need some advice please (pretty much on everything related to ering)

[sweetpea&babycorn]

hi all! im new here, and i recently got a big OK from my bf to start looking for an engagement ring! we''ve been together 5 years and the day has finally come

his only request was that i get something that makes me through the roof happy and of course he set a budget, otherwise, he''d be in big trouble! my limit right now is between 12K and 14K and i definitely want to go the custom route. i think putting aside 3K for the setting is enough? and the rest will be for the stone.

after lurking, i''m definitely going for a cushion cut diamond. a lot of people raved about Mark from EngagementRingsDirect, so I emailed him and got a call from him yesterday he will be searching for a stone for me and hopefully will find the perfect one! i''m sure at some point bf and i will visit his office, or he even offered to come up to us to talk about what we want!

so my only main concern is where to get custom work done. i love the thin micropave look, and wanted to include surprise garnets and engraving in the ring. i''ve been strongly considering Leon Mege to make a ring for us. but when i talked to mark, he mentioned that he does custom work too, and i know his prices are competitive. i also read some threads that Leon can be very difficult to work with, as he tends to have an "artist" view on his pieces and Mark is a doll to work with. however, i am so in love with Leon''s work, and don''t know much about Mark''s.

so my questions for everyone here is:

1) am i allocating my budge ok? (3K for the ring, remainder for the stone)?
2) who should i go to for custom work - mark or leon mege? (or anyone else)

if people are willing to post pictures of either their LM or ERD rings, that''d be great! thanks so much!!

 

[stone-cold11]

I think 3k maybe too low for LM.

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 11/6/2009 9:25:38 AM
Author:sweetpea&babycorn
hi all! im new here, and i recently got a big OK from my bf to start looking for an engagement ring! we''ve been together 5 years and the day has finally come

his only request was that i get something that makes me through the roof happy and of course he set a budget, otherwise, he''d be in big trouble! my limit right now is between 12K and 14K and i definitely want to go the custom route. i think putting aside 3K for the setting is enough? and the rest will be for the stone.

after lurking, i''m definitely going for a cushion cut diamond. a lot of people raved about Mark from EngagementRingsDirect, so I emailed him and got a call from him yesterday he will be searching for a stone for me and hopefully will find the perfect one! i''m sure at some point bf and i will visit his office, or he even offered to come up to us to talk about what we want!

so my only main concern is where to get custom work done. i love the thin micropave look, and wanted to include surprise garnets and engraving in the ring. i''ve been strongly considering Leon Mege to make a ring for us. but when i talked to mark, he mentioned that he does custom work too, and i know his prices are competitive. i also read some threads that Leon can be very difficult to work with, as he tends to have an ''artist'' view on his pieces and Mark is a doll to work with. however, i am so in love with Leon''s work, and don''t know much about Mark''s.

so my questions for everyone here is:

1) am i allocating my budge ok? (3K for the ring, remainder for the stone)?
2) who should i go to for custom work - mark or leon mege? (or anyone else)

if people are willing to post pictures of either their LM or ERD rings, that''d be great! thanks so much!!

Hey there,

Welcome to PS!

I am sure there will be many people here on PS who are much more qualified to respond to yr Q''s than I am.

I just wanted to chime in and say that PSers'' opinions on Leon are pretty mixed. I''m in the camp that hasn''t really seen Leon''s "artiste temperament". He''s only ever been nice, helpful and courteous to me. I''ve had two pieces of jewellery done by Leon and have enquired about many other pieces and each time, Leon has been very responsive and polite. So, I wouldn''t let whatever you''ve read put you off!

Congrats on the imminent engagement btw

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 11/6/2009 9:51:32 AM
Author: Stone-cold11
I think 3k maybe too low for LM.

Not necesary. It depends on the style the OP picks. If it's something like Harriet's ering for example, ie. fairly simple but at the same time still elegant (it's what you might call "understated elegant"), it should not exceed that budget. However, if it's something like a micropave piece and esp if it's pave'ed on all three sides, then you're right, $3k is not enough.

sweetpea, what I've experienced so far is that Leon is open to negotiation. You could let him know your budget, pick a style that you'd like from his website (or elsewhere) and tell him your modifications (if any) and he'll come back and suggest some things that may allow you to stay within budget....if not, then you'll know for sure. But it's worth it to jot him an email and ask him whether what you'd like is reasonable, within yr budget constraint.

