lucky-gal-2017
Rough_Rock
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2017
- Messages
- 9
I recently got engaged!! And I get to pick the perfect ring setting. I never really thought about it because I thought my man would pick me a ring and I would just accept it as it is. So I started everything from scratch, from figuring out what my dream ring is! What a sweet problem to have.
Anyway, I'm set on halo, and of course I came across Frankie's posts, and I was pretty much dead set on getting the VC Emilya. Love the details, love the fact that it's hand crafted, love everything about it... except for the price. I mean, he doesn't (seem to) mind, but I feel bad. So just to give him and myself the peace of mind that every dime we're spending is worth it, we started shopping elsewhere as well, just to see what options are available.
The first jeweler we went to gave a quote higher than VC...
The second jeweler was able to customize the ring at 1/2 of VC's price. It seems kinda low for a hand forged ring, kinda high for a casted ring...
The third person is actually a diamond seller who was referred to me by a friend, and he knows some very good jewelers. So I started asking him questions, like if it can be hand crafted, what kind of metal composition (I like 90/10 ir for the whiteness), and he sounded a little overwhelmed. But the price he quoted is a lot more reasonable - less than 1/3 of VC's, a tad bit higher than what I've seen elsewhere for a casted ring but not much. He started to convince me that modern machine work is capable of very precise details. He explained that porosity is purely bad work and can be avoided. He also showed me a ring that he worked on recently that shows tons of tiny little details, and I'm honestly impressed.
I like VC's setting because it has minimum metal shown in general, not just at the halo lip, but the curved legs and donuts as well. I also like the fact that it's 100% hand made - I feel more "loved" wearing it than wearing something that comes out of a machine. It may have a higher appraised value? I don't know. I also want to support true craftsmen like him, in case there's a chance of comeback against the machines! BUT I also want to be financially smart. If we talk about a ring made with precision, I have no doubt a machine can do a better job than humans, I'm an engineer after all. However, VC convinced me that the whole casting process is bound to create imperfections. Is there any reason why we can't have a slanted halo made by a machine?
I'm torn, I can't decide if I can come to terms with excellent machine work, or pay 3x for an heirloom-grade VC setting. Help!!
Anyway, I'm set on halo, and of course I came across Frankie's posts, and I was pretty much dead set on getting the VC Emilya. Love the details, love the fact that it's hand crafted, love everything about it... except for the price. I mean, he doesn't (seem to) mind, but I feel bad. So just to give him and myself the peace of mind that every dime we're spending is worth it, we started shopping elsewhere as well, just to see what options are available.
The first jeweler we went to gave a quote higher than VC...
The second jeweler was able to customize the ring at 1/2 of VC's price. It seems kinda low for a hand forged ring, kinda high for a casted ring...
The third person is actually a diamond seller who was referred to me by a friend, and he knows some very good jewelers. So I started asking him questions, like if it can be hand crafted, what kind of metal composition (I like 90/10 ir for the whiteness), and he sounded a little overwhelmed. But the price he quoted is a lot more reasonable - less than 1/3 of VC's, a tad bit higher than what I've seen elsewhere for a casted ring but not much. He started to convince me that modern machine work is capable of very precise details. He explained that porosity is purely bad work and can be avoided. He also showed me a ring that he worked on recently that shows tons of tiny little details, and I'm honestly impressed.
I like VC's setting because it has minimum metal shown in general, not just at the halo lip, but the curved legs and donuts as well. I also like the fact that it's 100% hand made - I feel more "loved" wearing it than wearing something that comes out of a machine. It may have a higher appraised value? I don't know. I also want to support true craftsmen like him, in case there's a chance of comeback against the machines! BUT I also want to be financially smart. If we talk about a ring made with precision, I have no doubt a machine can do a better job than humans, I'm an engineer after all. However, VC convinced me that the whole casting process is bound to create imperfections. Is there any reason why we can't have a slanted halo made by a machine?
I'm torn, I can't decide if I can come to terms with excellent machine work, or pay 3x for an heirloom-grade VC setting. Help!!