Thoughts on this Pearlman''s Ring

[Demelza]

Any thoughts? The price seems a bit steep for the diamond weight, no? I really like the style, but I worry that the diamonds won't sparkle much because they're so small.

A classic bright cut diamond pave eternity ring. The ring has a full circle of 34 diamonds weighing .29ct. We can make these in many different sizes. Price:$1,800.00

 

[bling*diva*]

~~I like the eternity band... I think the diamonds will sparkle, maybe not as much, but they will sparkle!!

 

[Demelza]

Does the price seem unreasonable? I''m trying to figure out why it would be so much. Is the setting of those pave diamonds very labor intensive?

 

[movie zombie]

i like it. from what i''ve been reading, good diamonds no matter how small will sparkle.

peace, movie zombie

 

[Mara]

Oh my god are you kidding me? 0.29ctw eternity for $1800? That is INSANE. Total ripoff IMO unless those diamonds are D IF and then maybe even so. Keep looking!

 

[Jelly]

....

 

[Demelza]

These aren''t listed as Ritani rings. They are under Pearlman''s collection. They look like the Ritani ring, though. Hmmm...Anyway, I really like the style, but the price seems insane. I like how the sides are smooth and the diamonds are set into the band, but they''re not channel set.

 

[valeria101]

Set tight nicely cut melee surely looks like diamonds. I don't know prices that well, but I would expect the smallest pave bands not to be the least expensive because of the more intricate work involved to peg the tiny stones to the metal. The larger bands can be made 'shared prong' with less work...

That one you have posted looks pretty safe with four tidy beads holding each stone and aparently sufficient thickness.


These bands at EstateDiamondJewelry are about the same weight but a slightly different sort of pave. There are some channel set in yellow (sapphire or diamond) and pink (sapphire) in the same place.

Just a thought.

 

[AGBF]

Date: 10/7/2005 2:54:15 AM
Author: valeria101
These bands at EstateDiamondJewelry are about the same weight There are some in yellow (sapphire or diamond) and pink (sapphire) in the same place.

Those are cute. In fact, they greatly remind me of the Sheldon Speyer mini mania rings! When I see how tiny the stones are in the one mini-mania ring I bought, I cannot bear to buy another one. I feel like a fool for spending what I did on it. Around $1,000.00 is the going rate for one of those bands, however.

Deborah

 

[Jelly]

Good point valeria! With 34 diamonds at less than a point I imagine you are paying for the labor for setting and cutting those little suckers?

 

[AGBF]

Date: 10/7/2005 2:59:48 AM
Author: AGBF
When I see how tiny the stones are in the one mini-mania ring I bought, I cannot bear to buy another one.

For the record, I bought my mini-mania ring from Peter Suchy in Connecticut. Pearlman''s does not carry that line.

Deb

 

[AGBF]

Date: 10/7/2005 3:00:09 AM
Author: Jelly
Good point valeria! With 34 diamonds at less than a point I imagine you are paying for the labor for setting and cutting those little suckers?

I am sure that that is why Sheldon Speyer''s mini-mania rings are made in Thailand!

Deborah

 

[mrssalvo]

i agree with ana, the price probably has something to do with the detail involved in setting the small stones. Pearlman's will also make sure the size of the stones, table, diameters etc. will all be the same. it's probably a very high quality piece. I'd probably just call Bill and ask him

ETA: the quote I received from Quest to make a band similar to the one you posted to match the custom ring they made for me was about the same price as the pearlman's ring with about the same tcw. I was surprised it was going to be that much b/c it was about the same amount I paid for the new setting which seemed to have a lot more detail and to be way more complicated.

 

[Demelza]

I'm sure the ring is just lovely, but I can't justify spending that much money for 1/3 ct of diamonds. Has anyone seen a similar look at a more reasonable price? There's this from Signed Pieces, but it still has the shared prong look even though it's micropave.

 

[Mara]

I don't agree that the setting of the stones or the intricacy of the setting accounts for that ridiculously high cost!

I do alot of surfing around the net and looking at various items and I have seen things similar to the channel set pave for less..definitely. I guess it depends though, I would never pay $1000 for the Sheldon rings either..I'm all about it looking good for the least amount of money possible unless it's a UNIQUE design and IMO something like an eternity band is hard to make entirely unique. It's also hard for me to pay for a brand name on something that I consider not a unique style. Plus, when something that thin is on the finger, the amount of sparkle obscures anything else anyway...

