How high for a simple platinum solitaire in Los Angeles?

[Demelza]

I have a friend in Los Angeles interested in having a very simple 4-prong solitaire (a la Leon Mege) made for her round. She's wanting to stay local as she does not want to send her diamond away. She's contacted several jewelers in the area -- Singlestone, 23rd Street Jewelers, Maytal Hannah, and Peter Norman. So far, she's only heard back from Maytal and Peter Norman. Maytal's quote seemed very high at $2,400. Peter Norman came in at $1,950. I suspect Leon would be lower than either one, but, again, she does not want to send her diamond out. Anyone have any experiences with Peter Norman's custom work? Is he worth the price? Any other ideas?

 

[:)]

I think kcoursolle has direct experience with them.
They have nice pieces in their store, always fun to look around. I do know when I was looking to set my stone I went in there and they do not (or at least did not at that time) craft pieces on site - they send them downtown to make.


ETA:
I would STRONGLY recommend looking into Servis and Taylor - oddly enough they are located in Westside Pavillion (next to Nordstrom), but they are FAR from a mall jeweler - I know several people who have had pieces made for their wives there and love them. They have a really good eye for nice stones and their craftsmanship is quite good. They belong to AGS.

http://servisandtaylor.com/

Any interest on her part in 'going green' - they have a link on their website about using harmony metals recycled gold, platinum, and palladium.

 

[bigdiamondtinygal]

XIV Karats (14 Karats) on Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills. I have several friends with simple settings made there and they are beautiful and reasonable.

 

[pixley]

WOW, what a range. Maytal's quote sounds higher than some of Leon's semi-micropaved settings

. I wish I knew of more, but the places you've suggested would be my go-to spots for settings. I really love the setting that gisellem had made by 23rd Street. I would think that they could produce something along the lines of the Maytal/Leon aesthetic.

ETA - I should think a simple solitaire setting wouldn't cost more than $2,000...

 

[Demelza]

Thank you so much for all the suggestions. My friend just heard back from 23rd Street Jewelers and, much to our HUGE surprise, they''re the least expensive by far! They quoted her $1,500 for a handmade mounting! Would anyone have any qualms about using them? How would you guys rate their quality compared to Leon Mege?

 

[pixley]

$1500 sounds waaay more in line with what a solitaire should cost. I've only ever seen their rings with micropave bands, but the ones that have come up on PS (like allimd01's) do have lovely prongs. Here's her linky.

 

[kcoursolle]

As suggested I have been to Peter Norman before and was impressed! However, I haven''t personally ordered anything from them to know how their custom process would go. However, from many visits I''ve realized that their staff is knowledgeable and I wouldn''t have any reservations. However, I think 14 carats is a great suggestion too and they might be a bit cheaper and I would also trust them to make a great custom design solitaire.

 

[Demelza]

Date: 10/22/2008 9:47:46 PM
Author: kcoursolle
As suggested I have been to Peter Norman before and was impressed! However, I haven''t personally ordered anything from them to know how their custom process would go. However, from many visits I''ve realized that their staff is knowledgeable and I wouldn''t have any reservations. However, I think 14 carats is a great suggestion too and they might be a bit cheaper and I would also trust them to make a great custom design solitaire.

Thanks for the input. It sounds like it''s currently a choice between Peter Norman and 23rd Street. Servis and Taylor came back with the highest quote of all -- $2,500-2,700. I''m very curious to check them out as I''ve heard so many great things, but that just seems ridiculously high for a 2mm platinum solitaire. I don''t think my friend is a big fan of XIV Karats -- she finds the environment and staff a bit too impersonal. I''d be curious, though, to see one of their custom pieces.