QUOTE(Cherry2424 @ Apr 4 2022, 09:23 AM)
Hi @kambingkoh
I've tried to go through this thread but there are not much review on TSL. Went to visit over the weekend and there's one which caught my eyes. The specs were 0.5 carat, G colour, SI1, 3EX and the price are RM10,500. I didn't have much knowledge about diamond but only the 4C, hence I didnt really ask the angle cut for it.
As from the past experience whereby my mom always purchase jewelries from them, my mom will always say their workmanship is very good blablabla. It's true that after so many shops such as Tomei, Wah Chan etc they don't give me a wow, but when I saw this piece it actually caught my eyes.
But how to define the workmanship is it worth for this price? As I know SI1 is not that perfect as it's quite included but the piece is quite shine. I've tried to ask Zcova and they have quoted me a price with the same spec but VS2 and it's around RM9,800.
Can you please give me some opinions on this?
I am assuming you are talking about the workmanship of the ring (not the diamond).
There is no definition for how much workmanship worth as it is something very subjective. If you see two rings that have the same gold weight, similar design, but has some workmanship differences and the final price is different (whereby the more expensive one has better workmanship), maybe by a couple hundred, are you willing to pay the higher amount to get that one? What if it is a couple of thousands? Are you willing to pay that as well? For me, if couple of hundred, then I don't mind, but if a couple of thousands, then probably I will continue my search elsewhere.
If you really want to know, you can compare the gold weight between the items you see in those chain stores. The gold rate should be standard between them on a daily basis. You can refer to the gold rate on the display board in the shops, most of them should have it. If not, go to a shopping complex with multiple stores and do some footwork. I may do 75% x gold price of 999 gold for 18k gold. Since 18k is practically 75% real gold. Some shops will have the price of 18k gold, which you can ask too.
Now, check the weight of the rings you see, with that, you can deduce out the cost of gold for normal consumer. What's left will be the misc cost such as design cost, profit, workmanship, aftersales, etc. You can then see if the price is worth it.
Also, try to see if the design is a complicated design, if the design has side diamonds, if the design has mix tone of gold (i.e. rose gold mix white gold). These will make the workmanship cost higher.
I have seen Lazo (largest white gold chain store in Malaysia) throwing out promotion for 18k (I think) for like RM 300 (more or less) if you buy their diamond. Wah Chan can probably also offer you rings below RM 1k as well (excluding diamond). So for vendors like myself, my price will be starting from RM 1500 because I simply do not have the volume. So that is also a part of the cost that may not have anything to do with workmanship, but more like because of economy of scale. The reason I am still doing is because I need to set diamonds for people that buy stones from my affiliate partners like WhiteFlash or Brian Gavin Diamonds, as most jewelers these days are not willing to set diamonds not sold by them. However, I do have one benefit - my rings are all custom made when is needed and it will be based on my customer's preferred design, while for chain stores, the rings are usually ready made with various designs, and sometimes one may not find what they desire.
As for SI1 diamonds, they can actually be pretty good, and if you found a decent one, it will be value for money.
So, let's say my customer buys this 0.521 ct G SI1 Expert Selection Round Cut Loose Diamond:
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/r...id=myengringexp (affiliate link), which costs USD 1730 (RM 7,333.17). Then look for me to do a simple solitaire at RM 1600 (0.5ct I assume around this price). The final price will be RM 8933.17.
Another example, 0.505 ct G VS2 A CUT ABOVE® Hearts and Arrows Diamond:
https://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/r...id=myengringexp (affiliate link), which costs USD 2050 (after deduct USD 100 for first-time, converts to RM 8,689.17. Then look for me to do a simple solitaire at RM 1600 (0.5ct I assume around this price). The final price will be RM10289.17.
I do provide free engraving and one-time free resizing.
With this, I don't think TSL is overcharging or anything. It seems fair for a brick-and-mortar. It is after-all, branding itself as a more premium brand. Most importantly, I think you like what you saw, I guess that carries some weight when making decision. If you are really interested in that piece, try to view it under normal shopping lighting outside the store, not inside the store, to see if you still feel the same.
This post has been edited by kambingkoh: Apr 4 2022, 01:43 PM