my first stone, where to set it?

[GemPendants]

I bought a pink tourmaline stone from Berry. I haven't received it yet but it is 7.2mmX9.2mm oval. Today I went to two jeweler's shops looking for a setting (for pendant).

The first one is a small shop which got good reviews on Yelp. All reviews said that jeweler shop was reasonably priced. I had high hopes for it. The lady showed me a huge book with pics of settings, about 20 pages on pendant settings. However, I did not find the setting I was looking for. When I described it to her, she went to her bookshelf and got another book. She showed me a page with the setting I described. I was happy. When asked about price, she said she had to see the stone to be sure and wouldn't rely on my measurement. I asked for a rough estimate, she said it might use 24-26 diamonds so it would $400-$500.

I have never shopped in a local jeweler's before. I have no idea if this is reasonable or not. What do you think? The setting is somewhat like this:

In order to shop around, I went to the second shop. This one is a larger, more famous local jeweler's shop. The old gentleman seemed to be the owner. He was polite but he wouldn't show me any pendant book. His shop, even though larger, had fewer pendants on display. He was pointing to me: this, this, that and telling me those are 1 thousand dollars. Shocked by his price range, I picked one with a simple 4-prong design and asked about it. He said he needed to see my stone, but it would range from $250 to $1000 for a pendant setting. So I guess the simplest 4-prong pendant would be $250.

I don't know if my experience is typical. But local jeweler's shops surprised me. I saw finished pendants sold at $300-$400 with this look I am seeking. How can a setting alone cost more than the whole pendant? If you have positive experience to share with me, I would appreciate it very much.

 

[cellentani]

I think it's typical of stores to carry very few pendants - that's been my unfortunate experience as well. It's even rarer to find a local shop that carries pendant semi-mounts - most have catalogs or claim they can custom make anything. I have found the majority of my pendant settings in NYC - both plain 4-prong baskets as well as diamond halos. In addition, I found a pair of earring semi-mounts at a gem show, and had them turn one into a pendant by adding a bale. I like your pendant idea - very elegant!

 

[chrono]

There are many reasons for huge price differences:
1. Cast versus hand made
2. Custom versus mass produced
3. Quality of workmanship
4. Quality of melee diamonds
5. Type and weight of metal used (10K, 14K, 18K)

 

[GemPendants]

I think it's typical of stores to carry very few pendants - that's been my unfortunate experience as well. It's even rarer to find a local shop that carries pendant semi-mounts - most have catalogs or claim they can custom make anything. I have found the majority of my pendant settings in NYC - both plain 4-prong baskets as well as diamond halos. In addition, I found a pair of earring semi-mounts at a gem show, and had them turn one into a pendant by adding a bale. I like your pendant idea - very elegant!

Thank you!

Yes, the lady in the first jeweler's shop said she would custom make me that pendant if necessary. I was only hoping to use a ready-to-go setting!

cellentani, would you tell me how you found pendant settings in NYC? You live in NYC, right? Just walk on the street in the diamond/jeweler district to search for a setting, or something else?

I also went to Zales and ask for pendant settings. The sales lady said there would be a gem show on 10/11 and settings would be available all day that day. I will go and try my luck if nothing better comes to me sooner.

 

[GemPendants]

There are many reasons for huge price differences:
1. Cast versus hand made
2. Custom versus mass produced
3. Quality of workmanship
4. Quality of melee diamonds
5. Type and weight of metal used (10K, 14K, 18K)

Thank you Chrono.

I am not too picky about 1, 2, or even 5.

I found the lord of the gem on ebay and he offered to make any setting for lower price on ebay. I don't see his products so I am not sure if his workmanship is acceptable. Of course I don't expect Cartier quality. Just something reasonable. Chrono, what do you think of his product in terms of workmanship (if you have purchased from him)?

 

[ForteKitty]

That second jeweler sounds kinda pricey. I got a 9mm BB garnet set about 3 months ago, in an halo pendant, and it was only $400. Attaching a picture below. I actually found this vendor on ebay and he's located in los angeles.