If I have some time today, I will try to look around Dem and see if I see anything similar. But $1800 for that? Oh my gosh, no everlovin' way.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Wow, $1800 is astronomical. I''m also looking for an eternity ring, but intead prong set, and am looking for .50 ctw and I can tell you, that there is NO WAY I''m paying even half that price! Where else have you looked? I just emailed White Flash for a quote and am hoping to have a ring made with well cut melee (which I think will make the stones sparkle even if very tiny) for a reasonable price.

Oh, and the Pearlman site does have a .51 tcw, prong set eternity band in their collection, in white gold for only $550, so maybe you can work with them to have a platinum ring made in the style you like for less cost! Obviously they CAN make this ring for less because this other ring (below) has more diamonds and the difference between WG and Platinum cannot be *that* much to justify $1800!

Here''s the other ring (one I''m considering for my eternity band) that is .51 TCW in WG for $550

 

[Kaleigh]

$1800 is way too high, IMHO. Hopefully Mara can find a nice alternative for you Demelza.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 10/7/2005 1:43:51 PM
Author: Demelza

There's this from Signed Pieces, but it still has the shared prong look even though it's micropave.

I see prongs there, not beads of metal reised with a graver... so it is not 'pave'. Well, as much as I can tell.

Actually, I don't remember to have seen traditional pave much around here (the one with the stones held in place by 'shavings' of metal). There are many stock settings with little prongs bent over the stones (like that from Signed Pieces you have posted), a few more with the beads of metal cast rather than carved out of the metal base (WF, Mark Morell). Some I have no idea how they were made at all (three sided halos from Art of Platinum with four claws / pointer!) and then some I would recognize as 'traditional' (the Deco pendant by Platinumsmith, say).

If you really, really don't have better to do, there are a couple of pages showing how pave and bead setting are made. It surely inspires respect! Looking from the sidelines, it seems that each stone there requires individual attention and there may be hundreds on one ring or set. Allright, I can immagine one can get used to doing this fast but... really, it reminds me of embroidery and matrix algebra without a PC

Pave, and bead seting...

... and faulty shared prongs with diamonds too small for the setting.

from here

Not my opinion this time. The bits come from the archine of the 'Professional Jeweler' mag. You can sure trust the pros to be the most obsessed and informed nit picking quality controll freaks. Pretty amazing what these articles bring up. If you'd look up Pricescope's archive to actually count those faults, the only 'surviving' QC candidates might be the poster kids from the AGTA awards or somwthing.

 

[dani13]

Dem,

I agree with the others- $1800 is too much to pay for something so generic looking. I agree with Mara- unless it is something so unique and different, it is really not worth it. I like the bands from signed pieces, and they are much more reasonably priced. I am sure if you shop around you will find something more worth your while. Let us know what happens- I will be looking for something similar for my w-band!

 

[Demelza]

Ideally, I would like to find a band just like the Pearlman''s ring with a bit more carat weight (closer to .75-.85 cttw, or even a little more). This would be an alternative to my shared prong wedding band. I know, I know, I''m a nutcase, but I''m still considering changing my set. When I saw Snlee''s new set yesterday, my heart skipped a beat. I just love the simplicity of an eternity ring with a thin soliatire. But I don''t want to use my shared prong band because it just scratches everything. I would switch it over to my right hand and wear it alone. I should probably go custom and have them make the solitaire to fit flush against the eternity ring. But if I can find something that would work without going custom, I''d rather do that.

Thanks, Mara, for offering to take a look around for me.

 

[Lynn B]

Hey, Dem... some great ideas and some gorgeous rings!

I really like your idea of a solitaire with an eternity band. That''d really make that big ol'' gorgeous, honkin'' stone of yours *POP*!

BTW, how much is that Facets band?

Lynn

(P.S. And you''re no "nutcase", girlfriend!)

 

[Demelza]

Date: 10/7/2005 3:07:10 PM
Author: Lynn B
Hey, Dem... some great ideas and some gorgeous rings!

I really like your idea of a solitaire with an eternity band. That''d really make that big ol'' gorgeous, honkin'' stone of yours *POP*!


BTW, how much is that Facets band?


Lynn


(P.S. And you''re no ''nutcase'', girlfriend!)

You''re too kind, Lynn. The Signed Pieces ring is around $850. I believe it''s approximately .34 pts of diamonds. I definitely don''t want diamonds that small. They should at least be 1 pointers if not a bit more. And I agree that when I had my stone in a solitaire for all of five minutes, it looked much bigger.

