Bad setting job??

[Demelza]

Hi Guys,

Well, yesterday I had my diamond lowered in the mounting. The jeweler was able to lower it significantly and I thought that everything was great. After a day of looking at it, however, I''m starting to think that the setting job is not very good after all. I''ve noticed a couple of areas where the ring seems to lack symmetry. I''ve tried to capture them in these photos, but I don''t know how well I''ve succeeded. I know the jeweler was concerned about setting the stone too low because it would require monkeying with the prongs more than he was comfortable. That''s why I was surprised when the diamond was in fact as low as it could go in this mounting. Let me know what, if anything, you guys think of these photos.

 

[Demelza]

From this side, it looks fine to me...

 

[Demelza]

Here''s the angle that seems problematic. What do you guys see?

 

[Demelza]

ooops...double post...

 

[ame]

Unless you are holding it weird, the right prong from the view it''s in now, 3 oclock looks slightly lower.

Besides that I see you use an excellent home computing system. SO therefore you are way cooler than most posters on this board.

 

[Demelza]

Thanks Ame. I love my Imac. Got it a couple of months ago.

Yeah, what you''re seeing is that the prong on the right almost seems thicker than the one on the left -- it''s actually touching the pavilion of the stone whereas the one on the left isn''t. From the side view, the stone looks crooked. I''m concerned that the mounting is ruined. And I won''t be back in WA for another 2 weeks. I''m starting to think maybe I should take the ring to someone locally (i.e. in the same country) and build a relationship with them. My insurance company recommended a jeweler nearby, but of course I''m worried about trying someone without any recommendation other than that. Oh, this is so annoying!

 

[sasa]

Is it me or the diamond looks tilted?

 

[ame]

Just go to a local guy, hopefully someone on here can suggest someone. Have the mounting replaced. It''s worth it in the end to avoid dealing with the trips, you live in Canadialand now, you need to get a relationship brewing there.

 

[Demelza]

Any one in Vancouver hear of Trio Diamond Jewellery and Gold in North Vancouver??

Ame -- that''s what I''m starting to think? I''m so frustrated with all this. First the head in my old mounting doesn''t work and now this! Urgh!

 

[ame]

At this point I just think the setting is scrap. There''s really no way that any jeweler (well most anyway) can rebuild what you have and make it like it would normally be. If it costs more to do this, it might be worth it considering the time, gas money, and frustration it will equal out to should you wait and have it fixed.

 

[Demelza]

I think you''re right that the mounting may be scrap, but I''m wondering why you say so. Is the problem that the prongs can only be reworked so many times? I''m going to take it in to the jeweler I mentioned to see what they say and what kind of feeling I get about them. Signed Pieces is putting a new head back into my old mounting at no additional charge (since they wouldn''t refund the repair cost, it was the only way I could not lose money in the deal) and I''m starting to think I should just go back to that ring. I don''t want to shell out another few hundred bucks for a new platinum mounting! And I don''t want to have to argue with anyone just to get things right. I want to cry!

 

[ame]

Date: 8/25/2005 11:02:24 PM
Author: Demelza
I think you're right that the mounting may be scrap, but I'm wondering why you say so. Is the problem that the prongs can only be reworked so many times?

That's exactly what I mean. You can only mess with something so many times. For the jeweler who did this alteration to lower it, he clearly removed metal from the tips of the prongs. To use what you have now, he will likely "stretch" what's there and you will have loss of strength, fortitude if you will. One prong might be hollowed out a little to make that stretch work. Not that I suspect you'll be familiar with this but it's like taking a 72 dpi photograph, that is 5 inches by 5 inches and making it 300dpi and 10 inches by 10 inches, you are "interpolating" the data, i.e. adding pixels where there are none. You are taking what you have and trying to make it more than it is, and it could mess with the integrity of the metal. By starting new, you have all the metal and can take away from there to make it what it should have been in the first place.

Ok that's a lot of weird crap I just spewed...But if you get what Im saying than I did well.

Keep in mind that if yougo back to that ring you should get a plain spacer of some sort between this and your wedding ring, or youll be back in this mess all over.

 

[strmrdr]

Those prongs are huge.
Im no expert but it looks fixable to me.
There is a ton of meat in those prongs to work with.

 

[Demelza]

Storm -- I hope you''re right. That would be great. BTW: The prongs do look large from the side ( large flat surface area), but from straight on they''re not particularly large at all.

 

[FireGoddess]

Even if the prongs couldn''t be worked on any more, all is not lost - with that type of ring, it should be easy to remove the head and replace it with a new one to start over again. When I upgraded from my rb to a pear in the same solitaire setting, they just removed the 6 prong rb head and replaced it with a pear head. Couldn''t even tell anything had happened to the ring!

 

[Demelza]

FG -- Thanks. That''s good to know.

I''m a little worried about taking it to a jeweler about whom I know very little. I looked them up with the BBB and that all check out okay. They''ve been in business since 1980 which seems like a good sign. My insurance agent thought they would be good. But that''s not much to go on. Any other suggestions? I''m hoping I''ll get a feel from them one way or the other. It sure would be nice to have a local jeweler.