Where are you located?

eta: the first one sounds about right. second one is too high!

 

[ForteKitty]

here's a profile pic i just found. The setting has about 0.30ctw (i think) of diamonds, all very clean and very white. 14k white gold.

You should be able to find something similar for under $500.

 

[chrono]

GemPendants,
I just purchased an LOGR ring setting and am very satisfied with it. It cannot compare to my Whiteflash settings but then again, the setting is at least 5 times less than my WF rings. For the price I paid (I upgraded the metal and melees), it's a very good buy.
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/not-homeless-anymore.150203//

 

[Fly Girl]

Another thing that affects the cost of a setting is the price of gold. Gold has hit a new high of over $1300 per ounce this week. If you can find a premade setting sitting in a jewelry store, it might be cheaper just because it was originally priced when gold was perhaps $400 per ounce. When a jeweler orders a in a setting for you, it will be priced at the current price of gold. The weight of the setting and the amount of gold in the setting (10, 14, or 18k) will affect the price.

 

[Largosmom]

I would keep my eye open for ladies in your neighborhood who have nice jewelry and ask them where they got it...particularly if it looks like custom work. The person who does my nails sent me to my new favorite place because her grandmother and other family members also have used them. If anyone lives in Southern Virginia, in the Hampton Roads/Virginia Beach area, I highly recommend Hilton Village Goldsmith in Newport News. They are wonderful to work with.

I have two local jewelers both very nice and both with a selection of catalogs...but only Hilton Village does custom work on site. The second one is currently unable as their previous goldsmith moved on but both will pull catalogs for me to work with. I go in to HV and show them what I am thinking with either a drawing or picture printed out and they haul out the catalogs and help me find it...and usually know which vendor will give me a better price as well. They can build me a setting or put one together from parts. (Sorry, if I am droning on but I love these guys).

You should be thinking about the long term relationship of trust needed if you want to buy gemstones again and have them set...they need to have experience with softer stones. I've had two softer stones set so far without incident, though I always say up front I know it's riskier than harder stones. I trust them, they trust me to keep coming back, particularly now that I have this gemstone addiction.

Laura

edited to add...ditto on gold prices, it's very expensive to work in gold right now. Prices can take your breath away...ask about layaway if needed. Sometimes I'll put a deposit down and pay in a couple of chunks for a pricier setting.

 

[ooo~Shiney!]

Please don't forget about Etsy vendors, some
of them are very reasonable, great to work with
and can offer suggestions to keep your price
within your comfort zone.

I too had a "moment" when I compared
what I paid for a stone to what the setting would cost

 

[GemPendants]

here's a profile pic i just found. The setting has about 0.30ctw (i think) of diamonds, all very clean and very white. 14k white gold.

You should be able to find something similar for under $500.

THANK YOU, ForteKitty. I really appreciate it.

I am trying to make the cost down by using less diamonds... so I come up with this idea (below). Does it look good? I plan to get a quote from some of the known ebay sellers. If they are not too much lower than $500, I will just go local. I am Boston area.

 

[GemPendants]

Please don't forget about Etsy vendors, some
of them are very reasonable, great to work with
and can offer suggestions to keep your price
within your comfort zone.

I too had a "moment" when I compared
what I paid for a stone to what the setting would cost

Thank you, Shiney! It sounds like you have used some of these vendors. Any recommendations?

 

[ooo~Shiney!]

Please don't forget about Etsy vendors, some
of them are very reasonable, great to work with
and can offer suggestions to keep your price
within your comfort zone.

