Leon Mege or Whiteflash for my Asscher RHR? Reality Check.

[starryeyed]

Some of you may recall this THREAD where I was trying to decide on a setting for my 2.47 F IF Asscher. Below is the setting I decided upon.

I sent the image and some specs to both Whiteflash and Leon Mege. Here are the quotes:

WF: 0.50 ctw (+/-) F/G VS diamonds from 9 to 3 o''clock
Platinum $2325

Leon Mege: 0.8-1.4 ctw F/G VS diamonds from 8 to 4 o''clock
Platinum $5140-$5620

I was VERY surprised at the difference in price - $2800 to $3300 more for the LM setting. This is at least 120% more than the WF quote.

I realize that LM does handmade pave, not cast like WF. I also realize LM quoted me a price for more diamonds/pave work than. However is the price difference justified?

I need a reality check here. Does this price difference sound reasonable?

 

[kcoursolle]

Date: 2/22/2007 4:49:45 PM
Author:starryeyed
Some of you may recall this THREAD where I was trying to decide on a setting for my 2.47 F IF Asscher. Below is the setting I decided upon.

I sent the image and some specs to both Whiteflash and Leon Mege. Here are the quotes:

WF: 0.50 ctw (+/-) F/G VS diamonds from 9 to 3 o''clock
Platinum $2325

Leon Mege: 0.8-1.4 ctw F/G VS diamonds from 8 to 4 o''clock
Platinum $5140-$5620

I was VERY surprised at the difference in price - $2800 to $3300 more for the LM setting. This is at least 120% more than the WF quote.

I realize that LM does handmade pave, not cast like WF. I also realize LM quoted me a price for more diamonds/pave work than. However is the price difference justified?

I need a reality check here. Does this price difference sound reasonable?

Gosh, I think 5100 sounds pretty darn high! Also, there is a huge difference between 5100 and 5600...I''d want to know which quote it was closer to! Only you can tell whether this price is worth it. Leon is amazing, but for that price I would want a halo or something blingier. Is he making the bands two-sided pave instead of one?? Why is there a difference in the carat weight of the melee?

 

[decodelighted]

My gut instinct, not having owned pieces from either vendor ... YES the Mege is worth the difference in price & YES, for that particular design I''d rather have Mege bring it to life.

If I was working with a very tight budget I might feel differently or at least choose differently.

 

[widget]

Maybe someone can do the math and figure out the difference in the cost of the diamonds. Leon's version has more than twice the total carat weight, and bigger melee..

Then you might have a better idea if Leon is "worth it"...

I'm a huge Leon fan, and having him mount that asscher would be worth it to me. I really trust his sense of proportion.

But if my budget were tight, I might think differently.

It's going to be spectacular, starryeyed...whichever way you go!!

Can't wait to see the final treasure!

widget

 

[starryeyed]

Date: 2/22/2007 4:59:01 PM
Author: kcoursolle
Gosh, I think 5100 sounds pretty darn high! Also, there is a huge difference between 5100 and 5600...I''d want to know which quote it was closer to! Only you can tell whether this price is worth it. Leon is amazing, but for that price I would want a halo or something blingier. Is he making the bands two-sided pave instead of one?? Why is there a difference in the carat weight of the melee?

The specs and add''l pictures I sent clearly showed just the one side of pave work. I''m not sure why there is such a huge difference in the carat weight of the melee. I''m not a jewelry designer, but if I measure it out and back-figure carat weight, I get about 0.60 carat.

 

[pricescope]

Starry, did you send any side view? Maybe there is an assumption about some basket pave. Or full/half eternity difference.

 

[starryeyed]

Date: 2/22/2007 5:00:06 PM
Author: decodelighted
My gut instinct, not having owned pieces from either vendor ... YES the Mege is worth the difference in price & YES, for that particular design I''d rather have Mege bring it to life.

If I was working with a very tight budget I might feel differently or at least choose differently.

I guess that it is just that sentiment about the talent of LM that is preventing me from totally discarding the option. It just seems pretty extreme.

I called him to do a reality check because with his quote, the labor rate is fixed. So no matter how much work they actually do, the baseline is $4500. So if they use the max or the min in carat weight, it''s still $4500 just for labor.

Have his prices increased recently or something? Many threads say he is not as expensive as you''d think. This is more than I''d "think".

 

[decodelighted]

I think I remember a thread where Leon Mege estimated on the high side and only charged for the amount of diamonds used. Anyone else remember that?

The guess about the basket work is a good one too ... Hmmmm.


