Question about Custom Setting Cost.

[Tony2jones4]

She does not know that I am doing this at all. The pieces I have chosen from have actually already had stones taken out of and used for other modern pieces. There are some pieces her grandmother said she would prefer we kept whole and I have not looked into those. When I say I have a lot to choose from it is not an over exaggeration. It well over 300 diamonds, ranging in sizes and cuts. Most are old American minors cuts but there are some marquise and other older styles. There is nothing from the last 50 years. I am not worried about taking something apart because I am choosing pieces that already have stones taken out. He grandma liked the idea of doing a single stone in setting and offered to give me one of her rings that had a 6.5 ct. marquise cut stone that looked flawless. I declined. I am very proud of my design and have spent a lot of time working on it. I am going to stick with me design forsure. If she does not like it she can design her wedding ring, But I know without a doubt she will love it. The actual process of making it has been important in all the secret meeting we have had ( her mom, grandma and I). Im not to concerned about her not liking it. I know what she likes, we meet working in retail, and I have done that for 6 years along with school. I can pick out clothes, watches, jewelry she loves so im sure this will be no different.

As far as other jewelry, she does not wear much, she always wears a Michele watches with diamonds all around it lol. She wears a simple tiffany necklace. And then what else matches what she is wearing for the day, a bangle or something small. She does wear some yellow gold and really like rose gold. I am positive that she wanted white gold or platinum though for the setting. She is a manger at a major department store, 24 years old, and dresses in a lot of Michael Stars, free people, ect.
I am convinced that I need a smaller stone for the center stone. I am also convinced that I am going to use new gold instead of using it from the band.
Our meeting for tomorrow has gotten changed to Friday because grandma has to take her pup to the vet. I will post pictures of stones after we meet.

Thank you all for your help and suggestions.

 

[farrahlyn]

I actually think your design is pretty and original and the right designer could take this sketch and make you a beautiful ring. It's hard sketching a ring when it's not something you do often and proportions just don't look right. I can't wait to see what diamond you choose and ultimately the outcome of the ring!

 

[Kimmy]

She does not know that I am doing this at all. The pieces I have chosen from have actually already had stones taken out of and used for other modern pieces. There are some pieces her grandmother said she would prefer we kept whole and I have not looked into those. When I say I have a lot to choose from it is not an over exaggeration. It well over 300 diamonds, ranging in sizes and cuts. Most are old American minors cuts but there are some marquise and other older styles. There is nothing from the last 50 years. I am not worried about taking something apart because I am choosing pieces that already have stones taken out. He grandma liked the idea of doing a single stone in setting and offered to give me one of her rings that had a 6.5 ct. marquise cut stone that looked flawless. I declined. I am very proud of my design and have spent a lot of time working on it. I am going to stick with me design forsure. If she does not like it she can design her wedding ring, But I know without a doubt she will love it. The actual process of making it has been important in all the secret meeting we have had ( her mom, grandma and I). Im not to concerned about her not liking it. I know what she likes, we meet working in retail, and I have done that for 6 years along with school. I can pick out clothes, watches, jewelry she loves so im sure this will be no different.

As far as other jewelry, she does not wear much, she always wears a Michele watches with diamonds all around it lol. She wears a simple tiffany necklace. And then what else matches what she is wearing for the day, a bangle or something small. She does wear some yellow gold and really like rose gold. I am positive that she wanted white gold or platinum though for the setting. She is a manger at a major department store, 24 years old, and dresses in a lot of Michael Stars, free people, ect.
I am convinced that I need a smaller stone for the center stone. I am also convinced that I am going to use new gold instead of using it from the band.
Our meeting for tomorrow has gotten changed to Friday because grandma has to take her pup to the vet. I will post pictures of stones after we meet.

Thank you all for your help and suggestions.

It sounds like you're going in a great direction! I'm glad you're going with new gold and a more wearable size stone. I think your design is beautiful and you're putting a lot of thought into this. I'm sure she is going to be thrilled! I look forward to seeing more as things come together.

