to not want to pay the same for a wedding ring as someone with a much bigger finger?

[ViolaTricolor]

I understand that for rings with mounted stones etc. the workmanship and various design elements make the difference between sizes an insignifcant part of the total cost. But why, as someone with a size H finger, should a platinum wedding band cost the same for me as for someone with a size P? Surely I'm getting a lot less of a commodity which is very valuable and sold by weight? I realise that this principle becomes absurd if one attempts to argue it for various other products, but given that the jewellery industry is so meticulous in its dealings when it comes to sizes and quality of stones and metal, this is irking me a bit.

[Tanif]

You could always buy the platinum, smelt it, and make your own, then you'd only be paying for what you use...

[SnapesMistress]

YABU, with most rings it will still be a negligible amount of extra gold/platinum/whatever. Its not anyones fault what size thier fingers are.

[squeakytoy]

You could say the same about a person who is a size 8 having to pay the same for a dress as a person who is a size 16..

You are not paying for scrap value, you are paying a lot more, and also paying for the labour involved, the overheads etc.

[nocake]

The platinum is only a fraction of the cost of the ring. Weigh it and see how much you'd get for the metal at wholesale prices. That will show you how much of the price is labour and overheads, which will be the same whatever the size of the ring.

[MrsCarriePooter]

Of course costs of labour, sales staff and profit have no bearing in the cost of items do they? Think of it as the jeweller's profits taking a dip on the bigger ring.

[ExpensivePants]

A lot less? Really?

[KittyFane]

:o! Agree with Tanif - buy the metal by weight and pay someone to make it.

Agree, same goes for clothes, shoes etc (although admittedly fabric is not as expensive).

What can I say, life isn't fair.

:o

[ViolaTricolor]

A man's ring costs more because it's bigger, and it's not my DP's fault he's a man...

I did explain in my OP that I thought it absurd in relation to most other products, but this is a jewellery specific question. I quite agree that as a rule for most products the overheads, labour, etc. make the difference in cost of materials negligible. I'm just wondering if that's quite so true in this particular scenario.

[squeakytoy]

Yup EP, a lot less, especially if you are buying from a high end jeweller too.

Scrap value is scrap value, regardless of the manufacturer, the workmanship, the age, or the insurance value.

[ShatnersBassoon]

Well done for having slim fingers.

I always thought they stretched the same amount of metal further to make a bigger ring, the bigger rings being slightly thinner than the smaller ones.

[ViolaTricolor]

Don't get me wrong, I am totally happy to pay well for craftsmanship and labour, and to support a good jeweller's shop. The question stems from having had an engagement ring designed, for which the jeweller costed the materials according to what was required for that particular ring.

[ViolaTricolor]

Oh, and the cost for the same ring is much less in gold. Hence my feeling that a lot of the price is platinum, though I'm quite prepared to admit ignorance.

[Jaquelinehyde]

Most jewellery shops stock a range of standard sizes that all cost the same to make (we are talking millimeters between sizes) Anyone who has fingers that are outside of those standard sizes has to have the ring resized.

The ring is then stretched out and the band that sits on the inside of the finger will be significantly thinner than the band of the ring that is on display (obviously depending on how many sizes up you go). So no extra metal is ever used.

Mens rings are very often much thicker and wider as well as in bigger sizes which is why they are more expensive.

[LoonyRationalist]

DH & I bought our (platinum) wedding rings in the jewellery quarter in Birmingham. They were sold by weight.

[ViolaTricolor]

Thanks Jacqueline, that makes sense. I see now that the online Platinum Ring Company specifies two ranges of sizes for the same ring, where each size within the same band weighs the same and costs the same -- they charge an extra £50 for the heavier ones. That makes sense to me.

Loony, I bought a silver bracelet by weight in Istanbul once. That seemed like a bargain because the design was much more intricate than some of the others they had.

[LoveInAColdClimate]

DH and I did exactly the same as LoonyRationalist - bought our (platinum) wedding rings in the jewellery quarter in Birmingham. DH's was twice as much as mine as I have little fingers and he had flippin' huge fingers. His looks like some sort of machinery part when he takes it off rather than jewellery .

[slavetofilofax]

Yanbu, but there are loads of reasons why it's so much better to have a ring specially made for you personally, than it is to buy them from a hight street jewlers. This is just one of them.

[ihatecbeebies]

YABU, why does it bother you so much?

[heleninahandcart]

If it really bothers you, go to any shop that specialises in gold and they will sell by the weight. Designing it yourselves would be a bonus.

[ViolaTricolor]

It doesn't bother me 'so much'. I'm just curious.

[KittyFane]

[ViolaTricolor]

x-post with helena, sorry -- yes, that's definitely an idea to consider. I'm not really fussed, we love the local independent jeweller we use, and we know them well. We just want simple plain court bands, which led to me wondering about what proportion of the price comes from where.

[ViolaTricolor]

Why the Kitty? I totally agree with your first post. My answer was to ihatecbeebies, who asked why it bothered me 'so much'. I only ever said that it was 'irking me a bit', not that I was puce with rage.

[KittyFane]

I read this is irking me a bit. at the end of post to be a polite way of saying that you really resented it based on the rest of your post!
I take back my .
:o @ puce with rage! BTW

[ViolaTricolor]

No, even 'irking me a bit' is an overstatement to be honest. I am not even a gentle shade of raspberry . It's more that I am intrigued by the contrast between this, and the way lots of jewellers discuss diamonds. Diamonds seem to be sold in a way which stresses their value as a commodity. Obviously most people are choosing something that makes them happy, which they think is beautiful, and all the stuff about inclusions and weight is reassurance rather than a suggestion that you'll be selling it. However, it does encourage a more technical approach than one takes to most other purchases, and I suppose I was just continuing that line of thought.