Custom Designed Ring - Can price be negotiated?

My mom always says it never hurts to ask.

Depends who you're going through. David Klass in Los Angeles jewelry district is VERY affordable for all custom work. Joseph Scubach does great work too, although a bit more. Both will do CAD's for you and adjust to your liking.

https://www.facebook.com/david.klass.jewelry

https://www.facebook.com/JosephSchubachJewelers/

And just for fun because I LOVE antique jewelry

https://www.facebook.com/Jewels-by-Grace-221993137963987/

https://www.facebook.com/loveaffairdiamonds/

A lot of the cost you've been quoted is for the design work, but if you can cut the cost of materials by supplying some, that would help.

Do you have any scrap gold/silver, broken jewelry, that you can give them to melt down to make your new piece? DH & I did that to have his band made.

Good question. I have a ring that my mom made from her wedding set when she divorced my dad. She had tried to give it to me for years but I didn't ever take it because I didn't have a relationship with him. She passed in 2012 and I finally took the ring because it was a part of her. We wanted to have it made into my wedding band and used a similar design to a ring we found in store. To make mine it was about 500 more than buying the existing ring.

Nancy is correct - the price will drop if you have jewelry to melt down or trade in and if you bring IN a design that will help.

However - if you have none of that then I don't know if negotiating is appropriate. Jewelry making is a skill and not an easy one. If you were an artist of any kind (photographer, videographer, dj, even something like a web designerr - would you give) people a break for your skills?

Generally, when you ask any type of pro for a lower price, that is based on your willingness to give something up; new metals, bigger stones, elaborate design in a jeweler's case.....

I can't speak for wedding bands, but my fiancee was able to get a lower price for the engagement ring. He made a custom design with a jeweler and when she showed him the final design, it was $2000 more than he intended to spend. So he told her he was hoping to only spend X amount, and she said 'no problem'. The design wasn't really altered after that, so I'm not sure how the process worked with that store. I know he didn't get any extra discount for paying in full since he already saved $2000, but it's worth a try.

You can shop it around to different jewelers but if you want something custom, I'm sure the jeweler is charging you for what it costs him to do it.