who to go to for custom antique setting

[hippi_pixi]

So after 7 years my partner and i are finally getting an engagement ring! which is fantastic cos I can finally put all my hours researching and obsessing over OEC's. at this point I'm planning on buying a stone seperately and having it set but while I'm pretty sure what I'm after stone wise I'm struggling when it comes to settings as i haven't found any vendors that design and make the antique look that I'm after.

So a bit of background info I'm in Australia and I'm fairly certain i would need to use an overseas jeweller. Hopefully thats not going to make things too hard! I'm looking at 2.5 carat OEC stone I/J color and have my heart set on finding it with GOG






so i think i would go for a higher quality version of this ring with a few differences. rounder more femine shoulder/shank and possibly tiny light pink diamonds in the outer halo. possibly cutting out the zigzagging layer of the halo.



So any suggestions for good antique ring designers with clean metal work. And how do people go about working with a ring designer overseas? I will be in NY in Jan to pick the stone so might be able to meet with a USA designer directly after the stone is chosen.

Thanks for your help in advance!

 

[mandasand]

I would suggest Single Stone, since they made the second setting you like.

 

[CharmyPoo]

Or go to RDC so you don't have to send the ring half way around the world.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Or go to RDC so you don't have to send the ring half way around the world.

Yes, I would ask Mike Robinson as well. http://www.rdgnz.com/index.html

 

[pandabee]

I don't have any advice on where to go but I actually love the first setting! I've never seen anything like it. Maybe SS or RDC would be able to recreate that beautiful marquise/web halo but with more durability?

 

[yssie]

Oh, wow.

I don't care for halos but that first setting - that's beautiful. The open wire crossing design, the outer marquise halo...


I think SS could make you very happy, based on what we've seen of their work on here. I understand RDG is not accepting new projects at this time, but it can't hurt to confirm since you're already on that side of the world..


An OEC is the perfect stone for that setting

 

[hippi_pixi]

Thanks ppl

i will contact singlestone i think. it looks like they do a lot of work in antique style platinum so thats probably the way to go. is there any one jeweller in particular to ask for at singlestone?

I'm so glad a few of you like that first style! I've been looking at rings for such a long time and its the first time I've found a style that I really connected with. I would have the ring set in that exact ring except i feel the workmanship is not quite what I'm after.

I've really felt alone so far in my search as my partner is more of a 'let me know when you've picked one and I'll buy it' type of guy and none of my friends or family are interested in this type of thing. so I'm so glad i have pricescopers to help!

ZahraLeyla, I live on the sunshine coast QLD, but i was in Melbourne last weekend and happened to stumble across Keshett! so glad i did! i tried on ring no.1 below which had 2.3 carat centre stone (she had a few with different size/shape stones) which made me realise yes I do want a halo but not a standard diamond halo. my only hesitation was that I really wanted to choose my own stone with the help of GOG to get the best possible optics.



now i look on their website yes they do have a ring very similar to the one i found online which is ring No.2 below. the shoulders on Keshetts are much nicer. i didn't see it in store though maybe because the centre stone is .81 and i was asking for larger? the lady i talked to says she buys the stone and has the rings made overseas (i forget where... argentina or brazil or something)



and here is another picture of the style i like from a distance. it is from Fay cullen. and I am seriously tempted to have tiny pale pink stones for the halo because i loved your ring so much zahraleyla! though I'm not normally a big fan of pink as I'm a redhead...

 

[ZahraLeyla]

I'm off to Melbourne next week and I'll be stopping by Keshett. If I see that ring, I'll try and take some pictures for you. Yes, the owner is lovely and she also told me that she sources her settings in Argentina (which I remember thinking was a bit odd at the time).

The Pharmacist was also extremely hands off during our engagement ring search, which was both a blessing and a curse. Sometimes I really wanted his input and he wasn't able to give much more of an opinion besides 'that looks nice', but on the other hand it made me spend a lot of time on PS learning everything I could about old cuts and custom settings. In the end I got the ring of my dreams, and I wouldn't change anything in hindsight.

If you want pink diamond melee, prepare yourself in advance for the cost And, being a redhead is no reason to steer clear of pink in my opinion - I'm one too (...albeit not naturally). Thanks for your kind words about my ring; it's really very special to me.