 

[Witos]

Hello, Tony2jones4. I would not follow any of the advice mentioned above. David Klass is awesome... but he is one of the most priciest jewelers that come to my mind. Not because he is ripping you off, but because he is an artist and he'll hand-forge your design with a craftsmanship worthy of a Buccellati goldsmith... But that is NOT what you're looking for.

Contact a 3d modeler to get that design to CAD and get Stuller to 3d print the model. Here is a guy who did it in under 500 dollars.
http://christian.gen.co/ring

 

[lovedogs]

Hello, Tony2jones4. I would not follow any of the advice mentioned above. David Klass is awesome... but he is one of the most priciest jewelers that come to my mind. Not because he is ripping you off, but because he is an artist and he'll hand-forge your design with a craftsmanship worthy of a Buccellati goldsmith... But that is NOT what you're looking for.

Contact a 3d modeler to get that design to CAD and get Stuller to 3d print the model. Here is a guy who did it in under 500 dollars.
http://christian.gen.co/ring

I have to disagree with this. DK's pricing has always been extremely reasonable, and one of the less expensive jewelers recommended on PS. I think the OP needs someone who can work with the design and make something gorgeous, which is what DK is great at. Working with a local jeweler instead of someone well known to produce excellent work could potentially have disastrous consequences.

 

[Kimmy]

Hello, Tony2jones4. I would not follow any of the advice mentioned above. David Klass is awesome... but he is one of the most priciest jewelers that come to my mind. Not because he is ripping you off, but because he is an artist and he'll hand-forge your design with a craftsmanship worthy of a Buccellati goldsmith... But that is NOT what you're looking for.

Contact a 3d modeler to get that design to CAD and get Stuller to 3d print the model. Here is a guy who did it in under 500 dollars.
http://christian.gen.co/ring

Witos, I must disagree with your advice. Your link was quite interesting and might be a fine suggestion for a more simple setting, but not for the type of work Tony requires. In the 3d print example you provided the man used a CZ and a silver setting which is why he stayed around $500. Tony is looking to set an heirloom diamond in a gold setting with delicate melee work and such a job requires a skilled professional.

 

[Witos]

A casting bureau has professional to do the setting...

I'm just going to quote a very thought out post that helped me a lot:

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/cushion-101-my-experience-in-making-a-harry-winston-halo.183473/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/cushion-101-my-experience-in-making-a-harry-winston-halo.183473/[/URL]

The great thing about this post is that it recommends different strategies for different budgets, which accommodates more people. Focusing on price/quality ratio only will often result in recommending people to buy a BMW instead of a Jaguar... without even thinking about Honda.

Soon someone will recommend OP to have someone (I bet it will be GOG or Megé or Gavin) to recut his heirloom... I BET YOU.

 

[liaerfbv]

Soon someone will recommend OP to have someone (I bet it will be GOG or Megé or Gavin) to recut his heirloom... I BET YOU.

Not sure why this is a negative. Ideal light return is basically the entire reason this forum exists.

 

[farrahlyn]

i keep coming back to this post, i love the ring design. Your design reminds me a little of the Verragio rings, like this halo due to the work in the gallery. Although i like the flow of your gallery design better i think!

http://www.verragio.com/Verragio-En...ement-Rings/INSIGNIA-7070CU-enlarged-928.jpgg

 

[Tony2jones4]

Thanks for all of the help guys. I really do appreciate and am looking into all of the options.

Tomorrow I'm meeting with the jeweler, I'm in California and he works with a person in Washington who actually makes the ring. I will get his name and maybe you guys will know him? I really know nothing about this kind of stuff besides what i have read and learned from you guys. So I'm very happy i joined the community.

Thank you i appreciate that you like my design. I think it is going to turn out great. Im so excited to get this ball rolling. It has been along time coming. We are young Im 25 will be 26 in two months, an she is 24 and will be 25 soon, we have been together for a little over 5 years. She deserves an amazing ring and all that is represents. So thank you all.

I will post pics of stones as soon as i get them.

 

[Tony2jones4]

Here are some close ups of what we are going to use.

 

[Tony2jones4]

So this is everything that is going to be used. We decided to do the ring in platinum, We are gonna melt down the plantinum from these pieces and the left overs are gonna help pay for the labor cost.

