What's a fair price for this custom setting?

[LivingLife]

Hi all, been searching for a while for a diamond and engagement ring and stumbled upon this website . Would a price of $1200 for any custom made 14 karat white gold fair? I haven't shown them the pictures yet. This is quoted from Kays Jewelry store at the mall. The pictures are in the attachments. Thank you all!

 

[cinnamonstick]

Pretty setting! I have not seen anything like it before

My two cents? I wouldn't go through Ks. My first engagement ring setting was from a mall store, and it gave me nothing but trouble. It was poorly made to say the least! There are wonderful vendors online here who can assist you with a custom-made ring that will not run a lot more ( not the higher end ones, but the ones that are marked as "more affordable" vendors, but still have a great reputation on PS). All I'm saying is, at least please price it out on PS with a vendor, such as I DJ, before going with Ks. Then make your decision from there.

We didn't have a lot of money when we got engaged and I bought from a mall store. Not Ks... drawing a blank. Not
Ulta.... same idea. They sold me a ring that only came in 14 karat yellow gold. I wanted white gold. Instead of simply telling me it didn't come and white gold, all they did was rhodium plate it. Every 6 months, no joke, the yellow gold wore through, and it looked horrible!

At least price it out.....never hurts to have a few estimates anyway GL!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Yes, I would never have a ring custom made through a chain store. Custom is just not going to be their specialty. Are you wanting this for yourself or for someone else, and did they pick it out? We might could show you some that are similar but better as far as wearing another ring with it. That one prong that sticks out from the base is going to rub a wedding band and the prong and the wedding band are going to show wear from that.

Here are some ideas of similar settings that cost less than that quote:

https://eshop.gabrielny.com/product/ER10202W4JJJ

https://eshop.gabrielny.com/product/ER10257W4JJJ

https://eshop.gabrielny.com/product/ER11588R3W4JJJ

https://eshop.gabrielny.com/product/ER7823W44JJ

https://eshop.gabrielny.com/product/ER11828R3W44JJ

As you can see, you can get a nicer ring for less than the $1200 you were quoted. This particular brand is carried by Good Old Gold and ID Jewelry.

 

[LivingLife]

I'm getting this as an engagement ring for my girl. She personally chose it and said it's like a snowflake when looking at it, and she likes how the band is simple and elegant. I ordered it from alibaba website for $36. It's a fake ring, but I thought maybe if I have it physically in hand I can wear it to see how it's like. It's going to be like 2-3 weeks before it's shipped to me because it's from china. I'm not sure of what to do about the ring rubbing against the band... I never would have thought of that.

Now that you 2 mention it, I probably won't choose Kays for the service . But in terms of having it custom made, would it be around $1000? Thanks!

 

[Acinom]

You could contact David Klass and ask for a quote. You may find examples of his work here on PS or on his FB page.

 

[cinnamonstick]

Cost wise it should not run too much. I priced some very simple tiffany 14k settings, ran $800? These were stock (not custom) and did not have the "snowflake head" which will run slightly more. Cost is relative. I know when I was getting engaged, $1,000 with a phenomenal amount of money!

Your girlfriend likes the "snowflake" bc it will emphasize her diamond? Looks as if it may have a bit of a diamond cut (reflexing light)? Almost like a diamond halo but metal? It's pretty. I have an antique pair of earrings that have a similar look. Emphasizes the center diamond creating an illusion it is larger . Will she consider some small diamonds in the halo? Or only wants gold?

Write up one nice email with pics, send it to a few PS vendors. See what prices come back. They may vary.

Here are a few pics. I have a feeling u or ur GF have viewed a few of these.

Diamonds on shank (u said she liked the simpler shank). Same ring

Straight vs angled shank (angled is pretty, good point about bumping up the wedding band). Same ring.


If your GF totally wants the ring that you have posted, then I say find someone custom who can make it in 14k for a reasonable price.

 

[cinnamonstick]

Here is it different look. Ring runs $800. Came up under halo without diamonds search.

http://www.uniondiamond.com/Modern-Engagement-Set-With-All-Metal-Halo-Engagement-Ring_JHL11913W

I guess the bottom line is, we could throw diamond rings at you all day to look at. Ultimately, if your girlfriend has her heart set on the one that you found in silver, find someone to duplicate it.

Of course, stay active bc there are little tips that may be provided to help you. Such as the issue with bumping a band up against an angled shank. Or choosing a vendor, etc.

GL

 

[cinnamonstick]

The Gab&Co Diamondseeker posted are beautiful! (4th down) . Prices are fair.

 

[Gem Queen]

As pretty as this setting is, I think it would tear you up. It looks like it would snag on everything or scratch your kids.... if you have kids. Something to think about.

 

[FancyIntense]

These are some fantastic alternatives PSers! Really pretty rings!

 

[LivingLife]

Thank you everyone, those rings that u have attached r nice. I've shown them to her and told her about the concerns of the ring (scratches stuff and band), but she still wants to see how it'll be like when the fake one arrived in the mail lol. My budget isn't high, so I'll probably be looking at 1 carat or less diamond. besides, her hand is small and she doesn't look good with a big rock anyways hehe.

 

[MollyMalone]

Good idea to hold off on commissioning/ordering a mounting until after the inexpensive fake arrives, so you two can have a better idea of whether the design of the head is an appealing, and practical, one (I too am concerned about how much it will snag-scratch).

I seem to remember that some company offers a similar, but less problematic, 6-prong mounting in gold within your target budget; if I can find it, I will post back with the link.

p.s. just as a fyi in case you didn't realize it from what cinnamonstick said in her initial response to you: the 2nd and 4th pics she posted are also of silver & cubic zirconia rings from China with the same head as the one you ordered.

