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The cost of resetting?

Austina

Austina

Ideal_Rock
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Feb 24, 2017
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I realise this might be like asking "how long is a piece of string" but I'm wondering if anyone can give me a ballpark figure.

Basically, I have a trilogy diamond ring that I want to remodel into a pair of 3 prong Martini earrings and either a 3 prong Martini pendant with integral chain, or a bezel set slider.

Excluding the cost of the mounts, what would you consider reasonable to reset the stones?

Thanks
 
Thanks @diamondseeker2006 those are the settings I sent them photos of.
I'm wondering what people would consider a reasonable sum for the jeweller to put my diamonds in to the settings, because one quote I got, just for setting the stones is, IMO, ridiculous.
 
Hmm, I have heard of $150 before for a ring stone, but I am not really sure about what would be reasonable for studs or a pendant. I would hope it would be no more than $100 to set a pair of studs, but I really can't recall how much I paid the only time I had a local jeweler order settings and set studs for me.
 
when I had my rings reset they didn't charge me to reset them...it was all included in the cost of the semi mount...I used my local jeweler.
 
Thanks @diamondringlover, that's my problem, I know the cost of the mounts, and I'm supplying the diamonds, so the cost they're quoting is outrageous
 
What are they quoting you? I know one place in NYC that charges $300
 
Thanks @JP87 but I'm in the UK, I may end up bringing them to the US when I next visit my son if I don't get a reasonable quote here.
 
That is if you buy there setting...but just wanted to give you an idea!
 
What counts as unreasonable? Not everyone charges the same for their talents. A lot of jewelers, including most of the good ones, won’t do this job at all (you supply the stone and the mountings and all they do is setting). It’s like asking a restaurant how much they will charge to cook up a steak that you provide. That said, $150/ct - $300/ct with some sort of minimum charge is fairly typical around here. The cheapest is about $50. Bear in mind that the best craftsmen are rarely the cheapest.
 
How big do you need the martini earring settings in mms to be?
 
Many don't like jobs like this, especially if you don't have any previous relation with the jeweller.
They will see you as a one-time customer and charge you a lot.

I don't know anything about the UK.
But try a jeweler or goldsmith in Asian or Eat Indian community, if the job is simple
 
I appreciate your point @denverappraiser, but bearing in mind I know how much the settings cost that I've asked them to source, I think $450 to set one diamond into the pendant mount is unreasonable.
 
Keep in mind, if you ask them to source a setting for you, no one will charge you just the cost of the setting. They have to include a cost for their time, labour and other overheads.

If you think their price is too high, ask other jewellers in your area. Once you have 3-5 quotes you can figure out what the average cost is in your area and then you can make up your mind if the project is worth it to you or not.
 
Can you buy semimounts from your jewerler? Mine doesn't charge extra for setting if I buy semimounts. I have one goldsmith who I could use for setting only, I think it would be 50 EUR for the whole thing, but I do have a long relationship with him.
 
I totally appreciate it'll take time to mount the stones, and I certainly expect to pay, but one diamond in to a pendant mount, sorry $450 is excessive.

I'm getting other quotes, so I'll see what those come out with, otherwise, I'll get quotes when I visit my DS in Tx on my next trip.
 
Hi Austina,

I am in the UK too, I can't imagine more than £250 excluding the mounts though I would imagine many would charge much less (sub £150) I'm in the south east and my jeweller charged me only £60 to put a new substantial loop on a locket and a safety chain on the matching necklace although I am a long standing customer.

Amelia
 
Austina said:
I appreciate your point @denverappraiser, but bearing in mind I know how much the settings cost that I've asked them to source, I think $450 to set one diamond into the pendant mount is unreasonable.
Click to expand...

What does the cost of the supplies have to do with it? As you point out, the issue here is the cost/value of their labor, and the cost of the labor boils down to the idea that they have an obscure talent that involves quite a bit of practice and some fairly unusual tools. Prices are all over the board for this sort of thing and I certainly have no problem with shopping them, but how is it 'unreasonable' to be on the expensive end of the bell curve? Would you have been happier with them if they simply declined to do the job outright?

I don't mean to pick on you, I get this question quite a bit. One of the things that, frankly, amazes me, is that people will beat up a setter over a $50 job and then pay me $100 to tell them if it was good work (Often it's not, by the way. See the above comment about the cheapest workers rarely being the best).
 
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It is so hard to pin it down without knowing the quality of the work the jeweler you are talking to is doing. In New York it is possible to get it done for $5 or $10 per diamond at the wholesale level from some of the diamond setting sweat shops, but I can pretty much guarantee you that you will not be pleased with the quality of the work. (Unless you like your diamonds set at weird angles with crooked prongs.)

For better quality setting, you must expect to pay more, and pricing at retail is often seen at $50 to $100 or more per stone. Then you have those who are capable of setting a diamond like the treasure it is. There may be shaping the prongs to delicate claw shapes and putting four or five hours into the polishing of the finished piece to bringing it to a mirror like treasure for presentation. This may exceed $1,000 and still be seen as a bargain to the right person wanting an exceptional gift.

Austina, I encourage you to look at some of your jeweler's finished work with a critical eye for detail. You may find that their pricing is good or bad and make your decision based on your findings. Keep checking around until you find someone who is doing work that you appreciate at a price that you also appreciate. By the end of your inspections you will have probably learned to differentiate the good from the bad and the ugly. When you find someone doing the good for the price you are willing to accept, you will know you have made the right choice.

