Thinking of going custom...in desperate need of opinions

[nysurg]

So I have recently posted here regarding my desire to reset my 1.01 ct radiant stone. I had originally picked out a beautiful vanna k setting that I had thought about going with until I saw this setting...



I really hope that neffie doesn't mind but I would love to get this setting for my radiant. My budget is around $2-3.5K, possibly $4 if reasonable. Based on her thread I realized that it was custom made, so I decided to contact some of the custom jewelers mentioned on her for their quotes and opinions...

1. Mark Broumand - his quote was the least and fits quite nicely in the budget and he was the most responsive. Seemed easy to work with but there is not a lot of talk about his work - neg or postive. His settings do seem beautiful.

2. Victor Canera - very nice as well but gave me a quote of $5K I would say that he was the only one who asked me about the details of the setting and specific things such as the corners of the halo and the 3 sided shank vs 3 rows of pave to make sure he had a good grasp on exactly what I wanted.

3. Leon Mege - after emailing him - he asked me to call him about this request right away. After talking to him, I understand why people say he is rude. Although he wasn't outwardly rude he was quite condescending calling my stone small and the setting that I wanted "mass produced and not produced very well." Needless to say at the end of the conversation he started telling me that I should start with talking on one of the jewelers regarding upgrading my stone and then getting him to create a completely different setting which would cost me $6!

4. Steven Kirsch - very quick response. quote of $5400 with $3400 being attributed to labor alone! His settings seem really nice but I am SURE I am not ready to lay down this hunk of cash right now. Everyone seems to be happy with his settings though.

5. Brian Gavin - still waiting for a response but seem like they are a contender. They had a few questions regarding the setting / style and other fine details which seem appropriate. Without an actual quote,

Are there any other suggestions? Am I being unreasonable with my budget? My husband has given free reigns to do what I want but I think that spending more than this is...or should I just take Leon's advice and upgrade the stone and then work from there? I hadn't really thought of that as I have become so attached to my stone...any advice would be great!

here is my current setting for reference...

 

[farmer gal]

What about seeing if WF could do this setting for a radiant, I think it is just to die for

http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/diamond-settings/amphora-for-princess-diamond-engagement-ring-1521.htm

 

[slg47]

wow, that is a really intricate setting with a lot of pave. I am not surprised that the quotes are higher. Have you considered modifying the design slightly? I think if you went with the triple pave on the band but a simpler halo that might be more budget friendly.

maybe something like this but with a single halo?
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/home/ring-details/?product_id=5670

 

[tyty333]

wow, that is a really intricate setting with a lot of pave. I am not surprised that the quotes are higher. Have you considered modifying the design slightly? I think if you went with the triple pave on the band but a simpler halo that might be more budget friendly.

maybe something like this but with a single halo?
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/home/ring-details/?product_id=5670

I think this setting is really pretty...maybe you could see if they could do it with a halo. That would be pretty blingy.

Also, like f-gal said, I would contact WF and get a quote.

 

[bright ice]

I think a lot of the pricing has to do with being hand forged vs CAD. Only you can decide what the difference is worth to you. I am currently working with Victor Canera and all that I can say is that his customer service has been SUPERB. He has been very easy to work with. I think he was fair with his pricing as I did get a quote from Steven Kirsch which was higher. I wouldn't even think of getting a quote from Leon again as I have in the past.

I have worked with BGD in the past and customer service was excellent.

 

[mrssalvo]

I'm not surprised at the pricing either. There is a lot of labor involved in doing something similar to the ring you posted and if done entirely by hand will increase the price further. I'd probably go with Steven or Victor but haven't seen either of their work in person. I have seen Leon's work and it was superb but his attitude in your phone call to him would be enough for me to spend my $ elsewhere. BGD does great work but he does use cad/wax and really only you can decide which is the best fit for you and your project.

 

[CharmyPoo]

Leon may be rude or just brutally honest / open with his opinions. He does have a good point though - I would take that money and upgrade the diamond before investing heavily into another setting.

 

[Sparkly_Not_Gaudy]

So I have recently posted here regarding my desire to reset my 1.01 ct radiant stone. I had originally picked out a beautiful vanna k setting that I had thought about going with until I saw this setting...



3. Leon Mege - after emailing him - he asked me to call him about this request right away. After talking to him, I understand why people say he is rude. Although he wasn't outwardly rude he was quite condescending calling my stone small and the setting that I wanted "mass produced and not produced very well." Needless to say at the end of the conversation he started telling me that I should start with talking on one of the jewelers regarding upgrading my stone and then getting him to create a completely different setting which would cost me $6!

I am so glad to read this, because I thought it was just me. He was very condenscending and rude and he said he didn't want to put his comments in an email...and I'd guess not because he was just awful. Awful! When I see people recommend him on here I cringe.

Good luck, I love the setting you showed and think it would be gorgeous with your stone!