ETA: I'd bet the "leon is less than you'd think" crowd got single row pave solitares or even plain metal solitares. This split shank pave work is almost "two rings in one" ya know? I'm not suprised it would be double the labor costs than for a plain solitare.

 

[starryeyed]

Date: 2/22/2007 5:12:47 PM
Author: Pricescope
Starry, did you send any side view? Maybe there is an assumption about some basket pave. Or full/half eternity difference.

Here were the other pictures I sent to both WF and LM.

 

[widget]

I think most of those impressed with his prices have ordered plain mountings w/o pave.

I don''t know if his prices have gone up or not. I wonder if he charges full retail for accent stones...

widget

 

[starryeyed]

One more.

 

[rjdodd]

Well, according to http://www.tennisbracelet.com/loose_diamonds.asp (a Wink site

) the extra melee (at the high end almost a whole 1ctw) will be $1,000+ more on the Leon version (and that''s VS-SI / G-H not F)

 

[cara]

I don''t think the end result will be the same. Maybe someone with more jewelry manufacturing experience can chime in here, but its also possible that the different manufacturing methods will significantly affect the cost as well as the diamond difference. Do a search on all the asscher rings made by Whiteflash and LM. Heck, look at all their rings. The particular aesthetic of the rings made by each is different. I haven''t seen Whiteflash produce anything quite like some of the grand intricate super-pave very delicate and exquisitely proportioned Leon masterpieces. Not to say they Whiteflash rings are bad, I would really consider them for certain styles, certain looks, but they are not equivalent.

Plus these vendors are marketing themselves and their skills differently. There are a number of posts about people having difficulty with Leon because he is an artist! and has strong opinions on the aesthetic of his product and isn''t as customer service oriented or whatever. The people that do best with him seem to give him some basic instructions but trust him to put together the final look and make certain executive decisions. Look at his webpage - he says he specialized in a particular type of construction in which the metal is a scaffolding for stones, so artistically its the opposite of say a MWM ring in which the metal is fluid beautiful star feature of the resulting ring. Whiteflash makes no such artistic viewpoint statements on their website. They have a reputation for being very customer service oriented. Not that they don''t make beautiful jewelry, but their designs do not typically have the same "look" as a Leon ring. So...

Decide if you want the Leon "look". Is it what you want, I think you have to pay him for it. If you would be perfectly thrilled with the style and construction of previously produced Whiteflash rings, go with them and save the money. They will produce something lovely, and have a good rep of remaking things if at first they don''t succeed, but at the end of the day I don''t think it will be the same ring as what Leon would have made you...

 

[starryeyed]

Date: 2/22/2007 5:22:58 PM
Author: rjdodd
Well, according to http://www.tennisbracelet.com/loose_diamonds.asp (a Wink site

) the extra melee (at the high end almost a whole 1ctw) will be $1,000+ more on the Leon version (and that's VS-SI / G-H not F)

Thanks RJdodd, but that link didn't work for me. I understand what you are saying though - more diamonds, more money, also more labor (which is fixed though). But $1K difference still leaves $2K on the table. And I'm not sure where all the extra diamonds would go. His carat weight estimate seems high.

 

[decodelighted]

Date: 2/22/2007 5:29:42 PM
Author: cara
(Whiteflash & Leon Mege rings) are not equivalent. Whiteflash makes no such artistic viewpoint statements on their website ... their designs do not typically have the same ''look'' as a Leon ring. So... Decide if you want the Leon ''look''. If it what you want, I think you have to pay him for it.

I agree with this train of thought. Both vendors turn out gorgeous jewelry - but have very different aesthetics. My taste leans toward the exquisitely GRACEFUL confections that Leon turns out time after time after time.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Any chance you think it would be valuable to get another opinion from someone who will provide handmade work, like MM? I dunno, if I were having this done I would want estimates, for comparison, from those providing exactly the "same" work process (apples to apples....).

BTW, I am having a piece of jewellery remade--and recently went to two different but highly accomplished jewellers locally, who will be providing the SAME service/process; one estimate was $3500 and the other $6200+. The difference? I can only "assume" it was the labour charge......

cheers--Sharon

 

[bling*diva*]

Date: 2/22/2007 5:44:35 PM
Author: decodelighted

Date: 2/22/2007 5:29:42 PM

Author: cara

(Whiteflash & Leon Mege rings) are not equivalent. Whiteflash makes no such artistic viewpoint statements on their website ... their designs do not typically have the same ''look'' as a Leon ring. So... Decide if you want the Leon ''look''. If it what you want, I think you have to pay him for it.

