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Looking at a Stuller setting

Wolfy77

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Nov 19, 2019
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Hey all!

I would like to first start off by saying that I’ve made the dive into looking for high quality diamonds, and there is a plethora of great info on this site, so thank you all!

I’m currently looking at a Stuller setting 123699 in platinum. I’ve seen an example in a shop so we know that’s definitely the one we are going with. However, places prices on Stuller settings seem to vary a lot! We would like to save as much as we can, and are wondering where we can get the best price on the setting we’d like. I’ve done quite a few quotes, and they are honestly all over the place. I’ve read on here that some places/jewelers will give you great prices on the settings. Does anyone have a recommendation on who to go through to get the best price? Or maybe even how to go about getting a good price on one?

Thanks!
 

MollyMalone

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Hi, @Wolfy77 :wavey:

Have you purchased the center diamond; are you asking that jeweler to also provide the two main side stones or are you thinking you'd have Stulller provide those (and the melee in the shank)? If you're working with a blank canvas, so to speak, I suggest that you do one-stop shopping, i,e., ask whoever is the source of the main diamonds to order Stuller 123699 for you & then set them in the semi-mount for you. Even if that jeweler/vendor has a higher, listing price for 123699, in my experience, most will give you a discount for buying both the primary diamond(s) and the setting from them -- and will not charge you a fee to set the stone, as they would if you want them to mount a diamond you did not purchase from them.

Plus, you almost always will assume the risk of loss of/damage if you ask a jeweler to mount an "outside" stone; that's typically not covered by the insurance policy carried by many jewelers, at least here in the US.

Bottom line as I see it: make sure you're comparing apples to apples; the price for Stuller 123699 alone shouldn't be what "drives" your decision.

P.S.1
fyi: Stuller's wholesale prices are very market-sensitive. When the price of gold or platinum falls or rises, they very quickly adjust their wholesale prices. Soooo, depending on the metals market, a price you get at X point in time may not be the same price quoted you a month later. And as you've perhaps already seen, the price of a particular Stuller mounting will usually vary according to ring size, size of center stone, etc.

P.S. 2 -- think many of us here, who have Stuller mountings, would agree that it's worthwhile to ask Stuller for upgraded melee. Of course, doing so will bump up the price.
 
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tyty333

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whitewave

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I would definitely start with the vendor who sold you the stone.
 

MollyMalone

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Seems as if Love Affair Diamonds is showing Stuller merchandise at a very fair price (certainly less than seen on some other websites). Here's the LAD page for 123699:

To get a more personalized price, select the shape & size of the center stone (or what you expect you'll be buying if you don't already have it); then choose Platinum and ring size from the drop-down menus to your right.

Looks to me as if the base prices shown here, and on other websites,for 123699 are just for the mounting -- doesn't include any diamonds, not even the 32, small 1 mm stones in the shank's "shoulders." To see the various prices for the possibilities for those melee diamonds -- and if desired, the center stone and/or 2 side stones, scroll down to the bottom of the page to the Can Be Set With (Stones Sold Separately) & then click the View Available Diamonds links over to the right. Don't panic at the first prices you'll may first notice on the page that then comes into view; that's the price per carat. The prices in the far right column are the (estimated) price for each such stone if supplied, and set, by Stuller.
 
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Karl_K

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Stuller sells some nice serviceable settings but they can use some clean up work done on them usually and that is not free.
That is true for all pre-made settings.
So the lowest price may not be the best price if they are just going to slap it together and run it for 30 seconds on a polishing wheel compared to someone who spends 20-30min on them refining and cleaning them up.
 

MarionC

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I have two Stuller settings and had them tweaked, most specifically the prongs were made more delicate. Stuller is a great option. I initially bought mine as temp settings and liked them so much that I’ve kept them.
 

Wolfy77

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Nov 19, 2019
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Wow, thank you all for all of the info!!

@MollyMalone We do not have the center stone yet, however we do know where we will be getting it from. I checked up on Stuller’s website and sure enough, they are a dealer! So I sent them an inquiry about getting me a Stuller setting. We were hoping to be able to buy the two main side stones ourselves, as we would be able to get better quality for our money. It is however very difficult to find 3.5mm stones!

- When you mention about upgrading the melee, I’m assuming that you mean stepping up in quality? We were thinking of doing the VS F+ melee from Stuller, we just haven’t decided on natural or lab grown as lab would save a little and we assume that they would look exactly the same.