 

[Mayk]

I used Sareen Jewelry.. and was very please... I went through Emma Parker Jewelry and worked with Tim. I don't have as much pave.. but here's my thread.. my setting in platinum was $3,500


[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-pre-wedding-e-ring-reset-by-sareen.160853/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-pre-wedding-e-ring-reset-by-sareen.160853/[/URL]


Loved working with Tim at Emma Parker.... and Adam at Sareen... they also did "pinknblue"'s ring

Sad what Leon said to you.. I also looked at his work but didn't call him.. I did contact JbEG... I love her sets.. but I fell in love with Adam's work and working with Tim was so easy...



http://sareenjewelry.com/

http://emmaparker.com/

 

[nysurg]

Wow! Thank you all for your responses.
farmer gal - I sent off an email to WF today and had a conversation online with them but they seemed really anxious for me to commit prior to them giving me a firm quote.

BGD may be a way to go as their settings are beautiful...although Mark Broumaud says that he can do this setting without me breaking my budget. I am leaning that way...any comments???

Regarding, Leon - yeah he has lost my business...I am not really thinking about going there...I don't care how brilliant you are - if you are not nice to customers - you won't get my business!

Just got off the phone with Adam at Sareen Jewelry and he seems awesome...I look forward to hearing from him.

Thanks for all you ideas!

 

[Sheherizaad]

Are you in NYC? If you are, I'd like to recommend my jeweler. He's not a PS Vendor, but I think his work is exceptionally clean and he has some similar settings in his store (triple pave shanks, halo shanks, etc) and I'm pretty sure he could work in your price range.

His name is Allen.

Bianca Jewelers
647 Lexington Avenue
Btw 54th-55th sts
New York, NY 10022
212-308-6150

 

[pinknblue]

To echo what MayK said, I used Sareen Jewelry and am super happy with my ring. I saw a setting similar to what you posted but with a round stone when I checked out his settings in person. I don't know what the price would be though, but I'm sure he could make it around a radiant since the rings are custom made around the stone. Best of luck!

 

[yssie]

nysurg - I too am surprised the quotes aren't higher - that is a *very* pave-intensive piece, as previous posters have said! You could cut costs significantly by reducing the amount of pave on the underside, etc. Handmade is more expensive than cast, but in this case I'd honestly say it's worth it - cast pieces inherently need to have thicker parts (the tiny prongs holding each stone, the surrounding metal, etc.) because they're less dense - and the extra metal I think would make a big difference in the aesthetic of a piece like this..

Leon may be rude or just brutally honest / open with his opinions. He does have a good point though - I would take that money and upgrade the diamond before investing heavily into another setting.

The Leon fan club truly will let him get away with anything What if OPs stone has sentimental value? Rudeness and brutal honesty/openness are *not* the same thing where I come from.

 

[LGK]

I think a lot of the pricing has to do with being hand forged vs CAD. Only you can decide what the difference is worth to you. I am currently working with Victor Canera and all that I can say is that his customer service has been SUPERB. He has been very easy to work with. I think he was fair with his pricing as I did get a quote from Steven Kirsch which was higher. I wouldn't even think of getting a quote from Leon again as I have in the past.

I have worked with BGD in the past and customer service was excellent.

Yeah. There will be an obvious difference in quality in handmade vs. CAD/cast with a ring that is this micropave-intensive. Personally, I have discovered trying to get an *ornate* setting on a budget is not a great plan- I've always regretted it and ended up resetting later, and cursing that I'd wasted the money. Personally, I'd put the whole budget into the diamond and then save over time to get one of the nicer, handmade settings (probably Victor, since I found him to be fabulous to work with). Or, alternatively, look for a less ornate setting that does it for you and have it made by one of the CAD/cast folks.

But, I'm also super picky so YMMV. If you don't go with Steven Kirsch, or Victor, I'd probably go with BGD or Whiteflash, for a CAD/cast jeweler, as they do make nice work for the price.

 

[nysurg]

nysurg - I too am surprised the quotes aren't higher - that is a *very* pave-intensive piece, as previous posters have said! You could cut costs significantly by reducing the amount of pave on the underside, etc. Handmade is more expensive than cast, but in this case I'd honestly say it's worth it - cast pieces inherently need to have thicker parts (the tiny prongs holding each stone, the surrounding metal, etc.) because they're less dense - and the extra metal I think would make a big difference in the aesthetic of a piece like this..

Leon may be rude or just brutally honest / open with his opinions. He does have a good point though - I would take that money and upgrade the diamond before investing heavily into another setting.

The Leon fan club truly will let him get away with anything What if OPs stone has sentimental value? Rudeness and brutal honesty/openness are *not* the same thing where I come from.

You are absolutely right...I think that just because you do good work that does note justify rudness!!

I do have sentimental value to my center stone. I don't think that a larger stone would work with my everyday life still. Ideally I would work with what I have. Thanks!

So far the quote that I received from WF is pretty similar to Victor - if I had to choose to spend that much I would certainly go with handmade platinum...how is it possible that Mark's quote is so low...what am I missing?