I agree with this train of thought. Both vendors turn out gorgeous jewelry - but have very different aesthetics. My taste leans toward the exquisitely GRACEFUL confections that Leon turns out time after time after time.

~~Ditto!! There''s just somethig about Leon''s work that is just breathtaking...

 

[Gypsy]

I've seen both WF work and Leons... Yes, I think Leon's is worth the premium... that said. I would ask Mark at ERD to qoute the setting. Honestly I really love his pave work recently shown on here ... I like the overall look of his settings more than WF's, and I'd be worried (just a personal concern) about WF's recent problems.

ETA; He just qouted my setting for me... with .15 carat weight diamonds it was only... 2900 for mine. Base was set high... diamonds were like 80 bucks added to that.

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 2/22/2007 4:49:45 PM
Author:starryeyed
Some of you may recall this THREAD where I was trying to decide on a setting for my 2.47 F IF Asscher. Below is the setting I decided upon.

I sent the image and some specs to both Whiteflash and Leon Mege. Here are the quotes:

WF: 0.50 ctw (+/-) F/G VS diamonds from 9 to 3 o''clock
Platinum $2325

Leon Mege: 0.8-1.4 ctw F/G VS diamonds from 8 to 4 o''clock
Platinum $5140-$5620

I was VERY surprised at the difference in price - $2800 to $3300 more for the LM setting. This is at least 120% more than the WF quote.

I realize that LM does handmade pave, not cast like WF. I also realize LM quoted me a price for more diamonds/pave work than. However is the price difference justified?

I need a reality check here. Does this price difference sound reasonable?

just my take on it - if I knew leon himself was doing it and I could afford it I might go with the "designer" certainty.... however from what I understand he has bench people doing a lot of his work lately and WF turns out an OUTSTANDING product. I would use WF in a heartbeat except that it was really important to me that I know the person who made my ring and just wanted a different sort of vibe... but for executuion? WF is awesome.

I think if you can afford it and you really WANT a "leon" ring - then why not? Money is meant to be spent. If you just want a beautiful ring I don''t think you''d go wrong either way.

 

[Cehrabehra]

what does 9-3 o''clock vs 8-4 oclock mean???

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 2/22/2007 5:44:35 PM
Author: decodelighted

Date: 2/22/2007 5:29:42 PM
Author: cara
(Whiteflash & Leon Mege rings) are not equivalent. Whiteflash makes no such artistic viewpoint statements on their website ... their designs do not typically have the same ''look'' as a Leon ring. So... Decide if you want the Leon ''look''. If it what you want, I think you have to pay him for it.

I agree with this train of thought. Both vendors turn out gorgeous jewelry - but have very different aesthetics. My taste leans toward the exquisitely GRACEFUL confections that Leon turns out time after time after time.

if I say that LM pieces have more "soul" will you tease me deco?

 

[starryeyed]

Date: 2/22/2007 6:44:34 PM
Author: Cehrabehra
what does 9-3 o'clock vs 8-4 oclock mean???

If you look at the side view of the ring and think of it as a clock, it indicates what portion of the "clock" has pave. Does that make sense?

So 9 to 3 o'clock means the diamonds extend halfway around. 8 to 4 o'clock is a little more pave.

 

[decodelighted]

Date: 2/22/2007 6:49:10 PM
Author: Cehrabehra

Date: 2/22/2007 5:44:35 PM
Author: decodelighted
My taste leans toward the exquisitely GRACEFUL confections that Leon turns out time after time after time.

if I say that LM pieces have more ''soul'' will you tease me deco?

YES!

Okay - I''ll refrain. But I will say that saying Leon''s pieces "have more soul" seems like more of an assumptive leap than a phrase like "have more flair".

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 2/22/2007 6:56:42 PM
Author: decodelighted

Date: 2/22/2007 6:49:10 PM
Author: Cehrabehra

Date: 2/22/2007 5:44:35 PM
Author: decodelighted
My taste leans toward the exquisitely GRACEFUL confections that Leon turns out time after time after time.

if I say that LM pieces have more ''soul'' will you tease me deco?

YES!

Okay - I''ll refrain. But I will say that saying Leon''s pieces ''have more soul'' seems like more of an assumptive leap than a phrase like ''have more flair''.

You know you two are like .... entertainment, at times.

