Gemvara: overpriced??

[jezebelle]

I know my husband bought me something from Gemvara as a Christmas present...not sure what, though. I'm not usually one to snoop but I had to go into his email to get some info for our business, and I saw a confirmation email . I'm excited, as it will be my first piece from Gemvara, but I'm also a little nervous because having played on the site a LOT, I know it's really expensive. For example, an eternity band with pyrope garnet and sterling silver costs...drumroll...1,502 USD, "marked down" from 1,998!

Here are the specs on this particular ring:

Accent Gemstone: Red Garnet
Number of Gemstones: 15 (based on ring size 7)
Approx. Accent Gem Weight: 7.27 (based on ring size 7)
Metal: Sterling Silver
Ring Width (widest point): 4.39mm

Now, this wasn't on my wishlist or anything, just a gauge to show you why I feel Gemvara may be overpriced.

I'm not sure, maybe I'm misinformed and this is actually a fair price, but that's a hard pill to swallow! It seems like in a lot of cases it would cost less to hand-select a gem and an artisan and commission a custom piece than to just buy from Gemvara. We're a young couple who haven't done too much high end jewelry buying aside from my ering and his wedding ring, so maybe I'm just suffering from sticker shock.

I did see a poster here who put up several pictures of a garnet ring from Gemvara and it looked very pretty, so I'm definitely not complaining that my husband chose to shop there. I'm just wondering what you all think of Gemvara in general. Any pictures of Gemvara products, opinions, or reviews of their merchandise would be more than welcome in this thread! I've been curious about this site for awhile and it seems like when I search PS, not a whole lot comes up.

 

[Treenbean]

I looked at there site. I don't own any jewelry from them. I like the designs of some of the eternity bands. I think some of the silver bands are overpriced, considering the materials. I also think some of the gold, rose gold and palladium bands are well priced.

I hope you like your gift.

 

[T L]

Jewelers can charge whatever they want for a piece of jewelry. Personally, I wouldn't pay more than $100 for a pyrope garnet/silver ring, and that's stretching it to the max for me. I know you probably appreciate the thought from your husband, but it sounds like he was taken, hook, line and sinker. Hopefully they have a good return policy. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. I don't even think a custom designer like Julia Kay Taylor, who charges a premium for her artistry (which is quite beautiful) would charge that much for a silver/pyrope garnet ring.

 

[LD]

One other thing ........... red garnet is likely to be dark brown/orange/red. The ring itself is very overpriced Is there anyway you could gently tell him you've seen the invoice and would he mind if you looked for something together? I know it's awkward but better to be in the returns period and get something you want. I hope it works out.

 

[briolette]

Hi Jezebelle! I'm the one the who posted the garnet ring.

I agree with you, I was very surprised at how expensive the silver jewelry is when I first saw the site, but since each item is made to order (and having taken jewelry classes myself this year in CAD, wax casting, etc....) I kinda have more sympathy about the prices now. I learned regardless of what metal you cast/fabricate the jewelry in, it's just as hard to set the stones, finish, etc.

I think as a whole they are definitely more expensive compared to other vendors (esp. the diamond jewelry), but some of the price is due the overhead needed to allow for so many on the fly variations. Nothing is stock, so the process is as if you are getting a custom piece, yet they have to deal with high volume orders.

To get the most bang for your buck, go with the gold, platinum and palladium jewelry.

I will say their customer service is incredible, prior customers get coupons and online deals, they're very open to feedback, etc. When my ring was getting made, I'd get updates on the whole process.

**edit**
And yes, they have a good return policy.
Just for reference, this was my red garnet. They selected a good stone with very little brown overtone:

 

[pregcurious]

Without seeing the ring, I think he overpaid. The website says they allow 30 day returns. I used to not be a fan of pyrope garnets, but Zeolite has enlightened me that they can look amazing ([URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/red-garnets-and-extinction.147568/#post-2666249#p2666249']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/red-garnets-and-extinction.147568/#post-2666249#p2666249[/URL])

