

My current setting was 22% the cost of my stone. I spent about a year determining what I wanted, and production time was 8 weeks.



I should add that after I had the finished ring for a year, I thought it was too large and I sent it off to consignment. After waiting a year for a sale, I had a change of heart and fell in love with it all over again. We PSers are a fickle bunch. I may reset again!

 

[MarionC]

Am I the only one who finds custom work intimidating?
You can rely on the bench, but I firmly believe you have to know a lot to get what you want...even to know WHAT you want The tiniest difference in angle, placement of melee, prong size, etc. etc. can make or break a beautiful design. A lot easier to buy a tried & true design.

but back to the question. The percentage will vary with each person and their diamond. I currently have a 5-figure stone in a $500 setting, and a 1k stone in a 9k setting. So no rule of thumb that I know of : ) except rule #1: do what makes you happy!

 

[liaerfbv]

Am I the only one who finds custom work intimidating?
You can rely on the bench, but I firmly believe you have to know a lot to get what you want...even to know WHAT you want The tiniest difference in angle, placement of melee, prong size, etc. etc. can make or break a beautiful design. A lot easier to buy a tried & true design.

but back to the question. The percentage will vary with each person and their diamond. I currently have a 5-figure stone in a $500 setting, and a 1k stone in a 9k setting. So no rule of thumb that I know of : ) except rule #1: do what makes you happy!

I totally agree. My first attempts at custom were disasters, honestly, because I didn't know enough about what I was asking for. OP, I know you have another thread about a SS setting you love (which I think is extremely overpriced) and other than the oxidation, it's not that unique IMO. It may be easier to find a similar YG stock setting and ask a bench to oxidize it.

 

[PierreBear]

Yes, I too find custom rings intimidating! I actually tried going that route with my initial engagement ring. Found a beautiful one of a kind Tiffany's ring online and tried to get a local place to create it. Partly due to craftsmanship but partly because I didn't understand that the ring would only look beautiful with the right proportions (large stone), that it didn't turn out very well. I guess since then, I've been thinking that maybe it's ok to pay the premium for a setting and I might get into the same scenario if I try to get a stock yellow gold ring and oxidize it?

liaerfbv - I tried searching but haven't found a lot of oxidized rings. Is there a thread by chance? I'm so bad at visualizing the look of the ring!

 

[PierreBear]

Ok... don't kill me but I think I'm starting to understand why I specifically like that SS setting. Sometimes I feel like rings are such art that I can't tell why a certain picture because there are so many components that change things. I'm going to start a new thread to understand halos as I am really starting to believe that there is no need to get anything custom made. I'm just not that creative. : ) Thanks to all for pointing me in this direction.