 

[derbygal]

I have always loved this Maevona ring. It is called "Mallow". Looks a lot like snowflake to me. Just thought I'd share in case you wanted to go a designer route. It is made for 3/4 carat center to 1.25 carat center. http://www.maevona.com/product/MVA34_MAL

 

[alamana]

Gosh, that's really pretty. As a practical matter I do wonder about the snag-factor, though.

Agree with all of the "Don't use Kay's -- custom isn't what they do best..." wisdom provided here, and I'll suggest contacting Quest Jewelers in Virginia. They are making my er right now (although it isn't custom ... I went into their office thinking custom and fell in love with a setting in the case). I know they do quite a bit of custom work with folks who aren't local, and I've been told that their custom prices are highly competitive.

 

[LivingLife]

So I finally decided to have it custom made at David and Sons Jewelry store (family owned, but located in a mall) in San Diego. I was surprised at the price that they're charging me, but this is the store with most Yelp reviews (600+) and it's 5 stars. They originally charged me about $2800 after tax for it to be made in 18k white gold. I was so shocked because that's almost the price of the diamond that I bought ($ 3,625). So I told them I'm going to think about it. Right as I was about to step out, they called me and said they can reduce the price by $200, so it'll be about $2600. It's still a lot, but I agreed to it. The total of the ring and the diamond is now over my original budget, I guess I have to work more over time now hah.

 

[cinnamonstick]

Hi, thank you for updating us. So are you going to go ahead and have the shop make your ring? Is it final? Definitely seems a bit inflated $. However, if it's a go, I think you will be much happier in the end vs using Kay, even if u r overpaying at the current shop...

 

[alamana]

That seems very expensive to me. I'd think about emailing Quest and asking them how much they could do it for.

 

[cinnamonstick]

If you're not locked in I also would think IDJewelry could make it for significantly less and would highly recommend them for prices and quality.

I was wondering if u were locked in to your current store before I went ahead and added any more of my two cent.....

 

[LivingLife]

Thanks everyone, but I am locked in. I already paid in full (which, now that I think about it, isn't it supposed to be just deposit?). It was such an impulse decision, I didn't know why I did that at that moment. Usually I would say "Ill think about it." I think I am just so burnt out and got too excited at the same time. Hopefully with all the good Yelp reviews that the quality wouldn't come out bad.

 

[cinnamonstick]

Based on the reviews and the price it will turn out fantastic. Sounds like it's a very reputable place. As I said before I'd totally be okay so you've already avoided Kays, so you are already a thousand miles ahead of the game! Please post after pics!

 

[lovedogs]

So I finally decided to have it custom made at David and Sons Jewelry store (family owned, but located in a mall) in San Diego. I was surprised at the price that they're charging me, but this is the store with most Yelp reviews (600+) and it's 5 stars. They originally charged me about $2800 after tax for it to be made in 18k white gold. I was so shocked because that's almost the price of the diamond that I bought ($ 3,625). So I told them I'm going to think about it. Right as I was about to step out, they called me and said they can reduce the price by $200, so it'll be about $2600. It's still a lot, but I agreed to it. The total of the ring and the diamond is now over my original budget, I guess I have to work more over time now hah.

LivingLife: haha small world! Hubby and I got my engagement ring and both wedding bands at David and Sons. I do think they are overpriced compared to what you could get from some of the recommended vendors here (we went there 5.5 years ago before knowing anything about PS or what "good" prices were). BUT, their products are excellent, and I am sure you won't be disappointed. I think the reason they have things marked up a bit is due to the crazy high rent to be in a La Jolla mall, but they are super loyal and kind to their customers, and will clean/re-dip your ring in rhodium plating (if its white gold) for free for life. Also they do definitely come down on pricing with negotiation (as you saw). So don't stress about being unhappy, there's a good reason why they have such rave reviews on Yelp

 

[WinkHPD]

A retail jewelry store is one of the most expensive stores in the world to run on a per square foot basis.

There are high security costs, a good safe can cost over $20,000 and although they do help with the high insurance costs, they do not do not keep them from being very high compared to most types of stores. There are high costs to install the special lighting, high costs to train your staff unless you are just an order taker store like most of the mall stores. There are high electricity costs, and of course, if you are a quality store, the cost to keep the well trained staff that you just spent all that money training is also quite high. Oh, and if you think postage is high, just wait until you are also paying insurance on every package and you are receiving thousands of packages per year. (Yes, suppliers do charge the retailers for that shipping!)

Seeing that the store has hundreds of five star Yelp ratings also means that they service what they sell and promptly fix any errors, and I guarantee you, there are always going to be a few errors over the years. Working with a store that has a history of fixing those errors has a great value too!

So yes, it will cost you more than buying from one of the recommended on line vendors, but you will now have the advantage of having a friend in the business. Now, you can walk into their door and get rings cleaned and polished and minor repairs taken care of instantly without the wait and expense of shipping here and there. Now you have the comfort of working face to face with someone you have come to know, respect, and TRUST.

Sometimes cheaper is better, and sometimes, a little extra expense is worth every penny. I hope that this will prove to be one of those times for you.

Wink

 

[LivingLife]

Thanks everyone for the opinions and reassurances. As of right now, theres nothing else I can do hehe. I will update/post pix once it's done

 

[LivingLife]

It's been a long while since I posted. Hope it's not too late to upload some pictures . I got a camera so i was playing around with it also.

 

[Acinom]

What a beautiful result. It indeed looks like a snowflake.