For a red eternity ring, I think small heated rubies, or small red/dark pink spinels would be lovely and affordable in gold. I don't know about the quality of the rubies in these pieces, but the pieces look decent for the price in gold. Pearlman's also has a PS discount:

http://www.pearlmansjewelers.com/jewelry-designers/spark-jewelry/rings/06MM1/
http://www.pearlmansjewelers.com/jewelry-designers/spark-jewelry/rings/45MM1/

 

[jezebelle]

Just wanted to clarify, I'm sure he didn't get me the garnet ring I was talking about

That was just something I came across while playing around on the site and thought, WOAH! That's expensive for what it is! I'm not even in the market for a pyrope garnet eternity band

Briolette, I really like your ring, and I think the garnet looks great! Very nice red color. I do like pyrope garnet a lot, even the antique pieces with very brown looking stones. I think it's a stone with character.

I have to get to work, but I will check back with this thread later!

 

[Gemingway]

Is the ring you were pricing out the one below? I checked it out and it looks like that particular ring is pricier, because it's a fairly wide eternity band and finding AAA rated gemstones (like Gemvara uses) in that size can be fairly difficult. Interestingly enough, the same ring in Palladium is only $152 more and the ring in 14k gold is only $387 more. Those prices are unheard of, even if the sterling is a bit pricey.

I'm not sure if I would get red garnet if it were me, but that's what I LOVE about Gemvara's website...you can get almost any stone or combination of stones. Plus, when I called in to get my girlfriend's ring they hooked me up with a special order - with phenomenal alexandrite accents and free engraving. If you were looking for anything, I suggest calling them. They're really understanding and help you through everything.

 

[minousbijoux]

Pardon me, Gemingway, but your post reads like a shill...

 

[jezebelle]

@Gemingway

Yes, that was the ring I was quoting earlier. I was actually looking at in in amethyst and platinum to match my ering...but I thought the price for that was steep, so I checked out the garnet and sterling assuming it would be the cheapest just to get a gauge on things and I was kinda shocked at the price.

I seriously was blown away at the high prices of some other things, like simple quartz solitaire ring in silver for $423....

I don't know what my husband chose for me though and I'm not gonna peek. Like I said, the garnet ring was just something I was playing around with on the site for fun.

Whatever he did pick, I'll try not to check the price when I find out what it is, and just enjoy it as a gift.

 

[Gemingway]

Sorry if it does! I'm in the honeymoon phase after giving her the ring and maybe if I find another one at a different price I'll feel different.

I will say that I do think the Sterling Silver is more expensive than I would pay or suggest paying.

 

[T L]

Quick look at their site, and their prices are all over the place. Here's a gold, diamond and sapphire band for less than the price of the pyrope/silver one.

http://www.gemvara.com/Yellow-Gold-Ring-by-Tom-Linenberger/jewelry/v/789645/

Wow, the customization feature is addicting though. Here's what I made for $13K.

 

[chrono]

Seems REALLY expensive for a silver setting.

And TL,
I can totally see you wearing that design.

 

[T L]

Seems REALLY expensive for a silver setting.

And TL,
I can totally see you wearing that design.

Chrono,
Now that I come back to it, I'm not s in love with it. I don't think I'll go into jewelry design any time soon.

 

[innerkitten]

Is the ring you were pricing out the one below? I checked it out and it looks like that particular ring is pricier, because it's a fairly wide eternity band and finding AAA rated gemstones (like Gemvara uses) in that size can be fairly difficult. Interestingly enough, the same ring in Palladium is only $152 more and the ring in 14k gold is only $387 more. Those prices are unheard of, even if the sterling is a bit pricey.

I'm not sure if I would get red garnet if it were me, but that's what I LOVE about Gemvara's website...you can get almost any stone or combination of stones. Plus, when I called in to get my girlfriend's ring they hooked me up with a special order - with phenomenal alexandrite accents and free engraving. If you were looking for anything, I suggest calling them. They're really understanding and help you through everything.

I think the photos on the Gemvara site makes everything look very appealing.
Anyway QVC has gemstone eternity bands in sterling for a fraction of the price. Don't know what the quality is though.
http://www.qvc.com/qic/qvcapp.aspx/view.2/app.detail/params.item.J265040.desc.Eternity-Gemstone-Sterling-Band-Ring