Who else besides AfricaGems.com for 125 5 Pointers

[victoriouslegion]

Was shopping for about 125 5 pointer stones for a bracelet/necklace, and that store -- which was mentioned on this board while doing research -- offered them for around:

$93 Retail - 20% April Promotion - 15% Other Promotion -> About $60-$65 per 5 pointer, ideal cut, VS/F. I imagine I could call in my order and they'd knock another 10%-15% off, putting the cost per 5 pointer down around $55. So 6.25 carats for F/VS stones at a $6875 investment. Seems high still. Look at this # a bit more intensely on a $/carat basis, and I imagine they could probably go down a good bit further, but it's all speculation.

For those interested, these are the stones I was looking at: http://www.africagems.com/calibrated-precision-diamond-vs-fg.html

Wondering if anyone else has worked with this store or knows someone else good to go through for a larger accent stone order. I'm probably going to go with Mark end to end as I'm expecting/hoping him to beat this pricing materially, but I always like doing my own research earlier as I invest in another fairly significant, for me, piece.

You can see my last ring Mark made -- a 7 carat eternity band here: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/mark-turnowski-eternity-band-genius-7-carat-f-g-vs.174229/..']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/mark-turnowski-eternity-band-genius-7-carat-f-g-vs.174229/....[/URL].

 

[denverappraiser]

With nearly all projects I recommend starting with whoever it is you are planning to use as the setter. Depending on the piece you have in mind and how it going to be built, it's easy to discover that the setting fees are where you have the most flexibility and the savings from supplying your own melee just comes back at you somewhere else. Most jewelers have ready access to this sort of thing but also be aware that grading on melee is even more of a minefield than on major stones. In particular, 'ideal cutting' means wildly different things to different sellers although matching can be a can of worms as well. If you're going to be picky about them, make sure to get things checked out by an independent grader before you take the next step. Supplying your own melee is rather like going to a restaurant, supplying your own meat and asking them for a 'cooking charge'. They may or may not be willing to do it depending on your relationship with the chef, but it's unlikely to save you money or get you a better meal in the end.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I totally agree with Neil. You get quotes for your total project from vendors you are interested in.

 

[JLW05]

I agree with the prior poster. Also, I recently purchased earring jackets with .05 stones, F/G, SI stones. Stones are very bright and clear to the naked eye so you may not need VS stones for your purposes. Anyway, if I had paid $63 per stone, the cost of the stones alone would have exceeded the cost of my jackets including the diamonds, gold and labor.