We are gonna use the larger stone from the gold ring as the center stone. It is around 1.5 ct. And he said the over all weight of diamonds in the ring will be about 3.5 ct. I think the smaller stone was a good call because it won't be so huge. All the diamonds needed are in the picture and will be taken from the pieces.

 

[yssie]

I ask yet again: have you spoken to a jeweler about the cost of refining this metal for re-use?

There isn't much metal there: I don't know what your expectations are and if you've already spoken to a jeweller, but you're not going to make much at all by selling the scrap.

 

[Tony2jones4]

Yes i have, He said it is not hard to refine platinum. IDK, Im just going of what he said. He said what is left over after the ring, there should be around 1k worth of platinum to cover the cost of the design.

I still never got a price on what labor would cost on making the ring so i did not know what to think. I told him what my budget was and he said he would go over it and he will use the platinum to make him achieve this. I was hoping i would get and idea of what the ring would cost to make but did not from the comments. He is charging me 2.5K to make the ring plus left over platinum. I of course am providing all of the stones and platinum. So IDK what kind of deal that is.

 

[Gypsy]

Look, I want to be honest with you.

The design you have come up with is a bit of a 'Frankenring' and I don't really recommend you go through the process of this without making sure that it is a design she actually likes.

 

[Tony2jones4]

The whole point is to surprise her. I know what she likes and I'm not worried about her not liking the design.

If the stars fall out of the sky and she does not like it we will design her another and she can make it herself. The Design of the ring is not in question of being changed. Its already being made. I was concerned with pricing and learning from the community. And i appreciate what i have received. Pricing is still the ??????

 

[Kimmy]

I would strongly suggest you contact one of the recommended designers on here before you start anything. Several of the favorite designers are located in California if location is a concern for you. It doesn't sound to me like you are being provided with a lot of information. Before you melt down or deconstruct anything I think you should at least talk to someone else. You might find that you will end up with a prettier piece for the same price if you use new metal and melee stones and just carefully remove that lovely center stone. You can always investigate selling those lovely vintage settings if you need to. They might be worth more than they are as scrap. I'm in love with that bow! Whatever you ultimately decide to do just make an informed decision.

 

[madelise]

I bet anything the jeweler is just taking those pieces to sell, and is using new platinum. Ruining such precious antiques isn't worth their weight in precious metal.

 

[madelise]

Also, as an antique collector, as there are many here.. It breaks my heart to see you completely destroy such amazing antiques. We don't antique Ming vases to melt down to make contemporary. We don't take the Mona Lisa, and paint over it just to use its canvas.

I really wish you'd consider selling those pieces as-is even to this community to raise funds for your ring rather than melt them down.

 

[JDDN]

Yes i have, He said it is not hard to refine platinum. IDK, Im just going of what he said. He said what is left over after the ring, there should be around 1k worth of platinum to cover the cost of the design.

I still never got a price on what labor would cost on making the ring so i did not know what to think. I told him what my budget was and he said he would go over it and he will use the platinum to make him achieve this. I was hoping i would get and idea of what the ring would cost to make but did not from the comments. He is charging me 2.5K to make the ring plus left over platinum. I of course am providing all of the stones and platinum. So IDK what kind of deal that is.

I'm confused, is he planning on refining the platinum to use in your ring? Or is he scrapping it, meaning he weighs the total amount of platinum and gives you the current value for platinum by weight? If he says he's refining it to use in your ring, that isn't as simple as it seems. It would be very hard to know which alloy was used with the platinum in each piece. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think you can use different alloys together. Also, the melting points will be different making it difficult to work with. Can you clarify?

You need to get an itemized quote from him with each line saying what the service is and the cost, including labor. It will spell everything out for you and you can see what you'd be paying.

I'm also confused because you said you hoped to get an idea of what the ring would cost to make but did not. But then you said he's charging you $2500 to make the ring.

One more thing. As many of us have learned in the past, part of finding someone to execute a custom piece well is not simply finding someone who will take on the job. Rather, you need to see some of his pieces in the style you like and see if the quality and finish is what you expect. We don't want you to go through all this planning and trouble and then receive a ring you don't like!