 

[hippi_pixi]

You're ring is probably my favourite on pricescope. I remembered seeing it on pricescope months ago (haen't been on in a while) but couldn't find it on here so had to search on google and follow a few leads to find your thread again! I watched the video of its making recently too such a work of art.

if you see either ring at Keshett would you get a photo of the underside for me? I remember the work under the basket was lovely. I was tempted to ask the lady to send me a few more pictures and possibly a video but decided the video might be hard unless she was techsavy

my partner doesn't even say that looks nice! his comments are usually something like 'get whatever you like honey' 'It's not like i'm going to be wearing it' or my favourite "are you sure you don't want a new diamond they are so much more sparkly..."

i know pink diamonds are exxy! i did find a parcel on fancydiamonds.net 20 stones fancy pink 0.23 carat at $2300 and i think for my ring the paler and smaller the better. i would prefer if they weren't obviously bright pink from a distance. I originally had thought i would like 2 sneaky colored diamonds on the sides of the basket, as i love anything that has an extra surprise or bonus. but with this ring design ive found because the stones in the halo are very small and if they were soft pink i think it might add a lovely touch without being too obvious. and cheaper if they are small and pale!



edit: now that i look at the picture in a larger size i see that these are not equal size but atleast gives an idea of price

 

[pinkjewel]

You may not want to go with too pale pink diamonds if they're going to be set in platinum or white gold as they won't even show up as pink. I know you want subtle, but if you're paying a premium for pink diamonds, it's something to consider. Even many Fancy Pinks will look faded unless surrounded in rose gold, and I doubt fancy light pink would show at all unless set into rose (and even then many just look white).

 

[hippi_pixi]

thanks for the heads up pinkjewel. I'm going to have to have the setting in platinum and i guess having them so small to fit the design means that it might be even less obvious that they are pink. i will get a quote for white and a quote for fancy pink and if it doesn't seem worth it i might go back to my idea of having a hidden tiny pink diamond on the side of the basket. it might sound silly putting it where no one can see it but i love the idea that there would be something so lovely about the ring that only I know about

 

[pinkjewel]

great idea. I personally love the hidden pink diamond idea if you choose the white diamond halo. If so- look at using intense fancy pink to really show up. If you're using only one or two-cost wouldn't be that much more.

 

[caligirlatheart]

looks to make some really unique settings, might be worth contacting: http://www.platinumsmith.com.au/

 

[TravelingGal]

23rd street jewelers also is in the LA area and does work similar to Singlestone.

 

[yssie]

thanks for the heads up pinkjewel. I'm going to have to have the setting in platinum and i guess having them so small to fit the design means that it might be even less obvious that they are pink. i will get a quote for white and a quote for fancy pink and if it doesn't seem worth it i might go back to my idea of having a hidden tiny pink diamond on the side of the basket. it might sound silly putting it where no one can see it but i love the idea that there would be something so lovely about the ring that only I know about

That's not silly at all - it's exactly the sort of thing that I love too, secret details that are just for me

Oh - definitely ditto on TGal's 23rd st rec!! Her antique repo threestone by them is spectacular, it's a different style, but it highlights the quality of stuff their bench produces. Her SMTB thread has a link to the (also very long) RT design thread, since she didn't link it herself : [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/old-european-cut-three-stone-ring-by-23rd-street-jewelers.175582/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/old-european-cut-three-stone-ring-by-23rd-street-jewelers.175582/[/URL]

 

[diamondseeker2006]

thanks for the heads up pinkjewel. I'm going to have to have the setting in platinum and i guess having them so small to fit the design means that it might be even less obvious that they are pink. i will get a quote for white and a quote for fancy pink and if it doesn't seem worth it i might go back to my idea of having a hidden tiny pink diamond on the side of the basket. it might sound silly putting it where no one can see it but i love the idea that there would be something so lovely about the ring that only I know about

That's not silly at all - it's exactly the sort of thing that I love too, secret details that are just for me

Oh - definitely ditto on TGal's 23rd st rec!! Her antique repo threestone by them is spectacular, it's a different style, but it highlights the quality of stuff their bench produces. Her SMTB thread has a link to the (also very long) RT design thread, since she didn't link it herself : [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/old-european-cut-three-stone-ring-by-23rd-street-jewelers.175582/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/old-european-cut-three-stone-ring-by-23rd-street-jewelers.175582/[/URL]

I am pretty sure on another thread that someone said that Singlestone and 23rd St. use some of the same bench jewelers. I have seen the exact same setting at 23rd St. that SS had, so I know that is true. So I am not sure I see a need to deal with both of them unless you just want to compare prices.

