Saving Money when Buying a New Setting

In today’s uncertain economic climate of a volatile stock market, mortgage crisis, higher gold and platinum prices it makes sense to find alternatives that would help you save money. It is not to say that we should only start now but in a tight economy it becomes more important to do so.

Buying a Diamond
While jewelry may not be considered a necessity, getting engaged still necessitates a symbol that traditionally announces that important event in your life. Buying that engagement ring may be one of the most important purchases of your life. Aside from not paying too much, you want a beautiful diamond that you can afford. There are steps you can take to get the best value in your budget. If you are looking to purchase a diamond you can refer to previous articles in January 2007, “Insider Tips on Shopping for a Diamond” and July 2007 “Would you Knowingly Buy an Ugly Diamond”. These articles will help you find a beautiful diamond that will fit your budget.

Buying a New Mounting
If you already have your diamond and are looking for a beautiful mounting but still want to get the most for your money you have several avenues of choices. You can find a modern designer style or a nice generic setting or even have one custom made to your exact specifications. Value and worth of any object is a subjective determination. Enough appreciation and satisfaction can justify the money spent, but perhaps taking a little more time you can find the same mounting for a bit less.

Designer Mountings
Designer mountings may be the newest rage in style. They are made generally of high quality construction with high quality materials, but it can be pricey. It may be the cost of the having the newest fashion statement, and if it makes you happy it is well worth it.

Generic Mountings
Generic mountings can generally be purchased from a catalog or found as a mounted pieces in a store. It may be a step behind fashion-wise but there are a lot of classic, beautiful mountings available in these. There is an advantage in cost because there is a mold made and the mounting can easily be duplicated. The labor cost is much lower. There is an additional advantage of sometimes being able to choose the quality of diamonds that will go into the mounting to match your aesthetic taste and budget. The disadvantages to ones that already have diamonds mounted in it are that the quality of the diamonds can range from very poor to very good. You cannot always rely on the seller to tell you the quality of diamonds used. Take some time and learn how to use a loupe or microscope to look at the diamonds and be able to get some sense of its quality. Just because it may seem inexpensive does not mean that it is a good deal. The quality of workmanship in the way it is put together may also be in question. Be able to inspect it, look for pits in the metal, whether it looks finished, see if the diamonds are secure and set well. 

Custom Mountings
Then there are custom mountings. If you can find a jeweler willing to custom manufacture a mounting for a reasonable price and great quality, you will have the best of both worlds. You can have a custom mounting made that is similar to the newest designer style, be able choose the quality of diamonds, even choose the type of metal, and still pay less for a very personal preference. It may take a little longer to make but if you have input into guiding and adjusting its progress to get it exactly the way you want, it may well be worth it.

Saving money on a mounting may take a little patience to look around a bit more, asking friends for referrals, doing a little more research but the satisfaction you may get from being more involved will give you more appreciation for your jewelry piece. As with anything you may purchase, learning more about it allows for a more informed decision and a wiser one.