Thanks for finding that website! It’s a touch cheaper than the other ones I’ve found. When I did search for Stuller dealers in my area, there were 4-5 that don’t even come up as jewelry stores when I search in maps for example. So my guess is that they are small bench jewelers maybe?

@Karl_K I understand what you mean by the work going into it. So if I were to order it online through a Stuller dealer and they ship it to me, you’re saying that they may have not put very much work into it? If I were to go that route, would I just have to have the jeweler setting the last three stones for me clean it all up?
 

amoline

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Stuller has some hearts & arrows melee that looks very nice - it might be available in the particular size. I would also recommend upgrading the melee.

I would suggest natural mined diamond accents if your center stone is also the same. I, personally, would not mix lab grown diamonds with non lab grown stones within the same piece.

There's no harm in talking to your jeweler and seeing if they would be willing to give you some break on price/labor, etc. if you have everything done through them.

From personal experience, I would recommend trying to get as much done related to your piece as you can with one craftsperson. This will make it easier and also (hopefully not) if any issues would arise you have one stop to go to for fixing them and not 3 different jewelers trying to point fingers at each other.
 

Rfisher

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Great information here!
I hope you come back @Wolfy77
to post updates on your process, and most importantly - the finished piece!
 

Karl_K

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@Karl_K I understand what you mean by the work going into it. So if I were to order it online through a Stuller dealer and they ship it to me, you’re saying that they may have not put very much work into it? If I were to go that route, would I just have to have the jeweler setting the last three stones for me clean it all up?
Yes, whoever does the final work on it would be the one to clean it up.
Something to keep in mind is many places will not set a stone in a setting they did not source.
 

MollyMalone

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* * * @MollyMalone We do not have the center stone yet, however we do know where we will be getting it from. I checked up on Stuller’s website and sure enough, they are a dealer! So I sent them an inquiry about getting me a Stuller setting. We were hoping to be able to buy the two main side stones ourselves, as we would be able to get better quality for our money. It is however very difficult to find 3.5mm stones!
* * *
3.5mm stone = 0.17 ct a/k/a 17 pointer (1 point is 1/100th of a carat). Think you will be hard-pressed to find those on the open market for consumers; more particularly, 2 that are compatible with each other & with the center stone. And because your jeweler may not be willing to use stones that you supply -- or if they do, you'll most likely have to "eat" the cost of replacing any that get lost/damaged in the process, clarify what their policy is re "outside" stones before you go full-tilt at tracking down stones on your own.

Did you see that Stuller itself could supply "precision cut" diamonds for the side stones -- or even hearts & arrows CanadaMark side stones (the price for those may be more than you care to pay) -- in addition to the various other possibilities, including lab-grown diamonds? (I have no idea how well cut their lab diamonds are)
 

Wolfy77

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@MollyMalone Thank you for the additional info. I went through the quotes again to see what it would cost for the side stones in the Canada H&A as well as precision cut stones, and they are $1000+ for them. I see that after a quick search I can go to Adiamor for example and get two GIA graded side stones for $350 each or $700 total. I could probably ask them to make sure the ones I pick match well. As a little side note, we are going for a F+ center. It almost seems as if this may be a better route to go, assuming the jeweler we take it to to finish it would set them for us.

As far as for the melee stones, looking around we would probably upgrade to the Stuller precision cut, as I believe that’s what you would recommend. We were thinking of doing VS F+ but aren’t sure if it’s exactly worth it over the other options.
 

MollyMalone

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Reminder: the Stuller prices you're seeing are the full retail prices decided upon by whichever vendor has imported the Stuller Showcase into their website that you're viewing.. Your jeweler may be willing to charge you less of a mark-up if you have him do the complete ring.

Adiamor's diamond search database currently says it has 154,812 stones, so (like many other vendors), they're including "virtual inventory." Consequently, it's very possible, even likely, that they do not have the 17 pointers in hand & are not the exclusive source for whatever 17 pointers are showing up for you; Again, I'd at least ask your local jeweler about sourcing the side stones for you. And not just because he/she may charge you less than Adiamor. The "sample images" that typically accompany virtual inventory listings are of no value & your local jeweler is presumably better positioned than you are (no offense intended!) to assess what the specs given in the GIA reports "translate into."

I'm thinking you can save yourselves some money by not springing for VS F+ melee, even tho' you're contemplating purchasing an E or F center stone. Seems to me teeny melee stones appear whiter face-up than larger stones of the same color grade, so the G+ melee should be fine.
 