 

[TravelingGal]

thanks for the heads up pinkjewel. I'm going to have to have the setting in platinum and i guess having them so small to fit the design means that it might be even less obvious that they are pink. i will get a quote for white and a quote for fancy pink and if it doesn't seem worth it i might go back to my idea of having a hidden tiny pink diamond on the side of the basket. it might sound silly putting it where no one can see it but i love the idea that there would be something so lovely about the ring that only I know about

That's not silly at all - it's exactly the sort of thing that I love too, secret details that are just for me

Oh - definitely ditto on TGal's 23rd st rec!! Her antique repo threestone by them is spectacular, it's a different style, but it highlights the quality of stuff their bench produces. Her SMTB thread has a link to the (also very long) RT design thread, since she didn't link it herself : [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/old-european-cut-three-stone-ring-by-23rd-street-jewelers.175582/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/old-european-cut-three-stone-ring-by-23rd-street-jewelers.175582/[/URL]

I am pretty sure on another thread that someone said that Singlestone and 23rd St. use some of the same bench jewelers. I have seen the exact same setting at 23rd St. that SS had, so I know that is true. So I am not sure I see a need to deal with both of them unless you just want to compare prices.

Probably not a bad idea to compare prices. And I think I was the one who said it. But from what I know recently, they use the same engraver, but not necessarily the same bench for all their work. That being said, I have seen a similar ring that the OP posted at both. Having seen what's on display at both places, the feel of the work is slightly different, IMHO.

 

[CharmyPoo]

For my first ering, I paid for a surprise pink diamond - I thought it looked stupid and in all my future rings .. Didn't do it. Kjust my 2 cents - it doesn't look nearly as nice as you think. Going with white diamonds is far for timeless and classic.

 

[Mike R]

My understanding is also that RDG isn't accepting any new work from PSers. They're booked out until mid next year, regardless.

This is correct, thanks for thinking of me DS but I'm not accepting any new work, I'm booked up for next year and then I have the oppertunity to work on more of my own jewelry projects that are more art based.

 

[ZahraLeyla]

You're ring is probably my favourite on pricescope. I remembered seeing it on pricescope months ago (haen't been on in a while) but couldn't find it on here so had to search on google and follow a few leads to find your thread again! I watched the video of its making recently too such a work of art.

if you see either ring at Keshett would you get a photo of the underside for me? I remember the work under the basket was lovely. I was tempted to ask the lady to send me a few more pictures and possibly a video but decided the video might be hard unless she was techsavy

my partner doesn't even say that looks nice! his comments are usually something like 'get whatever you like honey' 'It's not like i'm going to be wearing it' or my favourite "are you sure you don't want a new diamond they are so much more sparkly..."

i know pink diamonds are exxy! i did find a parcel on fancydiamonds.net 20 stones fancy pink 0.23 carat at $2300 and i think for my ring the paler and smaller the better. i would prefer if they weren't obviously bright pink from a distance. I originally had thought i would like 2 sneaky colored diamonds on the sides of the basket, as i love anything that has an extra surprise or bonus. but with this ring design ive found because the stones in the halo are very small and if they were soft pink i think it might add a lovely touch without being too obvious. and cheaper if they are small and pale!



edit: now that i look at the picture in a larger size i see that these are not equal size but atleast gives an idea of price

I still feel lucky every day that I have this ring. I'm a reasonably fickle person with a short-attention span (read: I get bored very quickly!), but I don't think I'll ever not enjoy wearing it. If you're not planning to upgrade your engagement ring, then spending a decent amount to get a beautiful, unique, handcrafted setting is so worth it. It's amazing what a beautiful setting can do to make an already-beautiful diamond shine even more.