I too had a "moment" when I compared
what I paid for a stone to what the setting would cost

Thank you, Shiney! It sounds like you have used some of these vendors. Any recommendations?

hey, sorry i just now saw this !
I love to use Daniel M jewelers
i also have pending projects with Hearts of Water
and Julia Kay Taylor
there are others that ppl here have worked with, but those are 3 that
i have / am working with,
i have been very happy with the quality of work
and the level of communication thus far
you can give your ideas and they can work with you

 

[Michael_E]

The catalogs that all the jewelers use are also available online, so if you want to check out pictures of commercial settings I'd just do a search on these folks, (there are others which some of the other people on this forum can recommend as well). Any jeweler in the US can order from these guys, so you have a wide group of people who can assemble these things for you.
Adwar Castings
Stuller
Overnight Mountings
Unique Settings of NY
Filigree Rings.com
Roseco

You also have the option of getting settings which have no stones in them and adding a stone setting to them. This is a very good way to get something "semi-custom" at a commercial price. BTW, your gem is so close to 9mm x 7mm that it will easily fit in that size of calibrated setting, so you can use that as a guide when looking at commercial settings.

 

[cellentani]

I think it's typical of stores to carry very few pendants - that's been my unfortunate experience as well. It's even rarer to find a local shop that carries pendant semi-mounts - most have catalogs or claim they can custom make anything. I have found the majority of my pendant settings in NYC - both plain 4-prong baskets as well as diamond halos. In addition, I found a pair of earring semi-mounts at a gem show, and had them turn one into a pendant by adding a bale. I like your pendant idea - very elegant!

Thank you!

Yes, the lady in the first jeweler's shop said she would custom make me that pendant if necessary. I was only hoping to use a ready-to-go setting!

cellentani, would you tell me how you found pendant settings in NYC? You live in NYC, right? Just walk on the street in the diamond/jeweler district to search for a setting, or something else?

I also went to Zales and ask for pendant settings. The sales lady said there would be a gem show on 10/11 and settings would be available all day that day. I will go and try my luck if nothing better comes to me sooner.

Hi GemPendants, I don't live in NYC, but friends and I (coincidentally, they're from the Boston area too) have occasionally met up in NYC. During my first trip, we trolled nearly every vendor on 47th, but now we have 2 or 3 favorites. Having had experiences with local jewelers and gem shows, I feel like I can get better quality settings for the money there, and I like being able to see the setting in person (with my loose stone) before making a decision.

As an example, this summer, I got a diamond halo pendant setting for my 6mm rubellite in NY, and it was well under $400. On the same trip, I picked up 14K findings to make a simple, 4-prong basket necklace, and the total was under $100 (including chain, clasp, basket, etc). Both are in this thread, in case you want to have a look: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/pink-tourmaline-pendant-from-nyc-plus-apatite.146635/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/pink-tourmaline-pendant-from-nyc-plus-apatite.146635/[/URL]

scroll down this page to find another pendant setting (the earrings are from the same vendor too): [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/is-this-too-many-rings-for-one-hand.140843/page-7']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/is-this-too-many-rings-for-one-hand.140843/page-7[/URL]

Hope that helps!

 

[GemPendants]

Hi GemPendants, I don't live in NYC, but friends and I (coincidentally, they're from the Boston area too) have occasionally met up in NYC. During my first trip, we trolled nearly every vendor on 47th, but now we have 2 or 3 favorites. Having had experiences with local jewelers and gem shows, I feel like I can get better quality settings for the money there, and I like being able to see the setting in person (with my loose stone) before making a decision.

As an example, this summer, I got a diamond halo pendant setting for my 6mm rubellite in NY, and it was well under $400. On the same trip, I picked up 14K findings to make a simple, 4-prong basket necklace, and the total was under $100 (including chain, clasp, basket, etc). Both are in this thread, in case you want to have a look: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/pink-tourmaline-pendant-from-nyc-plus-apatite.146635/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/pink-tourmaline-pendant-from-nyc-plus-apatite.146635/[/URL]

scroll down this page to find another pendant setting (the earrings are from the same vendor too): [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/is-this-too-many-rings-for-one-hand.140843/page-7']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/is-this-too-many-rings-for-one-hand.140843/page-7[/URL]

Hope that helps!

WOW, beautiful pendants. It's YOUR 6mm rubellite pendant I admired so much that I want that type of setting too! Well below $400 is incredible. The simple basket necklace is so beautiful too. I might do something similar when I have a round stone.