 

[Diamonds4Me]

Aw, I''m sorry it didn''t turn out the way you hoped

As I said in the other post about mine..after much thought..there''s a good chance that they just switched mine out to a lower setting because mine is such a common setting with that jeweler. All of their diamonds are set in this setting and their fancy settings are all set with CZs. Because of that my jeweler probably has a whole drawer full of these settings and just popped mine into a lower one for me because it honestly doesn''t look as though they did anything to it at all. I didn''t even give them that much time to work with and being rushed the way they were they probably would have had no choice but to have switched them out or risk it being off slightly. My prongs are absolutely identical to yours in that straight on they look skinny but from the side they are super thick.

As someone else suggested, maybe they can just put a new head on it. That way its sort of like starting over but not completely.

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

[denverappraiser]

I doubt that it's as bad as you are thinking but you can't see enough in the photo to tell. The assembly of the 4 prongs is a separate part called the crown and usually it's not all that difficult to replace. This may or may not be required and I can't tell from the information in the photo but I mention it becuause it's not all that big a deal either way. The problem is that the seats (the little notch that the edge of the stone is resting in) need to be recut at the proper level and this sort of cuttng is a one way deal. You can't realy 'uncut' the old seats when you cut the new ones but there are repairs that are usually available with a bit of work. This is probably the root of the problem because the setter was already working around a previous job.

Building a relationship with a jeweler in your neighborhood is a good plan anyway if it's a choice for you. Go into the recommended store and ask to see some of the things the jeweler has made. the stores usually have a display of their in-house work and they are, or at least should be, proud to show you some of it. Pick an expensive one, take a 10x loup and examine it critically. Look to see if the stones are straight, set level, even prongs, no snags, etc. This can give you a pretty good clue about the skills of both the bench workers and the management quality control people. Feydakin has posted several great articles here about what to look for. If it measures up to your standards, then ask to talk to the setter about yours. They will be able to give much better advice than we can because they can actually see the piece. If they have sloppy work in the showcase, go somewhere else.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Independent Appraisals in Denver

 

[PhillipSchmidt]

Hmmm, iridium/plat alloys...

It looks like a quick tweek with the pliers will fix it from looking at your photos IMO. Pliers were used in setting and the side prongs have moved because too much pressure was used and it was not re-adjusted. It was not set by a setter (if I am right). One side prong has more angle and the side with less angle should have the flat edge of the pliers against it then the pliers are squeezed and the angles are set right - CAREFULLY. This is the quickest way to fix it, by reversing the bad work with the same method that caused the trouble. After that we will know for sure if the seats have been cut straight. They have been cut a little too deep. If the diamond is tilted after the prongs are brought back into the correct angles (very possibly why it was bent over), then the seats must be fixed. They can easily be ''uncut'', as it were, by adding metal - soldeing in a piece and then re-cutting. It is not a huge task and one that many jewellers would do to win your custom by showing you that they don''t make mistakes, but can fix what other jewellers struggle to do.

Could you please help us with a photo of the ring face down (or table down) so that we can see if the table is sitting square with the rest of the ring.

 

[ame]

Ok so I was probably a little too far gone on my "it can''t be fixed" conclusion. Apparently you CAN add metal back.

These guys are so much more pro on this than me, considering they ARE pros...

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 8/26/2005 10:41:22 AM
Author: ame
Ok so I was probably a little too far gone on my 'it can't be fixed' conclusion. Apparently you CAN add metal back.


These guys are so much more pro on this than me, considering they ARE pros...

It all comes down to the skill of the person doing the work.
Iv seen some pieces that were totally trashed that my setting guy brought back to life and you couldnt tell it was ever damaged.
It takes a lot of skill to work at that level and sadly not a lot have that skill level.
I have no doubt that Platinumsmith or my setting guy could fix it right up.
For some it is beyond what they can repair.
Finding someone with the required skill level is the hard part.

 

[Demelza]

Wow! Thanks for all the great advice. This has been really helpful. I''m planning a trip to the jeweler this morning. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Psmith -- is this the shot you were looking for?

 

[FireGoddess]

Dem - he wants you to stand the ring face down on a table that when the stone is lying upside down (table of the diamond in full contact with a surface) , you can see if the metal is tilted, etc.

ETA: That sure is a nice picture of that honkin stone though..

 

[Demelza]

FG -- thanks! Do I take the picture from above the ring or from the side? I guess I can try both...

 

[FireGoddess]

The side would be the most helpful I think.

 

[Demelza]

Here are a couple from different angles. I''m starting to think that I should just live with it like this for a while since this is a temporary setting. I''m worried about unsetting and resetting my diamond yet again. Isn''t that the more dangerous time for a stone?

 

[Demelza]

another...

 

[Demelza]

oops, that''s not the right one. Let me try again...

 

[ame]

They do look a little off. Nothing major but definitely a little crooked

I dunno, I realize this is a temp setting but why have it less than perfect till you change your mind and go back to the other?

 

[WinkHPD]

Date: 8/25/2005 10:54:45 PM
Author: ame
At this point I just think the setting is scrap.

I must disagree. The head may need to be replaced, but the mounting will survive the operation just fine. I agree that the head is probably ruined, but I will leave that to a bench jeweler to decide. We would replace the head in this mounting if you were upgrading to a larger stone, there is no reason that a head replacement can not fix this problem and end up with you having a better ring than you started with as instead of lowering a stone in an existing and worn head, you will have the ring with a completely new head.

Wink