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Wolfy77

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@MollyMalone Thanks for the additional information! I did a little more searching around, and I think I am going to heed your advice and go with side stones from Stuller. I’m thinking that the CanadaMark H&A’s stones should live up to expectations? I was thinking about going with the VS F+.

For the melee, I’m thinking I will go with the VS G+.

I believe it will work okay by stepping up gradually in color as they do. With these options I’m thinking I’ll probably be okay with anything in the D to F range for a center stone? She just want it to be as white and sparkly as possible with them being on platinum. I’m still “in the thick of it” so to say with finding a good center stone. There are so many things I’ve learned on here about the HCA scores, crown and pavilion angles and how they compliment each other, table sizes, etc.
 

MollyMalone

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You could ask your jeweler to price out hearts and arrows melee from Grunberger Diamonds, the world's largest producer of AGS 000 hearts and arrows melee
https://www.americangemsociety.org/news/355025/Supplier-Spotlight-Grunberger-Diamonds-Inc..htm
It's strictly a wholesaler; their US office is on Long Island, outside of New York City:
http://www.grunbergerdiamonds.com
http://www.grunbergerdiamonds.com/d...ong-kong-antwerp-belgium-osaka-japan-vietnam/
Might be cheaper than the CanadaMark ones.

Has she viewed well-cut stones -- at, say, a Hearts on Fire retailer -- ranging from D-H (separately, face-up "solo" & also temporarily positioned in a platinum, or white gold setting similar to 123699) and without first being told the respective color grades? Or is "as white...as possible" more of a wish made in the abstract?

The reason I ask is because D & E modern round brilliants are too icy-white (almost "harsh") for my tastes, so even if my budget had no bounds, I wouldn't pick those. And depending on the setting for the modern brilliant,, I might very well prefer a G center stone over an F. Of course, not everyone feels that way... and for some, the relative rarity of the whitest stones is something they value, are willing to pay extra for.

Are you wedded to the idea of using a local jeweler? Although I generally prefer to patronize local businesses, that's easier for me than for many folks since I live in NYC with its panoplies of possibilities. Even here, AGS 000 stones aren't seen in vast abundance. So if you're leaning in that direction, consider scrolling through the center stone in-house inventory at both Whiteflash and High Performance Diamonds.& ask for price quotes for a completed 123599 based on your choices of a center stone. They'd be happy to order the Stuller setting sans any diamonds and set it entirely with their own stones; each offer their own H&A melee. E.g.,
 

Wolfy77

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@MollyMalone I will send that information over to one of the jewelers that I may end up going with, thank you!

We have not been able to see many well cut stones as most of the stores around us are chains or they do not stock and higher cut quality diamonds. She just wants it to look as while as possible. However, we aren’t the most knowledgeable when it comes to what these will look like “on the hand” so to say. To my understanding D - G are good and are face up white. However we aren’t sure how much of the side of the diamond she would be able to see so we thought about sticking with D-F and more than likely going with an F, however we are keeping our options open.

We actually aren’t wedded to anything at the moment. We just are frugal people and are somewhat tight financially at the moment. Which is why I would like to find the best price possible. We are in a smaller city in the Midwest, so we do not have very many options at all unfortunately!
 

amoline

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My mother has some jewelry pieces for which Grunberger diamond melee was used and it gets two thumbs up from me. The melee in the earrings she has is D/VVS1 - so truly top notch and as MollyMalone says nearly too icy white but boy is it beautiful.

I wish I could make a video. And they have very precise sizing so your should have no problem getting the sizes required if you go that route.

I have nothing scientific or evidence based to back it up, but the diamonds from Grunberger in my mother's jewelry outpaces pretty much any other melee stones I've been able to see. I've not been able to see in person some of the melee from vendors like whiteflash or of course HPD's famous Lux Melee but it would not surprise me if Grunberger's diamonds are right on par with anything else. If you can get them from your jeweler, if you stay local, do.

If there truly are few local options, it may be worth giving WF or a similar vendor a call - it's all about as many options as possible.
 

CaseyLouLou

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Does anyone have a good source for Stuller settings (mounting only)? Someone who will set a stone I already have? I'm trying to stick to a tight budget and some places mark up a lot more than others. Thanks!
 

