Help a nub

[whatamiwithoutapurpose]

Hey everyone, here''s hoping someone can help...I was wondering if it was cheaper to design my own ring or buy one already made? And, if we chose to buy a diamond from Blue Nile and had James Allen set it in one of their settings, do they charge a special fee for customizing/labor? How much more are the fees usually? Oh, and let''s say I want to custom make my ring and I bought the diamond from Blue Nile and wanted Leon M to set it, must I go to New York? I was at his site and was reading his RULES OF ENGAGEMENT and was wondering if it was possible to have Leon make my ring via the internet and phone conversations solely...the BF and I can''t afford to fly to NY. And, I know, if we had to ask, we probably couldn''t afford it, blah blah...but I think having an idea of the total cost is very helpful when we''re trying to save for said ering. Thank you guys.

 

[girlie-girl]

I purchased my diamond at Abazias and my setting at JA. I explained to the sales rep when I ordered the setting that I had my own stone and wanted them to set it. They charged me an additional $100 to do so (this was in July 2008 so prices could have changed, check with JA for current pricing). I had the diamond in my possession, so JA had me ship it to the designer, then the designer built my ring around that specific stone and sent it to JA for QA inspection, then JA sent the finished ring to me.

I''ve not ever worked with Leon, but it''s my understanding many people work with him solely through email/via telephone. I''m sure others will comment on that if they read this thread... sometimes topic titles help or hinder in that aspect.

It''s difficult to say whether it would be less expensive to go custom v. pre-made without knowing what it is you are looking for. Do you have anything specific in mind yet?

 

[D&T]

usually custom cost more, if you are interested in a piece, and just wanted to do slight modification it would range in between custom and already made prices sometime if its just the karat of gold (dropping karat) it maybe less, like when I bought Whiteflash, keystone, only I wanted mine to be in 14 yg. it was less than their catalog price that was in 18k which was considered now semi-custom. I have not worked with LM, I have worked with Whiteflash and can recommend them highly. I do however love Leon's claw prongs and everything I have done was by way of phone and email, if you work with a CAD designer, sometimes you can have a conference call while you view the CAD in real time and have a say in the matter since its so hard to describe over the phone and email.