Places to get a ring mounted..

[kirrrby]

I had a friend polish and cut a nice sized Amethyst for me but she can't mount it. I went to my local Kay Jewelers and they told me a quote of 300 dollars. I don't want to get it set in gold. I'd be fine with Platinum or Sterling Silver. Has anyone ever gotten a gem set and where would you suggest I look?

 

[scrapquitler]

I had a friend polish and cut a nice sized Amethyst for me but she can't mount it. I went to my local Kay Jewelers and they told me a quote of 300 dollars. I don't want to get it set in gold. I'd be fine with Platinum or Sterling Silver. Has anyone ever gotten a gem set and where would you suggest I look?

Try a local independently owned jewelry store (rather than a chain like Kays).

 

[Skye23]

Just so you know - it will cost as much or more in platnium then it does in gold generally speaking. Also - if the gem is not standard sized - ie using the certain rations most ring mounts are sold in, then the mount will have to be custom made and it will cost more. I found that out the hard way from my jeweler when I bought a nice gem off ebay and it turned out to be a non-standard size. Think of it like when you buy photos - photo frames are sold in 2x3, 4x6, 5x7, 8x10 etc so if you've got something thats like 2x5 or
7x13 its just going to be a custom job.

Looks like there is at least one gem show in your area in Nov, and one in December. Here's a link to the December one - http://www.frankcoxproductions.com/

You can try looking to see if you have any gem shows in your area. We have a few out this way and my favored jeweler goes to them. You can buy mounts, get stuff mounted, buy loose stones etc.

 

[englishteacha]

Go local. We have 2 local jewelry stores in our area that I would trust to give me a fair price. When I shut my hand in a door and smashed my engagement ring to smithereens (solitaire in a gold 6 prong setting), we brought the broken ring and diamond to the local jeweler who put it all back together for us for $12. They have a real jeweler on site, so they didn't have to ship it out or pay someone else to do it. Check local, independent places.