MollyMalone

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Does anyone have a good source for Stuller settings (mounting only)? Someone who will set a stone I already have? I'm trying to stick to a tight budget and some places mark up a lot more than others. Thanks!
I'd first get price quotes from local jewelers so you can make the best decision for yourself. Even if a local's price for the Stuller item plus setting the stone is somewhat higher than what you might see elsewhere online. you'll have to pay for insured delivery to-from the online jeweler, a cost you won't have by going local. So the total costs of using an online vendor may not end up being advantageous.
 

headlight

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Hi, @Wolfy77 :wavey:

Have you purchased the center diamond; are you asking that jeweler to also provide the two main side stones or are you thinking you'd have Stulller provide those (and the melee in the shank)? If you're working with a blank canvas, so to speak, I suggest that you do one-stop shopping, i,e., ask whoever is the source of the main diamonds to order Stuller 123699 for you & then set them in the semi-mount for you. Even if that jeweler/vendor has a higher, listing price for 123699, in my experience, most will give you a discount for buying both the primary diamond(s) and the setting from them -- and will not charge you a fee to set the stone, as they would if you want them to mount a diamond you did not purchase from them.

Plus, you almost always will assume the risk of loss of/damage if you ask a jeweler to mount an "outside" stone; that's typically not covered by the insurance policy carried by many jewelers, at least here in the US.

Bottom line as I see it: make sure you're comparing apples to apples; the price for Stuller 123699 alone shouldn't be what "drives" your decision.

P.S.1
fyi: Stuller's wholesale prices are very market-sensitive. When the price of gold or platinum falls or rises, they very quickly adjust their wholesale prices. Soooo, depending on the metals market, a price you get at X point in time may not be the same price quoted you a month later. And as you've perhaps already seen, the price of a particular Stuller mounting will usually vary according to ring size, size of center stone, etc.

P.S. 2 -- think many of us here, who have Stuller mountings, would agree that it's worthwhile to ask Stuller for upgraded melee. Of course, doing so will bump up the price.

I’ll second that about getting upgraded melee... their standard is not good. However, if you upgrade it, they are not returnable to Stuller because they consider it to be custom.
 

CSpan

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Does anyone have a good source for Stuller settings (mounting only)? Someone who will set a stone I already have? I'm trying to stick to a tight budget and some places mark up a lot more than others. Thanks!

Terry at Jasmine Jade Boutique (on IG) ordered me a Stuller setting and had stones I had previously bought set. I'm not sure who else will set other people's stones but even my local guys were wary. I should mention the stones I had weren't calibrated but the bench was able trim them and it came out perfectly.
 

MollyMalone

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I’ll second that about getting upgraded melee... their standard is not good. However, if you upgrade it, they are not returnable to Stuller because they consider it to be custom.
I'm hopeful that the OP, who last posted 3+ months ago, has a completed ring in hand and perhaps has even proposed by now. If so, we'd love to hear from you, @Wolfy77 -- and pics would be a nice plus :))

But if the ring is still a work in progress, please be aware (I'm sorry I didn't mention it early on, but hopefully, your jeweler did) that Stuller 123699 will most likely not be returnable even if you were to decide on Stuller's standard melee. You'll see on the listing page that Stuller says they don't usually stock it, so it probably will be a special order -- and Stuller does not accept returns of special order merchandise, unless there is a manufacturing defect or the item and the jeweler qualify for Product Review/Conditional Sale privileges.
Jewelers will sometimes agree to issue the customer a refund on a Stuller mounting/semi-mount if the setting style & ring size is one which they are willing to add to their own showcase because they think it will sell fairly readily.
 
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MollyMalone

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Terry at Jasmine Jade Boutique (on IG) ordered me a Stuller setting and had stones I had previously bought set. I'm not sure who else will set other people's stones but even my local guys were wary. I should mention the stones I had weren't calibrated but the bench was able trim them and it came out perfectly.
Hi, CSpan :wavey: were the stones colored gems? I'm guessing Yes since your local jewelers were leery of taking on the job; also because the stones aren't calibrated ones whereas Stuller ring settings are typically available in a variety of heads so as to nicely embrace a variety of diamond sizes and shapes.

@CaseyLouLou , if your stone is a diamond, I predict there's one or more Stuller settings that will appeal to you & is available in a head suitable for your diamond. Unless the diamond is an old cut of dimensions that are "out of whack" with the dimensions of today's diamonds. Even then, a Stuller may be able to gracefully accommodate your old cut diamond

If it's an old stone, you might contact Adam at Old World Diamonds here in NYC to see if he would be willing to order a Stuller mounting/semi-mount & set your stone even tho' you didn't purchase it from him. I'd definitely trust him to order a proper mounting, and if need be, tweak it for your old diamond; the bench he uses is quite good.
 
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