Wink
 
IMG_1838.jpg Ok, so let me rephrase this, is $450 'appropriate' to mount a.40pt diamond in to this setting? My point about knowing the cost of the setting, is that paying twice the amount of the setting to mount the stone, seems excessive to me.

I'm totally expecting to pay a fair price for the job, but at that price, it simply doesn't make economic sense to me, when the same person is quoting considerably less to mount 2 diamonds in to 3 prong Martini earrings.
 

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He/she may be charging you a markup for securing the materials and an additional fee for setting the stone. That's not even unusual. In fact, this is a pretty standard way to price. The setting service may even be 'free'.:shifty: In any case, if you don't care for the deal, head somewhere else. Assuming the stone fits, that's not an especially difficult job and I imagine you can find someone who will do it for less, even in the UK (where prices tend to be crazy high because of all of the taxes).
 
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I've given her links for the settings, so she's not exactly had to 'work' hard for this, I'm not expecting something for nothing.

Exactly my point, this shouldn't be a difficult job for a competent person. Needless to say, I will not be using her services as I don't feel they represent value for money. I have asked others to quote, just wondered what people thought was a fair price for the job.
 
Wink said:
... four or five hours
Click to expand...

Note to self: always wished to read/see how this sort of wire carving is done, having had the pleasure to witness pave, over the shoulder of an old school engraver.
 
I would get on the phone (not email) or show up in person and ask people what they charge. It should be easy enough to give you a bid on the job.
 
When you consider the liabilities involved, it's really not a simple question.
First, there's the liability of handling ( actually, hitting it with a hammer) a specific diamond which has some real value. Check with your insurance company to make sure you're covered during setting.
But then there's the other cost- even if the stone is not damaged.
What if the client is unhappy for any other reason?
The cost of dissatisfied clients is hard to overestimate in today's business environment- unless someone does not care about reputation, or they get all their business from walk in- no internet.

Yes, $450 sounds way high- but on the other hand, why would a jeweler who has/is a top notch setter take on the liability for what would be a reasonable price-....maybe $50 US
So it's a proposition that has little potential gain, and a lot of potential liability

I know how I'd feel trying out a new setter....because I've done it many many times.
You don't want to be that guinea pig.
Surprises can be very costly.
My advice is not to choose by prices- don't overpay ( yes $450 does sound high but...) but find a company with a great reputation willing to take the job on.
 
OP - can't you work with WF and using their FedEx shipping label mail your trilogy ring to them to re-set into their martini settings? WF does ship internationally, yes? Or is that option cost-prohibitive for you with customs/fees/etc?
 
denverappraiser said:
He/she may be charging you a markup for securing the materials and an additional fee for setting the stone. That's not even unusual. In fact, this is a pretty standard way to price. The setting service may even be 'free'.:shifty: In any case, if you don't care for the deal, head somewhere else. Assuming the stone fits, that's not an especially difficult job and I imagine you can find someone who will do it for less, even in the UK (where prices tend to be crazy high because of all of the taxes). [boldface added by MM]
Click to expand...
When asking the jeweler to order a mounting or semi-mount from Stuller & the jeweler is charging Stuller's suggested retail price (the prices shown in their catalog**), the customer is already paying a mark-up. "Triple keystone," or 3x what Stuller is charging the jeweler. That said, I don't begrudge a jeweler charging an additional setting fee, especially if they aren't charging a triple mark-up (as some PSers have discovered, some jewelers charge even more than that for a Stuller mounting/semi-mount) and/or the customer is supplying the stone(s).

Austina, I do think you should expect to pay more for a bezel than to set a stone in a prong head (and the mounting depicted in the photo in your post #20 seems to require the bench to do both bezel and prong settings?). Bezeling gems isn't a breeze (that's why there are so many, poorly executed bezels), a special reason to see the bench's handiwork before you give them the job.

You've said you've decided against the jeweler who quoted you $450 & are in the midst of getting quotes from others. That, and seeing their work (plus, getting feedback from anyone you know who's given such jobs to a jeweler in your area), is the only way to make your decision. In my experience, the fees can vary widely even within the same town/city, and even if there were a uniform "going rate" where I live, that doesn't mean it's the norm where you are.
A FYI p.s. None of the several price lists posted online that I saw, via a Google search for you, gives a price for bezel settings. They all expressly state the setting fees shown are for prongs.

** Unless it's one of their special platinum catalogs, the MSRPs shown in Stuller's print catalogs are almost always for the product in 14K white gold (alloy is noted right before the MSRPs in the product listings). But even the 14K white gold MSRP you see on the catalog page may not be au courant because Stuller pricing is very market-sensitive: "Actual pricing for items will be determined by the precious metal markets at the time the item ships."
 
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marymm said:
OP - can't you work with WF and using their FedEx shipping label mail your trilogy ring to them to re-set into their martini settings? WF does ship internationally, yes? Or is that option cost-prohibitive for you with customs/fees/etc?
Click to expand...
According to this page, there are special conditions that have to be met before WF will set, for a fee of $150, a customer's own stone in a mounting WF sells:
https://www.whiteflash.com/about-di...g-with-customers-diamonds-and-jewelry-875.htm
  • Diamond must be accompanied by original GIA or AGS lab report
  • Customer must send copy of insurance policy, showing diamond is covered
  • Customer must execute WF's waiver of liability
Although maybe WF is more flexible in the case of earrings or a pendant mounting?
 
I got a quote from an Indian jeweller (who I have used before).

He has quoted what I was expecting the cost to be, (considerably less than the other person) and the mounts are platinum (my preferred metal) instead of white gold.
 
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