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Any jewellers or similar on here? I’m after some advice bout what a reasonable price is for emeralds and diamonds as single stones? Am looking at about .2ct each, reasonable quality and have been quoted £50 for each emerald and £75 for diamonds – is that about right or slightly over the top? I’m paying the jeweller to make the piece as well so I’m hoping the prices on the gems are very reasonable. What does anyone reckon? I’d also be interested in any advice based on experiences of having pieces custom made 😉
Don't they come from Antwerp?
I always thought that the value of a diamond is pretty-much solely based on its clarity - the biggest diamond is worth next to nowt if it isn't clear or has imperfections.
I’d also be interested in any advice based on experiences of having pieces custom made
I had the missus' engagement and wedding rings custom made. Quite a painless process actually. I went in with my designs, they played around with them and got something that could be made whilst keeping as close to my ideas as possible. They then brought in a load of diamonds of various shapes and sizes (and prices... 😯 ) so I could choose what went into the final rings. They made a rough mock-up of each ring so I could see what was what and make any final suggestions/alterations, and then they went and made the final rings. Took about 3 months start to finish, and a lot of communication was via phone/email. They also gave me a healthy valuation for the insurance people.
Highly recommended. [url= http://www.pajewellery.com/ ]P A Jewellery[/url], of Sheffield.
As for prices I'd say they seem pretty reasonable indeed, although you don't say what cut or clarity they are.
The price of diamonds is based on how successfully they are marketed, not what they are really worth.
The price of [insert name of any tradeable commodity here] is based on how successfully they are marketed, not what they are really worth.
You can get the settings for diamonds (the actual ring-piece 😉 ) online too - which is exactly where jewellers get them unless they really are hand making the setting, which is rare. http://www.engagement-ring-mountings.com/classic_ring_settings.html
reasonable quality
Diamonds are a pure commodity. They are all classified according to the 4 Cs. Just find what grade you want/need and then compare prices like anything else - computer memory, electric drills, headsets...
NB that you need a grading from a legit grading house. A 1 carat, G colour, VS1 clarity, Very Good cut diamond as assessed by a legit house will be a much better diamond than 1 carat, G colour, VS1 clarity, Very Good cut diamond as graded by Crazy Eddy's European House of Diamond Grading. If a dealer/jeweler shows you assessments done by a crappy house that boosts gradings so they get business from jewellers, walk away. I can't remember which are the good houses and which are the fake ones, but google, it's not hard to find.
You can order them online through e.g. Bluenile.
http://www.thediamondbuyingguide.com/fourcsofdiamonds.html
Cheers all. I do appreciate it's open ended (to say the least) re diamond/any gemstone quality etc but given the small size it's pretty rare to be going for the upper ranges in terms of quality of diamonds for example as the flaws are largely invisible to the naked eye at that size hence quality tends to be VS1 or similar I think. I do know that a similar shop bought item would be much dearer but then you have the pro of seeing what you're buying and the con of the mahoosive high street mark up. I know they'll look better when set but seeing them as single stones is quite surprising, 3mm is liek a tiny sequin but for £100 ;)!
There are some good diamond bargains to be had at the moment on Ebay.
With the recession on, lots is being sold off and often goes very cheaply. I got my wife a .39 carat VS1 good clarity solitaire ring set in 18ct gold for £200 a few months back (just after valentines!).
Also saw some half carat diamond earings and a .4 carat pendant sell as a job lot for £450. As said above, clarity and cut are key to value, some diamonds sparkle way better than others.
Or stake out Naomi Campbell's hotel- they just appear outside her room door of a morning, apparently........
quality tends to be VS1 or similar I think
Just going through Blue Nile, they don't have any 0.23 carat diamonds of any quality for less than 128 quid each...
http://www.bluenile.co.uk/diamond-search?track=head