What is a ring worth?

[jamh]

I''m having an engagement ring custom made based off of a design that my girlfriend picked out. After taking two weeks to get a quote, I got the numbers today and I''m a bit worried. I can see advantages either way, so I wanted to check in with the forum and see what you all thought.

I brought in three pieces of jewelry, one with a .5ct rbc diamond for the center stone, and two pieces that had a total of 15-20 smaller diamonds. The ring I''m interested in has six prongs and channel set diamonds. The final quotes were 2,100 for 18k white gold, and about 4,300 for platinum.

On the upside, it is a reputable shop, their other pieces are great, and I think that they can make a top notch ring. I get to provide all of my own diamonds, which is important to me since I''m trying to use the most ethical diamonds possible, and what''s more ethical than recycled diamonds?

This place also provides lifetime service on the ring, fixes, cleanings, everything and a full appraisal and evaluation of the ring and the diamonds.

On the downsides, I think I can find it for cheaper somewhere else.

How much do you all think those services are worth, and how big of a price difference do you think I can expect to see???

 

[Gypsy]

You are having them just make you a setting and you are providing all the diamonds... and THAT''S the price! Sorry that sounds TERRIBLY high to me. Really incredibly high. REALLY. I''m getting qoutes from high-end quality jewelers for a ring with diamonds they will be providing (.5 tcw) plus two sapphires IN platinum. And my price qoutes are lower than that. And that includes custom diamond cutting to fit the setting.

Yeah. Um. No.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I agree with Gypsy. You could find rings with the diamonds included at those prices.

 

[mrssalvo]

many times it''s not the little diamonds that are expensive the price has to do with the labor involved to set them. That said 2K for a WG setting seems a lot, even for custom. I''d suggest contacting a couple other vendors who do custom work and see what kind of quote they give you to compare. Whiteflash does custom but not sure if they''ll let you use your own sidestones. Quest Jewelers also does custom and I suggest giving them both a call.

 

[jamh]

As I think about it, I suspect that it was the goldsmith''s way of saying that he really doesn''t want to do the project. At least in my biz, if there''s a distastefull project for whatever reason it''s common to adjust your rate way up.

But still, that''s either an astronomical hourly rate, or a lot of hours of work. I''ve asked them what else we can do, and I''ll be checking around too.