 

[starryeyed]

Date: 2/22/2007 6:24:23 PM
Author: Gypsy
I''ve seen both WF work and Leons... Yes, I think Leon''s is worth the premium... that said. I would ask Mark at ERD to qoute the setting. Honestly I really love his pave work recently shown on here ... I like the overall look of his settings more than WF''s, and I''d be worried (just a personal concern) about WF''s recent problems.

ETA; He just qouted my setting for me... with .15 carat weight diamonds it was only... 2900 for mine. Base was set high... diamonds were like 80 bucks added to that.

Thanks Gypsy. It helps to hear another price point. You have a good idea to get a third quote. I do have another source for custom settings and my guess is they''d be a little more than WF, and less than LM.

I am a bit concerned about the recent problems at WF. At first I wasn''t because I thought, isolated incident, but then there were more. I still have a lot of confidence in WF though, or I wouldn''t be considering them. They have been great with me.

I know there is a huge difference in the process between cast pave and handmade pave. I''m not sure what that difference actually looks like. I''m not sure what visual differences I can expect.

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 2/22/2007 6:52:30 PM
Author: starryeyed

Date: 2/22/2007 6:44:34 PM
Author: Cehrabehra
what does 9-3 o''clock vs 8-4 oclock mean???

If you look at the side view of the ring and think of it as a clock, it indicates what portion of the ''clock'' has pave. Does that make sense?

So 9 to 3 o''clock means the diamonds extend halfway around. 8 to 4 o''clock is a little more pave.

how sad am I that I have no idea what you''re talking about even still??? LOL Are you talking about where the split shanks hit? do you mean 12 and 6 oclock? LOL I think I need rings for dummies!!

 

[Gypsy]

Okay honey.

Picture a round ring from side view... so that its like an O or a clock face, or a steering wheel. The 9-3 position means the pave will go half way around the top of the circle or clock face or steering wheel. The 10-4 means that it will go 3/4 around the top of the O or clock face. The pave stops where those numbers would be on a round clock face. If you imagine a round clock face inside the O of the ring, the corresponding numbers are where the pave stops.

 

[jaz464]

Date: 2/22/2007 7:37:46 PM
Author: Cehrabehra

Date: 2/22/2007 6:52:30 PM
Author: starryeyed

Date: 2/22/2007 6:44:34 PM
Author: Cehrabehra
what does 9-3 o'clock vs 8-4 oclock mean???

If you look at the side view of the ring and think of it as a clock, it indicates what portion of the 'clock' has pave. Does that make sense?

So 9 to 3 o'clock means the diamonds extend halfway around. 8 to 4 o'clock is a little more pave.

how sad am I that I have no idea what you're talking about even still??? LOL Are you talking about where the split shanks hit? do you mean 12 and 6 oclock? LOL I think I need rings for dummies!!

Don't feel bad. I don't get it either

ETA: Thanks Gypsy. That makes perfect sense.

 

[starryeyed]

Date: 2/22/2007 7:43:33 PM
Author: Gypsy
Okay honey.

Picture a round ring from side view... so that its like an O or a clock face, or a steering wheel. The 9-3 position means the pave will go half way around the top of the circle or clock face or steering wheel. The 10-4 means that it will go 3/4 around the top of the O or clock face. The pave stops where those numbers would be on a round clock face. If you imagine a round clock face inside the O of the ring, the corresponding numbers are where the pave stops.

Sounds like this explanation helped. Thanks gypsy. One thing though - did you mean to say, 8 to 4 o'clock will go 3/4 of the way around (rather than 10-4)? From 4 o'clock to 8 o'clock is the bottom of the shank where there are no diamonds.

 

[swingirl]

Leon and WF are just 2 different types of vendors. Leon''s website discribes his operation, "We specialize in high-end custom made platinum jewelry." and "One of our most unique specialties is micropave setting where only few (mainly european) craftsman rival our skills and knowledge of this type of setting."

WF may do a beautiful job on custom pieces but they don''t sell themselves as specialists in pave. They are more diverse in offering stones, ready-made jewelry, custom pieces, design ideas, and the wonderful internet service. They do beautiful pave, as many examples exist on PS.

But they are just 2 different businesses. WF shows you a wax so you can approve and made changes if necessary. Leon does not. You have to trust Leon and let him do some thinking. That''s what people love about him, though, if you use him for his design sense you truely are getting your money''s worth.

But if you compare dollar for dollar his price is going to be higher and it is not for the cost of the pave stones. It''s for the labor and reputation.

Good luck with your project. Your drawing is good and it will be a beautiful ring no matter where you get it done!