 

[stone-cold11]

Date: 11/6/2009 9:25:38 AM
Author:sweetpea&babycorn
so my only main concern is where to get custom work done. i love the thin micropave look, and wanted to include surprise garnets and engraving in the ring. i''ve been strongly considering Leon Mege to make a ring for us. but when i talked to mark, he mentioned that he does custom work too, and i know his prices are competitive. i also read some threads that Leon can be very difficult to work with, as he tends to have an ''artist'' view on his pieces and Mark is a doll to work with. however, i am so in love with Leon''s work, and don''t know much about Mark''s.

Based my price comment on this.

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 11/6/2009 10:06:54 AM
Author: Stone-cold11

Date: 11/6/2009 9:25:38 AM
Author:sweetpea&babycorn
so my only main concern is where to get custom work done. i love the thin micropave look, and wanted to include surprise garnets and engraving in the ring. i've been strongly considering Leon Mege to make a ring for us. but when i talked to mark, he mentioned that he does custom work too, and i know his prices are competitive. i also read some threads that Leon can be very difficult to work with, as he tends to have an 'artist' view on his pieces and Mark is a doll to work with. however, i am so in love with Leon's work, and don't know much about Mark's.

Based my price comment on this.

You're right, stone-cold. Apologies.

sweetpea, $3k is not enough for a micropave with Leon, I'm afraid.

 

[sweetpea&babycorn]

thanks Phoenix and Stone-cold! (and for the warm welcome

in regards to the micropave, i would want it just on one side of the ring (not all three sides) and only about 80% around the band versus the eternity style. but you''re right, considering everything else (suprise stones, engraving) the price would probably end up about the same.

i don''t mind going with mark, i just drool over Leon''s work all the time! i''m not surprised that the setting would cost a bit more. i think i''ll need to do a search on mark''s custom work.

with the higher price for the setting in mind, i could reallocate diamond funds to the setting, and get the leon... but it seems like lots of people would pay more for the stone and compromise on the setting than the other way around, and then change their setting later on. i would love a 2ct cushion and am praying mark can find the one for me.

 

[Phoenix]

sweetpea,

I looked through LM website and saw this:

http://www.artofplatinum.com/4images/details.php?image_id=229

See the two stars under "price key"? That indicates that it wouldn't cost so much (maybe under $3k - hopefully) to have yr stone set in this style. Note that the more stars the more expensive!

Why don't you just email Leon and see how he says? It doesn't hurt. Tell him Lien (my real name, not my PS screen name) recommended him to you.

Good luck.

ETA: Ooooohhhh!! Just found this. I *adore* it (I esp lurve the double claws - swooooooon

) and it's even less expensive than the one above. I think it has everything you're looking for in terms of the basics (I don't know how much it'd cost to do the surprise gemstones and engraving - but again just ask him):

http://www.artofplatinum.com/4images/details.php?image_id=504

 

[sweetpea&babycorn]

oohhh Phoenix, those are BEAUTIFUL! seeing leon''s work is like being in a museum

thanks for searching around for me!

i''m going to peruse more of leon''s work. i just searched about mark at ERD and people have said nothing bad about him! and his pieces look fabulous. i''m not on a timeline for this or anything, so there really seems to be no rush, i''m just anxious! and i know the custom design process takes weeks and weeks. a holiday proposal would be a dream but the holidays seem a little close, eh?

im taking full advantage of pricescope membership and collecting some pictures of what i''d like in my ring

. i''ve never had anything custom done, so i''d want it to be as perfect as possible!

 

[Stone Hunter]

I am one of those people that would spend most of my budget on the stone, but it is a personal thing. Some people have very elaborate settings and small stones and are very happy.

Of course with your budget you could have a very nice sized stone and an elaborate setting. But if you want the 2ct cushion you may not be able to do the elaborate setting. SIGH it''s always a trade off. Does your FF have any opinion on this?

Oh and I just love cushions so I can''t wait to see the stone you get!!

