Diamond/Setting buying etiquette

[Splinter]

What''s the proper thing to do when you want to buy a diamond separately to the setting? Is it considered bad form to buy the diamond somewhere other than the place you wish to have make a custom setting?

I''m being rather fussy about the diamond I want to buy for my girlfriend, so I don''t reckon that the place I get the setting made will have the diamond in stock (haven''t chosen a designer yet). If they do, they might not have the best price. I''m all for saving money, but at the same time I wouldn''t want to offend the person designing a rather important ring. (Curse my British manners!)

If I do buy in two separate places, there''s the added complication of getting the diamond to the jeweller. Tricky since I''ll be buying/organising both online from the US and I''m a few thousand miles away in the UK.

Thoughts?

 

[pixley]

You have to do what''s best for you. After all, it''s your money. If you feel comfortable sharing who you''re working with, perhaps some of the resident PS experts can provide you with some feedback regarding settings. For example, many posters have purchased stones from Good Old Gold and Mark T at Engagement Rings Direct and had the stones sent to Leon Mege for a custom setting. Both GOG and ERD do custom settings, but Leon''s delicious settings have a look all to themselves.

 

[DiamondGirlHH]

I think jewelers will be fine with setting your diamond into their ring even though some can offer great package deals for ring and the diamond.

You have to make sure you deal with reputable people so you have a peace of mind when sending your diamond. Also you should check the shipping costs back and forth to see if it''s worth it.

 

[MikeRato1]

splinter - i guess it depends on the jeweler, mine gladly accepted a stone front elsewhere however if i purchased the stone and the custom setting from them, they gave me a greater discount. so in the long run it worked out better for me

 

[Pandora II]

Splinter, you might want to bear in mind that you will need insurance to cover the stone while it is being set if you don''t get the setting and stone from the same place.

If you were in the US, that would be easy as Jeweller''s Mutual cover this - however, there is no company in the UK who will cover for this. You may want to think about what you will do if your diamond chips or breaks while it is being set. No jeweller will take responsibility for this, hence why you either need insurance or to keep your fingers crossed.