I'll definitely do my best to get as many pictures as possible for you at Keshett. What size fingers do you have? If we're similar sized I can see if I can get handshots for you, for perspective.

I second (or third?) all of the comments re: pink diamonds. There's no point paying for something that can't be seen. If you want pink, get diamonds that are properly pink. Mine are Argyle 5P, and they're very definitely pink without being too saturated and strong a colour. They also look great against my lower-coloured OMB. On the topic of surprise stones, I have three small Fancy Intense Yellows (I think?) on either side of my ring, and while you can't see them at all from the top down, they really are a lovely little surprise when you look at the ring from the profile view. I guess your preference will really just depend on how conservative you are - I know some people horror at my setting (pointy marquises! double halos!), but it's very definitely me and I love it.

 

[hippi_pixi]

Yay more suggestions! I did email single stone yesterday with pictures to ask for an guesstimate on price as I'm allowing 5k at this point for setting. I will look into this other jeweller as well. I'm actually terrified at this point of commissioning a setting at that cost and being disappointed if the work doesn't end up the quality or style that I'm after. Especially as I want to fly to the US, pick my stone and probably head to LA to finalise setting and then head home to wait for the ring in the mail! I'm hoping to never change or upgrade my e-ring I want it to be an heirloom piece that my kids will enjoy after me just like I've always admired my mums rings. However I think I'm comfortable with pink diamond additions cos I feel if I one day decide I don't like them it would b easy enough to swap them out for white diamonds.

Thanks mike for confirming that your booked out. I'm sure your looking forward to spending your time more creatively!

Thanks Zahralayla that would be lovely. Don't let me distract you from your visit though! I'm a J which I believe is about 5.5 ring size. I told them my budget was about 30k so I was looking at anything oec, and engagementy I'm not sure I mentioned anything about going the custom made route. I think if I found a fantastic stone in a nice platinum setting i would go for it. Suss out for me if you can whether the metal work by her Argentinian jeweller is any good. I remember it being maybe not quite symmetrical maybe? And that would drive me nuts

On the pink diamond note I thought pale pink would b nice as it wouldn't scream pink from a distance and would b a surprise when anyone looks closely. So if that's wat I'm after it would b cheaper to have the hidden stones on the basket instead!

 

[hippi_pixi]

Of course if the money runs out I won't be having any pink diamonds at all! Im getting sidetraked. Best to focus on finding someone good with doing antique style platinum who has made something similarly intricate like what I'm after

 

[CharmyPoo]

You seem like a very selective person so I really want to share with you what I have learnt with making many custom pieces over the year. First of all, you can't just take out the pink diamonds (or any diamonds) and replace them with white diamonds in a setting like yours. You will be talking about almost a full remake of the halo and it will be costly. The idea of pink diamonds is much more appealing than the results ... I really can't stress this as I went through it myself. I went from a true pink to a barely pink and all did not look as good as just white diamonds.

Second, you should look at a Leon Mege for this piece as well. Singlestone does great work but because its beauty is not in perfection of symmetry, etc. They are the type of beauty of an inperfect OEC if it makes sense. If you are looking for perfect polish and symmetry, I would consider some other vendors .... for example, I would say Leon is a bit like a RB H&A.

 

[yssie]

Edited again - good grief. Wrong thread and wrong reply.

 

[ZahraLeyla]

Keshett didn't have the setting in stock when I went in, but they knew what I was talking about when I described it. Once again, I confirmed that the settings were made in Argentina. The lady who assisted me (Connie) was quite helpful but slightly pushy and wouldn't accept that I was just browsing for a 'friend', which made things a bit awkward!

However, I was wandering up Collins St later on and stopped to look in the window of Rutherford as they were closing up. The setting you wanted was right in the window, and it looked gorgeous. I went back and checked the website and found it here: http://www.rutherford.com.au/jewellery/rings/diamond/large-diamond-cluster-filigree-ring.html

I'm a bit concerned about the shank size, though. 1.6mm seems awfully flimsy. The metalwork on the halo looked quite delicate in person. Perhaps it's worth giving them a call to discuss the details of the setting further?