I wish your NY jewelers would accept email orders. I can't go to NYC any time in the near future.

Thank you very much for sharing your experience.

 

[GemPendants]

Please don't forget about Etsy vendors, some
of them are very reasonable, great to work with
and can offer suggestions to keep your price
within your comfort zone.

I too had a "moment" when I compared
what I paid for a stone to what the setting would cost

Thank you, Shiney! It sounds like you have used some of these vendors. Any recommendations?

hey, sorry i just now saw this !
I love to use Daniel M jewelers
i also have pending projects with Hearts of Water
and Julia Kay Taylor
there are others that ppl here have worked with, but those are 3 that
i have / am working with,
i have been very happy with the quality of work
and the level of communication thus far
you can give your ideas and they can work with you

Thank you so much, Shiney. I will check them out.

 

[GemPendants]

The catalogs that all the jewelers use are also available online, so if you want to check out pictures of commercial settings I'd just do a search on these folks, (there are others which some of the other people on this forum can recommend as well). Any jeweler in the US can order from these guys, so you have a wide group of people who can assemble these things for you.
Adwar Castings
Stuller
Overnight Mountings
Unique Settings of NY
Filigree Rings.com
Roseco

You also have the option of getting settings which have no stones in them and adding a stone setting to them. This is a very good way to get something "semi-custom" at a commercial price. BTW, your gem is so close to 9mm x 7mm that it will easily fit in that size of calibrated setting, so you can use that as a guide when looking at commercial settings.

Thank you, Michael_E. I found a few settings I like in Overnight Mountings. It seems I can't buy it directly, nor can I see the price. For example, style# 31152 is priced at retail $527. Does it mean I ask a jeweler to buy this for me, I need to pay $527?

I will continue to look at the rest in your list. They are very helpful. Thank you.

 

[cellentani]

Hi GemPendants, I don't live in NYC, but friends and I (coincidentally, they're from the Boston area too) have occasionally met up in NYC. During my first trip, we trolled nearly every vendor on 47th, but now we have 2 or 3 favorites. Having had experiences with local jewelers and gem shows, I feel like I can get better quality settings for the money there, and I like being able to see the setting in person (with my loose stone) before making a decision.

As an example, this summer, I got a diamond halo pendant setting for my 6mm rubellite in NY, and it was well under $400. On the same trip, I picked up 14K findings to make a simple, 4-prong basket necklace, and the total was under $100 (including chain, clasp, basket, etc). Both are in this thread, in case you want to have a look: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/pink-tourmaline-pendant-from-nyc-plus-apatite.146635/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/pink-tourmaline-pendant-from-nyc-plus-apatite.146635/[/URL]

scroll down this page to find another pendant setting (the earrings are from the same vendor too): [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/is-this-too-many-rings-for-one-hand.140843/page-7']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/is-this-too-many-rings-for-one-hand.140843/page-7[/URL]

Hope that helps!

WOW, beautiful pendants. It's YOUR 6mm rubellite pendant I admired so much that I want that type of setting too! Well below $400 is incredible. The simple basket necklace is so beautiful too. I might do something similar when I have a round stone.

I wish your NY jewelers would accept email orders. I can't go to NYC any time in the near future.

Thank you very much for sharing your experience.

Um, actually, I think they will! If you email them the pic and tell them the size of your stone, they can check their inventory. Then you have the choice of shipping the stone to them for setting, or they'll ship the setting and you can have it set locally. The pendants were from Klim Jewelry - they have a website with contact info, and the owner, Ruben, is very helpful.

 

[GemPendants]

Um, actually, I think they will! If you email them the pic and tell them the size of your stone, they can check their inventory. Then you have the choice of shipping the stone to them for setting, or they'll ship the setting and you can have it set locally. The pendants were from Klim Jewelry - they have a website with contact info, and the owner, Ruben, is very helpful.

Thank you SO SO much! I wrote them an email asking about it. Hope they will reply.