Diamond cheaper than band

[mrfourpointo]

My quest for a ring has taken a turn. Today we found a setting that we absolutely love. It can only hold up to about a half carat in the aschher cut we want. The problem is the setting is about 5 times the price of the diamond we would put in it. It is an antique looking platinum setting where the diamond would be "kite" set.(I am told this is what it is called when the diamond is turned 90 degrees) It only has .19 carats SI clarity pave diamonds on it.

Do you think it is way overpriced? After all, it is a local B&M, in the mall no less.
Is it a bad idea to place the majority of my investment into the setting and not the diamond?
Do you all know of anybody who may be able to make a simmilar setting with equal or better quality?

Thank you all so much for the help you have given me!!! It has already given me so much knowledge that is invaluable, and will undoubtedly save me a lot of money in the long run.

 

[Kaleigh]

If the setting only has .19 carats of diamonds and is SI and 5 times the price of the stone, then run!!! The center stone should be where your spending most of your money.

 

[MissAva]

I think it is priced too high. Personally I think that the center stone ought to be more then the setting. Do you have a picture of the setting? Is a one of a kind from the deco period or something? Personally I would not spend 5x more on the setting then the stone.

 

[mrfourpointo]

Sorry about the technical issues, it seems to have posted twice

 

[FireGoddess]

My CUSTOM MADE platinum engagement ring setting with 3/4 of a carat of diamonds cost me less than HALF of what they're quoting you for this setting. Need I say more??!?!?!?!

 

[LadyluvsLuxury]

I don''t really think someone else can dictate whether you and your fiance would feel more comfortable buying the setting of your dreams now and upgrading the stone later or vice versa. Everyone holds their sentiment in different values...other''s hold none lol However, personally I think the price seem very much inflated. Why don''t you draw out something similar to what you want/saw and attain some quotes from other sources? I have seen some vendors work magic, turning a person''s sketchy ideas into an artwork of their dreams (for a reasonable price!).

 

[mrmedoes]

Date: 7/22/2005 11:08:44 PM
Author: LadyluvsLuxury
I don''t really think someone else can dictate whether you and your fiance would feel more comfortable buying the setting of your dreams now and upgrading the stone later or vice versa. Everyone holds their sentiment in different values...other''s hold none lol However, personally I think the price seem very much inflated. Why don''t you draw out something similar to what you want/saw and attain some quotes from other sources? I have seen some vendors work magic, turning a person''s sketchy ideas into an artwork of their dreams (for a reasonable price!).

I couldn''t agree more. When I first started looking, my absolute favorite setting was about half the price of the diamond I was looking for, and I saw no issue whatsoever in doing that. It is personal preference. That being said, I ended up finding something somewhere in the middle just because it seemed like such a cost (it was over $3,500 - I was looking for around 6k into the diamond). That being said, it''s your call.

My only question is whether you could locate this setting or style of it somewhere else. I would think that with all the sites out there and vendors around here, you should be able to either work on a custom that is exactly what you want, or even designer that would fit your needs. Best of luck!

 

[valeria101]

Date: 7/23/2005 1:50:53 AM
Author: mrmedoes

I would think that with all the sites out there and vendors around here, you should be able to either work on a custom that is exactly what you want, or even designer that would fit your needs.

Some settngs with diagonal-set square diamonds... ( 'kite' is sometimes used to describe a diamond cut with the overall shape of a lozenghe or rhonb, 'kite set' is soemthing I hear for the first tim - it could be of the jeweler's own making as many such names of jewelry styles are).

At Jewelyexpert.com

And Artofplatinum (almost right, but too nice to leave aside.... I can easily see a square set instead of the fancy octagon)

 

[valeria101]

ctd.

Icestore''s site would not let me link pictures here, but there are a couple of relevant examples there well worth showing, IMO. See down these links: IceStore1 and IceStore2

And then Platinumsmith has a simple version on his site:

which really invites further detailing... since the maker did some delightful pave pieces for a couple of Pricescopers recently (some of These Pieces).

Hope this helps.

 

[mrfourpointo]

This is the setting in question. I think I would rather have the diamond set straight. I do believe this is her favorite, but I do feel like $4500 is absurd, especially at .2 carats. I am having a little trouble finding a local jeweler in Dallas. Obviously it would need some changing to set it straight and change it to white gold. In her line of work she needs as hard a metal as possible. Hmmmm Maybe I should go with cast iron. JK

 

[mrssalvo]

Here's a custom ring made by Whiteflash that is similar. I have no idea what the cost was but you can always call them quote here's the original

thread

 

[LaurenThePartier]

I live in Dallas, and when it''s time, I have strongly suggested to my b/f that he have WF make the ring.

 

[denverappraiser]

There''s no scale on that picture but if that’s a typical size hand, there are more than 0.19cts of diamonds in that ring. It may simply be miss-described on the tag. The price is still pretty high but this may be a portion of the issue.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Independent Appraisals in Denver

 

[valeria101]

Second Neil on this one, unless the setting is really cheapish made with large metal beads and a few accent diamonds too small and too scant for the job.

That can happen, and the price tag can simply be arbitrary though.

The setting is nice, but not out of this world, IMO. Perhaps closeup detail would modify this impression, but...

 

[Hest88]

I don''t believe that a setting needs to be much less than the diamond, especially if you''re looking at an intricate setting that is labor-intensive. However, I do believe that you need to make sure you''re getting your money''s worth and not paying an inflated price. Is this a designer piece? If so, you''re paying extra for that and it may be worth it to you. However, you can also investigate similar settings and also seeing if you can get something similar (not the same, because you don''t want to steal someone else''s design) made for a better price.