Jewelers in the NoVa/DC area?

[vc10um]

Hey there, PS-land! Can anyone out there recommend a good jeweler in the Northern Virginia/Washington, DC area that can reset a gemstone into an existing setting?

The back story:
My grandmother passed away in 2005. Being the oldest granddaughter, I was given her wedding set. The E-ring is a white gold band with two tiny diamond chips flanking what should probably be about a 1/8 carat center stone. However, my grandmother lost the diamond long ago and after my grandfather died stopped wearing her wedding set anyway. I would like to get the center reset with a sapphire and wear the piece as a right hand ring, but I''m not sure if 1/8 of a carat is even the right size. I''d like to take the piece to a reputable jeweler and have them look at it; ideally one that could source a tiny stone for me to reset into the ring. Do any of you have any suggestions on where to take this very sentimental piece of jewelry?

 

[cellentani]

Date: 8/27/2009 5:45:34 PM
Author:vc10um
Hey there, PS-land! Can anyone out there recommend a good jeweler in the Northern Virginia/Washington, DC area that can reset a gemstone into an existing setting?

The back story:
My grandmother passed away in 2005. Being the oldest granddaughter, I was given her wedding set. The E-ring is a white gold band with two tiny diamond chips flanking what should probably be about a 1/8 carat center stone. However, my grandmother lost the diamond long ago and after my grandfather died stopped wearing her wedding set anyway. I would like to get the center reset with a sapphire and wear the piece as a right hand ring, but I''m not sure if 1/8 of a carat is even the right size. I''d like to take the piece to a reputable jeweler and have them look at it; ideally one that could source a tiny stone for me to reset into the ring. Do any of you have any suggestions on where to take this very sentimental piece of jewelry?

Can you post a pic of the ring? If it has a prong head, you could possibly switch out the head to accommodate a larger stone - a 1/8ct sapphire is super tiny.

I''m in N. Va, and I use a local jeweler in Springfield, but I have more confidence in Quest Jewelers. They''re located in Fairfax, and pricier than my other jeweler, but they do very precise work. I''m picking up a ring from them tomorrow, in fact.

 

[vc10um]

Date: 8/27/2009 5:54:24 PM
Author: cellentani

Date: 8/27/2009 5:45:34 PM

Author:vc10um

Hey there, PS-land! Can anyone out there recommend a good jeweler in the Northern Virginia/Washington, DC area that can reset a gemstone into an existing setting?


The back story:

My grandmother passed away in 2005. Being the oldest granddaughter, I was given her wedding set. The E-ring is a white gold band with two tiny diamond chips flanking what should probably be about a 1/8 carat center stone. However, my grandmother lost the diamond long ago and after my grandfather died stopped wearing her wedding set anyway. I would like to get the center reset with a sapphire and wear the piece as a right hand ring, but I''m not sure if 1/8 of a carat is even the right size. I''d like to take the piece to a reputable jeweler and have them look at it; ideally one that could source a tiny stone for me to reset into the ring. Do any of you have any suggestions on where to take this very sentimental piece of jewelry?

Can you post a pic of the ring? If it has a prong head, you could possibly switch out the head to accommodate a larger stone - a 1/8ct sapphire is super tiny.


I''m in N. Va, and I use a local jeweler in Springfield, but I have more confidence in Quest Jewelers. They''re located in Fairfax, and pricier than my other jeweler, but they do very precise work. I''m picking up a ring from them tomorrow, in fact.

It *is* super tiny, but I almost feel like that''s part of the allure of using this setting. Here''s an up-close shot of the ring (the ring is about a 7.5 for reference), and then I''ll post a slightly further away shot with the band.

 

[vc10um]

Pic 2

 

[cellentani]

Oh, it''s a very pretty ring, and I can see how you would be sentimentally attached. Obviously, there isn''t a prong head to switch out with your setting. I would definitely take it to a jeweler and let them measure the setting to see what size stone you need. Don''t worry about the carat weight - you want to know the size in millimeters. At some point, you might also want to get your rings cleaned and polished before you set a new stone in there. A sapphire will look lovely!

 

[vc10um]

Date: 8/27/2009 9:15:26 PM
Author: cellentani
Oh, it''s a very pretty ring, and I can see how you would be sentimentally attached. Obviously, there isn''t a prong head to switch out with your setting. I would definitely take it to a jeweler and let them measure the setting to see what size stone you need. Don''t worry about the carat weight - you want to know the size in millimeters. At some point, you might also want to get your rings cleaned and polished before you set a new stone in there. A sapphire will look lovely!

Thanks for your help! I''ll check out Quest on Saturday...Fairfax isn''t too far from me, and I feel like the drive is worth it to know the ring will be well taken care of!

 

[cellentani]

What color sapphire are you hoping to get? I don''t know if Quest will source gemstones for you, so if you think they''ll charge you a lot, come back and we can help you find a stone. Sometimes it''s hard to find a well-cut one that is very small.

 

[vc10um]

I''m hoping for a royal blue, but really am more interested in finding that color than having it be a sapphire. So if I could find another gemstone which had that royal blue color to it, I think that would make me happy. I''ll admit to being a colored stone novice, so once I found out what dimensions I need, if I think it''ll be too expensive for the jeweler to source the stone, I will *definitely* come back to you all for assistance!

 

[metromom]

I have to second Quest. I live in Maryland and go to Pete at Quest. I absolutely love them. They reset my engagement ring diamond into a complete custom setting. They even let my come by when I was feeling impatient and watch some of the bench jewelers do their thing. I have since gotten a diamond tennis bracelet from them, and had a few pieces fixed up, reset, and replaced. Love them and trust them completely.

 

[vc10um]

Date: 8/27/2009 9:54:46 PM
Author: metromom
I have to second Quest. I live in Maryland and go to Pete at Quest. I absolutely love them. They reset my engagement ring diamond into a complete custom setting. They even let my come by when I was feeling impatient and watch some of the bench jewelers do their thing. I have since gotten a diamond tennis bracelet from them, and had a few pieces fixed up, reset, and replaced. Love them and trust them completely.

Thanks for the second, metromom! I''m heading to Quest tomorrow with the rings, and also probably to the Bailey, Banks, and Biddle in the Fair Oaks Mall. I had a lovely conversation with the manager there once, and I''m hoping to get at least a great second opinion, if nothing else!

I''ll report back sometime this weekend or Monday with the results!

 

[vc10um]

Thanks to both of you! I just returned from a meeting with Huan at Quest and I''m VERY excited! We decided on a 0.08 carat cornflower blue sapphire to reset in the center portion of the ring. The quote for the stone and labor was VERY reasonable, and they will also be thoroughly cleaning both pieces and redoing the rhodium on both pieces! I''m SO excited for these pieces to be finished and will post pictures when I receive them back from Quest!