Okay...the real last thing.....this from your last post:

If the stars fall out of the sky and she does not like it we will design her another and she can make it herself.

Its already being made.


Are you saying if she doesn't love the ring, she's on her own to make it herself?

Is the ring already being made??? If so, then this is all moot!!!

 

[farrahlyn]

If he can't give you a solid quote, find someone else. Have you see anything custom that he's done? I'd be very wary of using him if you're not confident in his abilities. And there just seem to be way too many questions still after speaking to him.

Get a quote from at least one more vendor... I'd contact 2 at the bare minimum to see if what you have in mind can be translated properly by someone. A sketch once put into work can just go so many ways, depending on who does it, you know? Is your local guy going to provide CADs? Or is he just going to take your sketch and run? What's his policy if you hate the ring?

 

[RaiKai]

I bet anything the jeweler is just taking those pieces to sell, and is using new platinum. Ruining such precious antiques isn't worth their weight in precious metal.

I would back you on that bet. As someone who loves the workmanship and history behind true antique and vintage pieces, I don't even like to think of some of those pieces being destroyed. That bow alone is incredibly unique, and those empty ring settings could be a great "new" home for an old cut.

Maybe your future FI feels differently OP, but I'd rather have a ring made of new platinum and keep those pieces intact in the family, or at least see them sold intact to other people who would love and appreciate them as they are. They are so much more valuable intact then for the scrap.

If it is going to still cost you $2,500 for the setting after supplying your own stones and metal, it seems the platinum (aside from my comments on the historical value) is not really "worth" melting down and refining as you think (assuming the jeweler actually does that and does not just resale the pieces).

 

[yssie]

You providing the melee is likely just more headache for your jeweller - the cost is in the labour of setting, and matching and setting old, possibly damaged, probably-differently-sized/coloured/faceted stones that need to be first removed from their current settings is a lot more time-consuming and labour-intensive than simply pulling out a couple of prematched packets of melee. So you're losing money by providing the melee, not saving anything.

Providing he centerstone is of course not unusual.

he is essentially charging you 3.5k for the setting, and plans to get ~1k back by doing whatever he's doing with the metal/antique pieces. 3.5k seems reasonable for such a complex design. It seems the extra metal is the only source of any savings here... As others have said I personally wouldn't dream of destroying a good number of family heirlooms to make a quick thousand bucks (my heart aches to imagine that charm bracelet melted) but if you've got her "okay" and the "okays" from other family members... That's up to you.

Edit - I just realised you haven't got her "okay" because you haven't talked to her about this. Going to be honest: if you think she's even remotely the sentimental sort... This is frankly a careless, clueless, and terribly inconsiderate choice that may very well backfire. Think about it from her perspective: these pieces are part of HER family's history - each has a story behind it. Each was loved by one of HER ancestors. I'm not tremendously sentimental but I can tell you without shadow of doubt that if my DH had melted my great-grandmothers' pieces to make my engagement ring... I'd have absolutely hit the roof.

I know you aren't going to listen but unless you can afford to pay for your custom design out of pocket I feel nonetheless compelled to urge you to consider proposing with a temporary solitaire, or perhaps even refurb one of those empty settings in that photo? and designing and executing the final setting together. It would be such a romantic experience, a ton of fun for her, and would show her that you value her input above all else. You will know for sure that she loves yours design, and you'll know for sure if she's okay scrapping her family's pieces. And you still have the surprise of the proposal! I say this only in small part because of concerns that she might not like the design - you know her, we don't! - I'm truly mostly concerned about her opinion on her family pieces. It's obvious that in your view incorporating those materials does sufficient homage to that history and those memories to make it worth eliminating them from existence, and it seems the current owners do as well, but that does NOT mean she would share your opinion and this is NOT the sort of thing you can guess at.

Edit - on my phone, apologies in advance for typos.

 

[Tony2jones4]

Thanks for all the feed back.

When i said that if she does not like the ring then she can design another i was not being unkind. I ment it, i want her to have what she wants, of course i would have it and pay for it and be along with her to design it but i don't think i have to worry about it.