HTH

 

[sweetpea&babycorn]

Date: 11/7/2009 12:55:20 PM
Author: Stone Hunter
I am one of those people that would spend most of my budget on the stone, but it is a personal thing. Some people have very elaborate settings and small stones and are very happy.

Of course with your budget you could have a very nice sized stone and an elaborate setting. But if you want the 2ct cushion you may not be able to do the elaborate setting. SIGH it''s always a trade off. Does your FF have any opinion on this?

Oh and I just love cushions so I can''t wait to see the stone you get!!

HTH

stone hunter, you hit it right on the nose. i don''t know which to go for! i am leaning towards investing more money into the stone, because i''m very doubtful that we would upgrade the stone - though i will go with a vendor that has an upgrade policy just.in.case

so i think i would be ok with a less elaborate setting because i don''t think my bf would mind updating a setting. but if i could get an elaborate setting through mark instead of leon, i think i would save a lot of money... but i love leon mege!

bf doesn''t know much about jewelry and isn''t really interested in learning about it. so i show him pictures and he says nice or pass

sometimes i see a solitaire as having a beautiful simple elegance to it, and other times i am convinced i''d like a micropave. i think i''ll need to try some settings on at some point and figure out which looks best with a larger cushion and on my hand (i am a size 6/6.25).

i am really excited too! i can''t wait to hear back from mark... he''s away in dc until tuesday and then i''m going to be in st. kitts wed so i have to wait to come back from vacation to see what he has. i''ll definitely post pictures and be seeking out advice!

 

[nkarma]

If I wear you I would get this http://www.goodoldgold.com/diamond/6563/

and then spend the rest of the budget on your dream setting with Leon.

 

[Hest88]

Congratulations! Yes, definitely try on some rings but, more importantly, just take your time. There are so many choices out there that it''s hard to know what you *really* want until they become more familiar. I remember when I was first looking just about everything looked dazzling. You might end up falling so hard for a style of ring that decide a smaller stone is indeed preferable, or you may find that after you try on a number of rings you want something simpler with a larger stone.

 

[sweetpea&babycorn]

nkarma - that is a lovely cushion! goodoldgold has some beautiful diamonds, and i''m right now considering their square cushion H&As. i''m looking for something a little more modern, less cushiony - it seems that a lot of people here love the chunky cushions. i haven''t seen any in person, so my bf and i might drop by GOG one day and take a look at what they have. but to find the perfect stone in the 8-9K would be fabulous, and i would definitely have enough left over for my dream setting too!

hest - thank you! i definitely have no problem looking around. initially i thought i''d love a halo engagement ring, and i looked at some tacori rings. but the more i wore it, the more i felt like i was looking at too much and i couldn''t focus on one part of the ring. im also really lucky that my mom has a lot of rings because seeing them on her hand helped me figure out that i didn''t like princess cuts, and i don''t like channel settings. it''s definitely worth a visit to GOG and ERD to see what they have. i''d rather focus my business with a couple of vendors and find my stone first, and then see what i can do about a setting

 

[swingirl]

If you are looking for a platinum setting with a lot of pave you will need to set aside at least $4K (I''d guess more). Mark works with CAD so you can see what it''s going to look like in several stages and tweak. LM does not and pretty much does what you see on his web site. He considers himself a craftsman not an artist. His craft is pave and platinum. He likes it best when you refer to one of his previously done pieces and modify that.

You''ve got a very nice budget to work with!!

 

[sweetpea&babycorn]

thanks swingirl! i am a lucky girl, im so grateful for my bf, he is the biggest sweetheart and i know when he says to pick something that makes me happy, he means it.

as for the pave, i''m not looking for anything heavy duty or mad crazy blingy, just something thin and delicate. some of leon''s work shows pave around the sides and all the way around the ring but i only want the micropave to cover my finger (~80%?)

the information you shared about leon''s process is great! i''m not sure what CAD''s are, i''ve seen them posted around here, but not sure how they''re made. i''m guessing they''re like blueprints for custom jewelry. but how they transfer the CAD into actually making the ring is not something i''m clear on. are people usually really sensitive to whether custom jewelers use CADs or not?