 

[Sparkly_Not_Gaudy]

Loved working with Tim at Emma Parker.... and Adam at Sareen... they also did "pinknblue"'s ring

Sad what Leon said to you.. I also looked at his work but didn't call him.. I did contact JbEG... I love her sets.. but I fell in love with Adam's work and working with Tim was so easy...



http://sareenjewelry.com/

http://emmaparker.com/

Wrong URL for Emma Parker. That one takes you to a little girl's website put up by her parents.

emmaparkerdiamonds.com

 

[nysurg]

Loved working with Tim at Emma Parker.... and Adam at Sareen... they also did "pinknblue"'s ring

Sad what Leon said to you.. I also looked at his work but didn't call him.. I did contact JbEG... I love her sets.. but I fell in love with Adam's work and working with Tim was so easy...



http://sareenjewelry.com/

http://emmaparker.com/

Wrong URL for Emma Parker. That one takes you to a little girl's website put up by her parents.

emmaparkerdiamonds.com

Mayk -
I talked with Adam at Sareen and he told me that he will give me a quote. Waiting to hear back. His stuff is great and he seemed really nice. Thanks!

 

[petrock<3]

3. Leon Mege - after emailing him - he asked me to call him about this request right away. After talking to him, I understand why people say he is rude. Although he wasn't outwardly rude he was quite condescending calling my stone small and the setting that I wanted "mass produced and not produced very well." Needless to say at the end of the conversation he started telling me that I should start with talking on one of the jewelers regarding upgrading my stone and then getting him to create a completely different setting which would cost me $6!

LOL and

ETA: This dude has bawls. Please excuse my language. I'm still scratching my head over this one.


I think the prices you were quoted are really good! I was quoted similarly from many of the same vendors for only 1 sided pave on the band.

Good luck with your project, beautiful choice! Nice to see another radiant on here, not too many!

 

[Luminous-MB]

Thanks for the referrals and vote of confidence I guess it is difficult for people to recommend us here being that they actually haven't seen our work and how fine it is. But I think that also means that you can't determine that our quality is less superior than any different vendor. Maybe we simply don't feel it is necessary to make an arm and a leg in a single transaction.

 

[Laila619]

Leon may be rude or just brutally honest / open with his opinions. He does have a good point though - I would take that money and upgrade the diamond before investing heavily into another setting.

I'm sorry, but this is rude, and Leon is as well. If she's happy with her stone, then that is what matters--it has sentimental value.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Are you okay with not wearing a wedding band with the e-ring? Because this 3 sided pave should not have a band worn with it. I respect your feeling toward your diamond and it certainly would fine with a halo. But you mentioned your lifestyle wouldn't work well with a larger stone, but just be sure a super blingy setting fits with your lifestyle. Sometimes a larger diamond and less blingy setting work better for everyday wear. Just wanted to throw that idea out there even though it certainly may not apply to you!

I'd not do this ring unless I did one of the best..and for me right now, it would be Steven or Victor, probably. We've seen their recent work and the quality seems to be top notch.

 

[Mayk]

nysurg..so glad you got to talk to Adam.. pinknblue dealt directly with him... I only talked to him once but he was so nice.. and they shipped out the samples..which really speak for themselves... like you I did tons of research.. this is the fun part.. decideing then having to wait is the "HARD" stuff!!!!

 

[CharmyPoo]

Leon may be rude or just brutally honest / open with his opinions. He does have a good point though - I would take that money and upgrade the diamond before investing heavily into another setting.

The Leon fan club truly will let him get away with anything What if OPs stone has sentimental value? Rudeness and brutal honesty/openness are *not* the same thing where I come from.

Sorry ... I am not part of any fan club. Nor did I say rudeness and honesty were the same thing. You are missing the "with his opinions" portion of my statement.

The op asked for advice around Leon's recommendation. I gave my thoughts on what I would do.

 

[CharmyPoo]

Leon may be rude or just brutally honest / open with his opinions. He does have a good point though - I would take that money and upgrade the diamond before investing heavily into another setting.

I'm sorry, but this is rude, and Leon is as well. If she's happy with her stone, then that is what matters--it has sentimental value.

Perhaps but she asked for advice and I gave mine. If she said differently in her original post that it was out of the question, my response would be different. In the end, she should do what she wants and it is clear Leon is not in the running nor have I forced it or think it is th right vendor for her.

Leon told me before. When he says small, he usually means small for the setting we want. He also told me my 1.7 ct was small. I did take his advice to not go crazy on the e-ring setting. Should be a more simple design. Dont let the setting over bear the diamond ... It should showcase it. I guess it is like clothes .... You wear the clothes and not vice versa.

 

[nysurg]

Thank you ALL for the advice. I am still waiting to hear from a few more vendors.

@ Sheherizaad - I sent Allen an email and will let you know what he has to say. Thanks so much.