Is it crazy to spend 1/3 of the e-ring budget....

[allicat]

...on the setting? I am struggling with going with the pave setting I love or spend more on a bigger (albeit not much) stone. Total budget to spend is $10k and the diamond I think we are going with is $6400 and the setting is $2800. Throw in sales tax in CA and we''re close to the budget.

I need to hear some opinions please!

 

[Hest88]

My ring was about 1/2 my budget and I have no regrets. I wouldn''t trade my setting for a diamond twice the size; it was the only setting that made my eyes pop. For me, it was really about the total package, not just the stone alone.

 

[Superidealist]

We spent over a third on the setting. The right setting is just as important as the right diamond.

 

[JohnQuixote]

I think you can chalk this up to personal preference.

(for what it's worth I'm with Hest and DR)

 

[reena]

Date: 11/15/2004 11:28:30 PM
Author: Hest88
I wouldn''t trade my setting for a diamond twice the size; it was the only setting that made my eyes pop. For me, it was really about the total package, not just the stone alone.

i agree 100%. i didn''t want a straight solitaire for my e-ring, so it was really important to me to find a setting that made my heart stop. if you love the setting, go for it!!!

 

[allicat]

THANK you all SO much!
I also agree that the setting is what makes the whole ring come together. I feel a bit at ease - I thought everyone would say you should spend 90% on the stone and 10% on the setting. I know there is trade-in or trade-up value, but my feeling is that my e-ring I will keep forever and can always get something different later on.

 

[reena]

allicat: did you get my PM? some of mine haven''t been getting through lately.

 

[denverappraiser]

Allicat,

I agree wholeheartedly with the above advice and I''m tickled to hear consumers make such statements.

For most customers, the purchase of a diamond is intended to be a component in a finished piece of jewelery. The desired result is an excellent ring, not just an excellent diamond. The other components, labor in particular, tend to be undervalued because so much energy gets devoted to the diamond purchase. An extra few hundred dollars spent at the bench will go a long way to improving the final product and it''s easy to save this on the diamond budget by shopping aggressively. $1000 worth of melee (the small diamonds on the sides) is a *LOT* of diamonds and a skilled craftsman can do amazing things with them. The best bench jewelers and the best designers are rarely the cheapest and I tend to count their services as money well spent.

Neil Beaty, GG ISA
Independent Appraisals in Denver

 

[laney]

I too spend a little over a 1/3 on the setting.

 

[valeria101]

$1000 makes little difference of diamond size or quality or anything... but it makes ALLOT of difference for the looks and quality of it''s setting.

It is often the case that famous jewelry houses produce replicas of their masterpieces in less precious gems for display. With such pieces, no lesser names than Cartier, Bucheron or Faberge proudly display their outmost achievement of craftmanship in white sapphire, red garnet and CZ. To me, this practice says allot of just how much the jeweler''s hand makes a jewel be what it is.

Fine jewelry craftmanship is at least as spectacular and precious as the engineering that makes ideal diamonds optically optimized.

There is no limit to what expert jewelry making can do

 

[jesster00420]

I think that you should get the stone and setting that makes you happy. We couldn''t spend whatever we wished on my ring, so I had to find something I liked within the budget, which was alot less than ten grand, lemme tell you!
If we could''ve gotten the one I wanted it was 50,000. Yeah Right! So I hope that you do what pleases you, my fiancee says that as long as it makes you happy I love it too.
Jess

 

[fortheloveofdiamonds]

We also spent 1/3rd of the budget on my setting. It is not just about the diamond, it is about the beauty of the ring in its entirety. Good Luck!

 

[bar01]

It is always a personal preference with things like this. I agree the whole thing should look nice.

For me the setting was only 22% of the cost. The setting is being custom made (it is relatively simple, but elegant). The money and the focus is the gems. The setting (for me) was a frame - a platform to highlight and present the gems in the best way without distracting from it.