 

[mrssalvo]

what about kberly''s yummy Mark Morrell:

 

[Mara]

If I ever go solitaire setting, it would be something like kberly''s or MM''s ''buttercup'' ring but cathedral with no diamonds...yum. Or maybe WF''s tiffany solitaire with the sweet cupped head. Or the Fine Line. And have a eternity wedding band, maybe custom to fit flush. But who knows, that''s another life.

I was looking at some pix today and saw looking4carats solitaire original band and then the signed pieces 3 ring set and I swore that the solitaire made the stone look bigger by itself. So that''s the rub.

 

[Mara]

Here''s what I mean. I think that the eternity style SETS sometimes take a bit of size away visually from the stone. Obviously the stone looks big either way but it looks bigger by itself.

 

[mepearl53]

Gee! I''m in a thread. We are in a great site that hopes to enlighten the consumer on why things cost as they do and also help to understand what goes into the valuations. Let me try to explain how this pricing works. First the labor is VERY expensive. It runs $25.00 each to set these diamonds. at 34 diamond X $25.00 =$850.00. This is micro pave setting and each stone is exactly the same size and not by weight but micrometer. These diamond are set so each table is exactly matching the one next to it. There is also very little tolerance between the table sizes. These diamonds are EF VVS-VS $900.00 per ct cost x .29 = $261.00. The ring is hand fabricated not a casting or stamping but made from stock cold rolled platinum. It is formed by hand and every seat drilled by machine to exact measurements so each diamond is exactly spaced the same $400.00. Cost to make the ring $1,536.00 profit $264.00. Made in the USA

MC was looking at a ring with a 1/2ct in 18kt white gold. Made in China with clean SI H-I diamonds $475.00 pc= $237.50 Setting cost.50 cents per stone = $20.00. Cast 18kt with polishing $75.00. Total cost $352.50 for the ring.

Made in the USA. Stamped eternity ring pave set by machine .50ct tw VS-SI mix G H I same specs as above $900.00 cost retail $1,200.00.

Let me make it for you like the one your showing me the picture of priceless.

There are huge reasons as to why something costs as it does. Some people demand the best and most precise standard in handmade jewelry coupled with the highest level of customer service after the sale. Others may not need, understand, care about such things and would prefer the lower price point. This is a personal preference but there are manufacturing differences that should be taken into account when judging price. In the future many designers will probably choose to take a certain amount of work to Asia and India where $3.00 a day is considered a good living. Can''t do it yet in LA or NYC.

 

[movie zombie]

bill, thank you for the cost analysis. just goes to show that once again one gets what they pay for......quality stones and work plus american made.

i really like the small .29 carat weight as i think it will provide sparkle w/o taking over the finger...subtle....which i'm not usually drawn to.

i'm going to keep it in mind as a pairing with my spess [once its designed and completed!] and plain 18k 2mm wedding band.

peace, movie zombie

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 10/7/2005 4:44:04 PM
Author: movie zombie

just goes to show that once again one gets what they pay for......quality stones and work plus american made.






peace, movie zombie

i agree MZ. one thing that bothers me about many eternity bands is the diamonds are the same weight but not necessarily the same diameter so the ring can look uneven. sometimes the best deal isn''t always the best product. For me, that perfection is important and worth the $$, for others it''s not, and like Bill said it''s a personal preference

 

[Lynn B]

Bill,

Thanks for the information. One question, please. Would it be safe to clean that ring (in Dem''s first post) in an ultrasonic cleaner?

Thanks!

Lynn

 

[Mara]

Date: 10/7/2005 4:44:04 PM
Author: movie zombie
bill, thank you for the cost analysis. just goes to show that once again one gets what they pay for......quality stones and work plus american made.

that is one way to look at it, but from items i have seen, it's very possible to get something that is also quality stones and work that is not $1800 for 0.29ctw. i also appreciate the cost analysis that bill gave, but that still seems expensive..just my thoughts...i know that he broke it all down but i still say..WOAH.

i agree that you don't necessarily want to buy crap for $300 and sometimes you want a better piece, but when there is THAT much of a discrepancy between something machine made and/or hand made then people will comment on it. Eespecially if the description on the site selling it does not say WHY it's different from XYZ or give more information..then you will get misunderstandings from consumers. and i really feel like you don't need to spend $1800 to get a very good quality piece.

blah blah blah handmade blah blah blah expensive!