OMBajeezus! Prices for mounting a stone!

[pipeline010]

Well, I got the rock, I got the setting (especially tailored to the rock), and I got the girl.

I walk into a local jeweler and ask how much it will be to mount the stone in the setting and they quote me $150!!!

Is this normal? It''s the only place I''ve checked so far but dear Lord that sounds excessive! In my mind I''m envisioning 1-3 minutes of actual work followed by 5 minutes of verification. Is there something I''m missing here??

Thank you in advance for all replies!!

 

[chrono]

That does seem rather excessive. I''ve paid anywhere from $25 to $50 for mounting a stone.

 

[Sparkalicious]

Date: 12/12/2007 5:44:59 PM
Author:pipeline010
Well, I got the rock, I got the setting (especially tailored to the rock), and I got the girl.

I walk into a local jeweler and ask how much it will be to mount the stone in the setting and they quote me $150!!!

Is this normal? It''s the only place I''ve checked so far but dear Lord that sounds excessive! In my mind I''m envisioning 1-3 minutes of actual work followed by 5 minutes of verification. Is there something I''m missing here??

Thank you in advance for all replies!!

When I was considering purchasing a setting from one place and the diamond from another, the place with the setting said they would charge $100 to set it but the place with the diamond said they wouldn''t charge. Go figure?!

If it helps, I think that the process of setting the diamond is actually more complex than it might first appear.

 

[WinkHPD]

Date: 12/12/2007 5:44:59 PM
Author:pipeline010
Well, I got the rock, I got the setting (especially tailored to the rock), and I got the girl.

I walk into a local jeweler and ask how much it will be to mount the stone in the setting and they quote me $150!!!

Is this normal? It''s the only place I''ve checked so far but dear Lord that sounds excessive! In my mind I''m envisioning 1-3 minutes of actual work followed by 5 minutes of verification. Is there something I''m missing here??

Thank you in advance for all replies!!

You are missing the fact that you bought the setting and the diamond from other sources and you want the jeweler to assume liability for both of them while he sets your stone.

If you brought it to me I would charge you less, but you would also have to sign a waiver of liability for both the mounting and the stone. If you had bought either the gem or the setting from him, chances are the setting would have been lower or non existant, but the jeweler is entitled to make a profit if you want him to do the work, especially this time of year.

The work to properly set it is significantly more than 1 - 3 minutes of work, and trust me, you would NOT want to trust your diamond and its future in your ring to someone who claims he can do the work that quickly. A seat needs to be cut, the prongs reduced to the proper length and polished, then the stone placed into the prongs and the prongs pulled and the whole thing polished again. I am not a bench jeweler, so I probably missed a step or two.

You can shop around and get it cheaper without a doubt. You might even get it cheaper and better done, I have no idea who your jeweler is or how good he is, but his charge is not out of line for what I have seen retail jewelers charging that do good work. It is not cheap, but not out of line.

Wink

 

[joflier]

I paid $60 to have my stone mounted and also have the ring sized up from a 5.25 to a 6.75 (and neither the stone nor setting was from this jeweler)

 

[milton333]

I was quoted $1 per point ($100 for 1 carat) to have a stone set by a jeweler from whom I did not purchase it. Maybe I''m in the minority, I don''t think it''s that much - the security of the prongs around your diamond is super-important, I want to be sure it''s done well and $1/point seems fair to me.

 

[Diamond*Dana]

I have never paid that much, usually $30-$50.

 

[denverappraiser]

I’m reminded of a story of Pablo Picasso.

He was sitting at a café in Paris later in his life, in the period when he was a celebrity and a fan recognized him. She went up to him and requested that he do a drawing for her. He agreed and quickly sketched something on a café napkin and requested 5000 franks as payment. 5000 Franks! The woman protested. That’s insane. It only took you 5 minutes! No ma’am, that didn’t take me 5 minutes, it took me a lifetime. You only watched for the last 5 minutes.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

 

[stebbo]

Date: 12/12/2007 11:57:20 PM
Author: denverappraiser
I’m reminded of a story of Pablo Picasso.

...

Similar to the engineer who got called out to a oil refinery to find a problem with one of the machines. Within a minute he replaced a bolt and fixed it, then gave them his bill for $10,001. Outraged, they questioned the bill. His answer: "$1 for the bolt, $10,000 for knowing which one".

 

[JohnQuixote]

What about the scammer on eBay selling a 1ct G/VS2 in plain solitaire w/ no grading report or refund for $4000? The buyer discovers by GIA grading it's M/SI2 in cheap metal, worth no more than $2000. He contacts the scammer who explains "$2000 for the diamond. $2000 idiot tax."


Okay I made that one up.

Picasso & the engineer are much better.

 

[stebbo]

Date: 12/13/2007 1:12:06 AM
Author: JohnQuixote


Okay I made that one up.

Picasso & the engineer are much better.

But yours was funnier

 

[denverappraiser]

Pipeline,

I understand the problem. You go through all of this trouble to beat up the diamond dealer and the mounting supplier to get the best possible deal and it seems insane to not go with the cheapest assembly and appraiser as well. The cheapest appraisal is ‘free’ as part of the packing materials from the diamond dealer so that’s easy enough to ignore but it’s tough to do much of anything without a setter.

I retired quite a few years ago as a bench jeweler and I’ve employed and trained dozens of them. Never was I interested in being the cheapest craftsman in Denver and often was among the most expensive. By the way, I’m one of the most expensive appraisers too. I rarely did the waiver of liability approach that Wink is discussing and I would guarantee all of my work to be free of problems for a year. I guaranteed 10x perfect craftsmanship. This wasn’t, and still isn’t a typical sort of warranty and it wasn’t, and still isn’t, a typical level of craftsmanship. It depends on what you want. I see from your other posts that what you’ve got is a 1.08 princess and, I must say, I probably would have charged you at least $150 to set it, and that was in 2002. I know setters who charge more than that, I know setters who would do it for $50 and I know setters who would simply decline your business at any price. The best craftsmen are rarely the cheapest to the question you should be asking is whether there’s a difference in the final product between good craftsmanship and bad craftsmanship by the setter.

Yes, there is.

And it stays part of the piece forever. It’s a way more unusual skill set than you apparently think and there are a remarkable number of people who think they can do it but who can’t do it well. Most actually. Skill levels of bench jewelers have been steadily dropping for decades and it’s a trend that I see continuing. As an appraiser, when I see problems with new purchases that require sending it back to the jeweler, I would venture to guess that a good 80% of them have to do with stonesetting and often it’s severe in the form of damaged stones, prongs that aren’t secure, prongs that will snag clothing, prongs that are prone to future breakage and similar severe problems. Most are a surprise to the client. Is this really the place to save $100 on your $10,000 ring that your wife to be is going to wear every day for the rest of her life?

The question you should be asking about setters is not how to find the cheapest, it’s how to find the best. High prices doesn’t make them skilled any more than high prices mean that a restaurant is better, but it’s actually a pretty good sign. Interview them, ask to see prior work and inspect it carefully with a loupe. Ask about their policies in advance and have it inspected afterwards by an appraiser who know what he/she is doing. Yeah, that costs extra too.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver