Setting Challenge

[idreamofice]

I really digging them both! but the last one you posted in really beautiful and different!

 

[NewYorkd.o.c.]

I like both. Is there a big price difference btwn the 2?

Going out to GOG was a fantastic experience. I have never taken a tour through a diamond in any other store before. Seriously, no one here would even THINK about offering you much information on the diamond you are buying. It took us 2 hours to look at 2 stones. I am actually glad we went bc I would have chose the G-VS1 off the internet (it had 3 tiny little dust particles) but I was able to see the magnification of my H-VS2 in person (no pics on the net at the time). There is only one tiny feather off to the side which will be covered by my eventual bezel. Other than that is is completely clean and I think it was close to $1k difference IIRC.

I am going to start getting quotes for a custom setting here in Milan. See what I can find. I am also going to find out if I can get a laser inscription on the girdle. It''d make me feel better about leaving the stone. My setting will be rather simple (just the side halo, nothing on the shanks) so I don''t think it should be too bad.

 

[arjunajane]

Hi deelight
thanku for the info. I believe me and honey May have discussed this previously somewhere, but will have to hunt it down..
Your right though, better just call customs incase things have changed etc. Although, the sad thing is even with the duties etc its still better to get an O''seas setting! I would love if someone could enlighten us on why this stuff is sooo much more expensive here

thankyou for your opinion on the BK btw, i think I may go with the second one, Its also cheaper, yay! Although that said I haven''t gotten any info on GOG settings yet, so will have to wait and see. I;m so terrible-now that I''ve finally chosen the rock , I want the whole thing NOW!

Hi Idream, thankyou for your vote. And I am so sorry for u for that awful lady stealing ur pics. Have you decided whether to contact anyone else yet? I have posted a couple quotes in ur thread from interviews with the owner of the site. Its a real shame he has not been more responsive about this.

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 3/8/2008 10:00:05 AM
Author: NewYorkd.o.c.
I like both. Is there a big price difference btwn the 2?

Going out to GOG was a fantastic experience. I have never taken a tour through a diamond in any other store before. Seriously, no one here would even THINK about offering you much information on the diamond you are buying. It took us 2 hours to look at 2 stones. I am actually glad we went bc I would have chose the G-VS1 off the internet (it had 3 tiny little dust particles) but I was able to see the magnification of my H-VS2 in person (no pics on the net at the time). There is only one tiny feather off to the side which will be covered by my eventual bezel. Other than that is is completely clean and I think it was close to $1k difference IIRC.

I am going to start getting quotes for a custom setting here in Milan. See what I can find. I am also going to find out if I can get a laser inscription on the girdle. It''d make me feel better about leaving the stone. My setting will be rather simple (just the side halo, nothing on the shanks) so I don''t think it should be too bad.

do u have any pics of what ur dream setting is NY? apologies if you''ve altready posted this elsewhere, but I''d love to know what you have in mind.

Are the costs in milan high for that sorta thing? At least you should be able to get high qualiity from a traditional family jewellers right?

 

[NewYorkd.o.c.]

Sure. I am trying to figure out how to upload pics to the gallery here. It won''t let me for some reason. This is the A.Jaffe I like.

Anyway I want something super simple. Initially I even thought about just a plain bezel period. But I don''t want the shank to be too thick as my wedding ring is very thick. I don''t plan on wearing them together but sometimes I will move my e-ring to my left hand bc the spin annoys me as I type. Also, I think I will eventually get some thin eternity rings when we have kids and flank the solitaire with them. Finally, I don''t want too much bling as I am terrified of getting mugged while on public transport. As it is, it is rare to see center stones that are larger than .5 here. Most are like .2.

I like the side bezel bc my wedding ring has diamonds on the side. It''s the Damiani D-side ring with 10 diamonds on each side. I don''t want a halo bc of the bling issue plus I think they lend well to art deco style and it doesn''t really match my other jewelry (even though they are beautiful rings).

Why can''t I attach more than one photo per post? Anwyay coming up... the Leon Mege that I like.

 

[NewYorkd.o.c.]

Only this one is not bezel and I don''t know if the sides will be as protected as they would be with a traditional bezel. I would also eliminate the pave on the shank (sort of the point of LM though). I like the gallery under the side bezel though which the A.Jaffe does not have.

 

[katebar]

You definitly have to pay duty on the stone And the setting. My earrings from Whteflash were 15% GST but also got slugged $123 custom duty, 43.00 Import Dec and 14.00 Entry charge air.
My stone was over $2000 in duties and taxes and and was probably valued at $12000 Australia.

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 3/8/2008 5:33:29 PM
Author: katebar
You definitly have to pay duty on the stone And the setting. My earrings from Whteflash were 15% GST but also got slugged $123 custom duty, 43.00 Import Dec and 14.00 Entry charge air.
My stone was over $2000 in duties and taxes and and was probably valued at $12000 Australia.

Hi Katebar, thankyou for the info. Thats ridiculous how many charges you got! Geez its starting to sound like a drama! Although I guess it still works out cheaper than buying here.
I will confirm with customs during the week, but from your own experience, if my stone is about $1500 and setting about $900, do you have any guestimate on what I''ll have to pay? Are the customs duties etc a set fee or do they depend on the value of the item?
Thankyou for your help

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 3/8/2008 2:42:51 PM
Author: NewYorkd.o.c.
Sure. I am trying to figure out how to upload pics to the gallery here. It won''t let me for some reason. This is the A.Jaffe I like.

Anyway I want something super simple. Initially I even thought about just a plain bezel period. But I don''t want the shank to be too thick as my wedding ring is very thick. I don''t plan on wearing them together but sometimes I will move my e-ring to my left hand bc the spin annoys me as I type. Also, I think I will eventually get some thin eternity rings when we have kids and flank the solitaire with them. Finally, I don''t want too much bling as I am terrified of getting mugged while on public transport. As it is, it is rare to see center stones that are larger than .5 here. Most are like .2.

I like the side bezel bc my wedding ring has diamonds on the side. It''s the Damiani D-side ring with 10 diamonds on each side. I don''t want a halo bc of the bling issue plus I think they lend well to art deco style and it doesn''t really match my other jewelry (even though they are beautiful rings).

Why can''t I attach more than one photo per post? Anwyay coming up... the Leon Mege that I like.

Hello again, thankyou for sharing ur pics I think you''ve made lovely choices. From the concers you''ve mentioned, I would think the Jaffe may work best. This way you won''t have to worry about the pave on the underside of the leon rubbing on your eternity rings. Also seeing as maybe being robbed is unfortunately a concern for u, I think the jaffe bezel is good seeing as the extra bling isn''t immediatly noticeable. It''s sweet how the diamonds are on the side.

Isn''t it interesting how the social climate in different places influences something as simple as an e-ring! Do you think that women have smaller diamonds due to the crime concerns, or is it just the norm?
Sometimes living in Aust pees me off, but I have to admit that our city is very safe which is nice. I can''t imagine having to be worried about catching a train! I often ride my pushbike around the streets late at night

The only thing with the Jaffe is I couldn''t fnd One real life photo when I wanted one of their settings , such as a pic on someones hand - that may not be important to you, but for me I lose perspective only looking at rings on the computer. I have to keep checking at the stores to remind myself of how tiny they really are!
pls do post pics when u decide

 

[NewYorkd.o.c.]

Actually, solitaire e-rings are not really the norm in Italy. A e-ring in general is common but a lot of people are going for trilogies (with .1-.2 stones) or just a smaller solitaire (I''d say .1-.2 is about average). I think that the main reason is that 1) salaries stink here and 2) this is not a debt society. People pay cash for everything here. It''s considered almost scandalous if you have a mortgage that is over 15 years

. Of course there are those who have larger rings but generally they are celebs or nobility (2+ carat stones). I am seeing a more and more stones that are closer to a carat on a lot of ladies lately but it''s definitely something people still notice bc it''s not normal IYKWIM.

Anyway re: the crime... I live in a major metropolis so I think it''s just city-smart you know? In NYC it''s different bc there 90% of the ladies sport 2-3 ct stones nowadays.

I would also like to see the setting in person but that won''t happen obviously if I go the custom route. Hopefully they will show me a wax mold first though.

 

[sera]

ajunajane... I like both of those BK settings... very pretty!

When I thought I was going to have to buy a temp setting, I wasn''t going to pay anything over $250. I really didn''t want to throw even that amount away but couldn''t purchase the setting at the same time. Luckily, my stone came to GOG already set, so I didn''t have to pay anything for it!

If my choices were to pay $600+ for a plain setting that I wasn''t crazy about or $1000 for one I really liked, I would def go with the one I liked (even if I had to wait to save up a bit).

That really stinks about all the duties!

NY... glad to see another PoH owner! I got mine in Nov. Beautiful, unique stones, huh?! I was wondering how many had them and would like to see the others, so I started a Show me your Princess of Hearts thread here but got only one response. You should add yours (and jane when she gets hers!). When mine gets reset I''ll add the new pics.

 

[arjunajane]

Hi Sera,
cheers for giving another opinion - I can't belive u got ur temp setting for free, thats so awesome!

Even if u don't really like it, at least it was a couple hundred saved toward ur dream setting

Do u have a preference out of the 2 Bk rings?
I think I'm leaning toward the 2nd one, just waiting for a quote and some info from Bill..aarrrgh waiting is sooo hard! I want my ring noooow

ok, enough whining, sorry! It will be either that setting or a vatche x prong or an *imitation* x prong/trellis setting - Excel seems to have a decent one. Although I do love the finish on the vatche..such as ellen's gorgeous ring

ah well, so many decisions, such an impatient girl..

Right now I'm ready to stick my precious stone into an onion ring just to get it on my mit!

Anyone else have a vote on these choices?
BK cushion halo (pic 1 earlier in thread)
BK fancy diamond accents (2nd pic)
Vatche Royal X prong (main concern is it overwhelming my 0.6ct stone..?)
or *imitation* X prong / trellis, such as this one from superbcert http://www.exceldiamonds.com/-Engagement-Rings-5/Trellis-Style-Classic-Solitaire-Engagement-Ring-Setting-1295.html

Does anyone have experience with excel's setting quality? thanku for any help, apologies about all the flip-flopping, pls don't hate me!

ETA: wow, sorry about the smiley overload in this post!

 

[arjunajane]

Hey guys,
I''m gonna re hash this thread as I''m still facing the same decision over what setting to get for my 0.6 PoH, and could really use some opinions

The final 2 choices are:

Vatche Royal x prong for square centre

 

[arjunajane]

Or choice 2:

Beverley K from Pearlmans

 

[arjunajane]

I know they are both very different, but hey what can I say?

A couple things that will come into my decision:

Price is quite important, and the BK is about $150 more.
I will be changing the BK prongs to split instead of triple.
It is for a RHR, so am looking for something a lil original.
Considering the warranty policy that Vatche has, there is no way I can honour that as I live in Australia and there's no D Vatche outlets/dealers here.
I would prefer more bling, like in the BK.
I adore the pics of others' Vatche rings with RB's- Ellen's is one of my all time fave's. But I'm not sure how it will look with a PoH.
ummm...I think thats it, for the moment anyway!

Would love anyone's input/opinions and if you can be bothered to tell me why?
TIA!

 

[arjunajane]

I hate replying to myself! Doesn't anybody wanna help out a fellow PSer with bad decision making abilities?

Sorry if you're bored of me...

 

[CrookedRock]

If it''s going to be a RHR I def like the BK much better. Actually I like the BK better period. I think it''s unique and classy at the same time. I vote for BK!!

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 3/16/2008 8:29:39 PM
Author: CrookedRock
If it's going to be a RHR I def like the BK much better. Actually I like the BK better period. I think it's unique and classy at the same time. I vote for BK!!

ditto

I LOVE ellen's ring but it's a total e-ring to me. I think the BK would look amazing with your stone.

 

[arjunajane]

Crooked, Mrs, thankyou both for ur input! I think I do like this one too, i just keep flip flopping! You both have wonderful taste so I respect your opinons.
Julian at P''mans has been a total doll and is trying to get some real life pics of the BK to help my decision.

One Q - I am definately going to change the BK prongs to split instead of the triple - should I keep the milgraining on the prongs or just have them made smooth? Or just change them to single..?? Keeping in mind its only a 0.6 itty bitty stone..

If anyone reading this has photoshop skills, I would be ur best friend 4 eva if you could do the prongs for me!?

Bill requested I actually send him my changes in photoshop but I don''t know how

 

[honey22]

Hello ladies! Sorry arjunajane! I have been meaning to post about the taxes, but have had a hectic week/weekend.

I will break it down for everyone, that way I don''t have to calculate % (?!?!).

Total price from WF = 5315 US, includes 130 shipping and insurance.

I paid $6063.23 (I think the x rate was 0.88c or thereabouts)

When the package arrived, I couldn''t pick it up without paying the following (never have you seen a credit card whipped out of my purse so fast!!!)

customs duty - $282.40
GST (on importations) - $607.27 (based on 5185US = 5648 AUS, as they estimate the x rate from the day of delivery)
Import declaration air charge - $40.20
AQIS Air entry charge - $14

TOTAL = $943.81 (whew!)

I didn''t know that you could possibly save money by invoiving it for stone and setting? But that said, if something did happen during shipping or whatever, I would be concerned about the insurance being valid. I know you can save money that way, but I would very cautious as you never know what implications this has in the event that your package is damaged or lost? I don''t know for sure, but that might be something to think about! Insurers can deny a claim if you make a false declaration, and it would be devastating if you lost out. I actually had to fax Fedex with another copy of my invoice for them to fax to customs in order to have the package released, so you can''t tell fibs there either. (bugger!!)

Also, I thought I would not have to pay the customs duty. I had emailed both customs Australia, and Fedex and CLEARLY stated what I was importing and the costs, and I was told by both parties that I would only have to pay 10% GST, so to avoid heartache (like that pained look on my baby''s face when I told him we were up for around $300 more than expected), assume you are going to have to pay it, there is no nasty suprises later!

Hope this helps!

 

[arjunajane]

Hey Honey,
thankyou so much for taking the time to break down ur experience. You've made a good point about the insurance with the separate invoicing, I will have to ask about that. Maybe because I am buying stone and setting potentially from diff vendors, it won't necessarily be a "fib" (crosses fingers)

I too spoke to customs and they seem to tell everyone a diff story - the girl told me GST 10% on stone if unset, 5% on setting if unset and a combination of those 2charges if set. (will have to clarify I think).
We also discussed customs duty, but when I asked about any other potential charges she said nope nothing - ie. the Air charges etc you described. think i gotta call back

Their job seems very confusing, I wouldn't want it!

Another Aus-related question - who did you insure with once it arrived? The only providor I can find that does insure just for jewellery is Chubb...My contents is throuigh my landlord, so don't think I can ask to add to that!

thanks again for getting back to me


ETA

k, just off the phone to customs, so here it is from the horses mouth (for any other aussies that have these questions).
For a ring that is set:
5% duty payable on value of ring & diamond.
10 % GSt payable on value PLUS on duty PLUS on freight and insurance. (i know, no fair!)

Processing fee $69 (includes import declaration).
May be other air charges payable from side of delivery co.

For a ring/diamond that is unset - ie. diamond and setting listed separately on invoice:
same as above for GST, but No duty payable on diamonds.
Same for the rest of charges.

 

[honey22]

Hey there again. I know the fees are so unfair! I really object to paying an Australian Goods and Services tax when I bought outside of AUS!! I think they do this to deter people from purchasing overseas and buy Aussie made I guess. Sucks!!!

As far as insurance goes, I phoned several people. You can get a comprehensive, standalone policy called Q Report or something. They will have the ring appraised by one of their ''approved'' vendors and the ring will be insured for that amount, total and utter cover. The only problem with that is, in the event you lose or damage the ring, the approved vendor is the only place you can have the ring replaced. So, basically I could only have my ring replaced with one from here, not overseas. That did not work for me as I went out of my way to specifically get a ACA from WF and I wasn''t happy to have this branded superideal replaced with a stone that another vendor considered ideal - you can just imagine?!?!?! I know that Diamond exchange uses this company. Ok, if you purchase from them, but not overseas IMO.

I also spoke to some insurance brokers regarding a Chubb policy, but I had trouble finding a broker that would actually do it ($7K is small-fry I guess to them), and several people told me that even if I do insure it stand alone, it would be very expensive and much much cheaper to add it as a specified item on my contents.

So, I am with AAMI for my house, contents and car insurance which means I get a nice deal on my house and contents premium. To insure my ring unconditionally (ie, for any loss or damage inside or outside the home, even if I am just a dope and leave it around and lose it), it cost roughly $120 for the year, on top of my $450 house and contents premium. It must be a specified valuable item, ie. description and amount covered noted on the policy. If you don''t tell them you are insuring a particular item, any single item of value is only covered up to $1000 which doesn''t really work for me. I didn''t need an apraisal, I just insured it for the amount I wanted, so I chose the amount which I paid for it, including taxes etc. I can review this amount each year and increase it accordingly. I have obviously kept the invoice, paperwork, certificate etc, so in the event that I need to make a claim, I can make it clear that it is a very well cut stone, and I won''t be settling for just another D VS2 0.8ct stone. The description of the item is very specific - ie. ladies ring, yg, 0.8ct DVS2 ACA from Whiteflash, etc etc etc. I was very careful to be anal about the description, but they assured me that they will either replace it exactly or pay out the figure for me to purchase another in the event of loss or damage. I think it helps that we are a snap-happy bunch and have lots of pics to prove what we have. I am a bit neurotic I guess, but I am not taking any chances!!!

Hope this helps again, feel free to ask more questions if you need to! Good luck.

And nope, still not engaged

, never mind, we have some time off together over Easter, so fingers crossed (those gorgeous french-magic-mani''ed fingers lol!!!)

 

[arjunajane]

Honey you write such informative and helpful replies, thankyou for taking the time.
Thats a bummer what you said about Chubb and other stand alone policies being impractical - I was afraid of this. I actually work in insurance so I suspected the only option would be to specify a personal valuables policy connected to home contents...but I was hoping that wasn''t the case! As I mentioned I''m still renting so its gonna be hard to get my ring added to the landlords'' policy!

Then again, I''ve had my e-ring for like 3yrs and havent ever come close to having something happen to it. Maybe I''ll just skip the insurance and be vigilant about having the setting checked. Or do ppl think thats a bad idea? aaargh decisions decisions!

While we''re discussing this, what do you plan to do for having your setting checked and cleaned etc, seeing as all the jewellers I speak to here don''t want to help you if you didn''t buy from them. I currently have the same issue with my e-ring as I bought that o/seas aswell. Believe it or not I''ve never had the prongs checked in like 3yrs! I know, does my PS mbrship get revoked now...

Do you have a plan for this ?
cheers!

 

[arjunajane]

Hey there again. I know the fees are so unfair! I really object to paying an Australian Goods and Services tax when I bought outside of AUS!! I think they do this to deter people from purchasing overseas and buy Aussie made I guess. Sucks!!!

I agree btw, and I totally don''t get having to pay duty on FREIGHT????

no sense, no fair.
But lets just be glad there''s apparently no duty on diamonds and only 5% on jewellery, like settings- compared to say 17% on clothing

As a point of interest , the explanation given to me for having no duty on diamonds is there is not a big industry here that needs protecting from imports, compared to say the clothing industry. I''m like WHA??!

Are they forgetting the whole Kimberley and Argyle region? Not sure whats going on there..
I''m glad,

but I just thought that was a bit strange..

 

[Ellen]

Date: 3/16/2008 9:30:04 PM
Author: mrssalvo


ditto

I LOVE ellen''s ring but it''s a total e-ring to me. I think the BK would look amazing with your stone.

mrss said it best.

And thank you!

 

[honey22]

Date: 3/17/2008 6:31:32 AM
Author: arjunajane
Honey you write such informative and helpful replies, thankyou for taking the time.

Hehehe!! I am so going to show SO this - he thinks I talk crap most of the time and babble on! He wuvs me though

You are most welcome! We are all here to help.
I am actually coming to Perth end of May, it would be great if we caught up and compared sparklies maybe?! Hang on, I might not even have mine by then!!!

Thats a bummer what you said about Chubb and other stand alone policies being impractical - I was afraid of this. I actually work in insurance so I suspected the only option would be to specify a personal valuables policy connected to home contents...but I was hoping that wasn't the case! As I mentioned I'm still renting so its gonna be hard to get my ring added to the landlords' policy!

Then again, I've had my e-ring for like 3yrs and havent ever come close to having something happen to it. Maybe I'll just skip the insurance and be vigilant about having the setting checked. Or do ppl think thats a bad idea? aaargh decisions decisions!

While we're discussing this, what do you plan to do for having your setting checked and cleaned etc, seeing as all the jewellers I speak to here don't want to help you if you didn't buy from them. I currently have the same issue with my e-ring as I bought that o/seas aswell. Believe it or not I've never had the prongs checked in like 3yrs! I know, does my PS mbrship get revoked now...

Do you have a plan for this ?

I recently had my ering band altered at Precious Metals, though it seems to have come back with two marks on the stone. Lesley suggested cleaning compound, and I am pretty sure it's the case. I emailed PM, but they seemed a bit defensive, but did say to bring it back if the marks are still there. They have given me the 'it couldn't have happened here line' but I am yet to sort it out. With all due respect, you cannot guarantee that a stone won't come into contact with dirt, muck etc when being worked on, no matter how careful. It would have had to be polished after altering the shape of the band, so I guess it's happened then. I am going to clean it up and then check it out again. I guess, depending on how this issue is sorted, I will think about getting it cleaned, inspected there, but I am not sure. I really don't want to speak ill of anyone, I just don't feel 100% comfortable there. Maybe it's cause it's a 'classier area' that I am used to, but I get the feeling like I am wasting their time, I feel rather uncomfortable there. I am sure I am just being paranoid? They have two stores, so I can try the other one I guess. Failing that, one of the guys at work's wife is a jeweller in Melbourne, and my friend has got several pieces from her, and she has nothing but great feedback about her, so I might think about going there too. I will definately be having someone look at it though, I am paranoid. Now, about having your membership reinstated, we will have to see receipt of cleaning and inspection, and then we will go from there

cheers!

 

[mrssalvo]

arjunajane, i can''t help you with photoshop, but does BK make another ring with prongs how you want yours? that would be an easy way of showing what you want...this ring but with the prongs like this other ring...just an idea??

 

[katebar]

Arunajane bit of a thread jack but how did you access the BK stuffon Pearlman''s/ I emailed them last week asking for access but still no reply

.

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 3/17/2008 9:11:44 PM
Author: katebar
Arunajane bit of a thread jack but how did you access the BK stuffon Pearlman''s/ I emailed them last week asking for access but still no reply

.

i''m not arunajane but all you do is go to pearlmans site and click on the BK section. there isn''t any special access. all the e-rings start on page 8 i believe.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I agree that the Vatche is lovely but definitely an e-ring. I would also choose a Beverley K for a RHR. I think they are so pretty!