I wanted a quote from the community before i went to see the jeweler to get an idea if the number was reasonable. But yes now he told me 2500 + the left over platinum.

As far as the platinum the jeweler said he will melt it down, use it for the ring, and use what is left over is going towards help paying for his time. He told me he has about 20-30 hours of work. He is not going to do the design in CAD but is going to make a clay replica and place all the stones in it. I will go in and see it, if i want changes i will tell him and then he will make the ring.

The whole point of this ring was to be sentimental and have pieces from all of her generations. The pieces are all owned by her grandmother ATM and i let her choose what she did not want touched. I know some of you are questing taking apart the family heirlooms for the ring. But as they stand they are sitting in a safe in a bank, where no one touches them or wears them. So no one is enjoying them atm. She is not very sentimental and she will not mind, I'm the sentimental one. She will have pieces in her ring from 4 generations back. We are only using a few pieces. There are still hundreds of pieces we are not touching. The family has a lot of jewelry. She will have it all one day but the few pieces we are using for the ring are not going to put a dent in what she will get later in life.

 

[LightBright]

Hmmm.

If you are giving the jeweler all those pieces (for him to keep). AND he is charging you $2.5k, but can't tell you labor cost and won't tell you timing and (I'm assuming) you have not seen examples of his custom work, then you are taking a big risk.

I urge you to slow down and at least consider another quote (from a recommended tried and true custom jeweler like David Klass) before you destroy pieces that if sold could net you a lot more than "scrap" prices and if kept, could be precious heirlooms.

I can almost guarantee the jeweler will not be using your platinum in your ring. From what I understand, it's just too cost prohibitive.

If your jeweler cannot match the following beautiful David Klass custom pieces (ask to see a portfolio) I urge you to seek someone who does:
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-us-your-david-klass-bling.196654/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-us-your-david-klass-bling.196654/[/URL]

 

[madelise]

You are absolutely, 100% being ripped off.

 

[JDDN]

Please just get another quote for what you are wanting to do since to a lot of us, something doesn't seem right. Even if everything seemed perfect, it's always prudent to get at least 2 quotes for a custom project. And make sure you really like the pieces and rings he has made in the past.

Good luck on this project and keep us updated on how it's going.

 

[Gypsy]

what is that large gray stone/ ring. I would buy that from you.

 

[Tony2jones4]

Why do you say I'm getting ripped off? Can you please explain your thought process.

I have emailed the Jeweler and told him to hold off, I'm waiting for his reply but i will schedule another appointment where we can sit down and get more info, a better inventory, ect. I was not worried but now I'm extremely worried that something shady is going on. The problem with going to someone else is that i have talked to 4 jewelers before the one i settled on. They all quoted me prices that were in the 6-8K and that seemed so high. This guy never really quoted me but said he would make it happen so we went to a second meeting with him and that is what we decided on the above.

I am not sure what the ring with the gray stone is but it is not for sale, i think her grandma is going to put the stone in a necklace after we use the platinum.

I am doing all of this in Palm Springs Area and would like to stay in this area and find someone local to do it. The gentleman we are using has a great reputation, he deals with older jewelry. My girls grandma meet him at a fundraiser. That being said after reading all your comments Im extremely worried.

 

[RaiKai]

Well the fact that he "deals with older jewelry" makes me even more suspect of his claims he is going to melt down/refine those pieces for the platinum (which was suspect from the start, for reasons others pointed out including the difficulty of ensuring they are the same alloys). The resale on those pieces - even those empty platinum filigree settings - is going to be higher than the approximate $1,000 he is "crediting" you and if he does deal with older jewelry he knows this. So, I am very suspicious that you are going to get what you want in "incorporating" the metal from heirlooms. You are going to lose both the heirlooms AND the metal they were made from. In that case, it makes more sense to me to just sell them yourself and take the money.

I also agree with others that if you are going custom, and with something as elaborate as what you seem to want, you need to see a LOT of examples of their custom work to see that they can execute the details and style elements you want....but I will say I would also want someone talented and experienced enough to be able to tell me very honestly if my "vision" is not going to look as good as I am thinking and to give me some other options. Sometimes what looks good and workable on paper does not carry over into real life.