Did someone screw up or is it just me?

[jszweda]

Hi all..

I ran into a very interesting oppurtunity with a particular ring the other day. It was one of those being at the right place at the right time sort of things. I ended up getting it soley due to the stone, not the setting. It''s a womans ring, and it''s well crafted. It''s not my cup of tea for wearing as I am a guy and this is a woman''s ring, but thats beside the point.

The woman told me the setting was sterling silver. That didn''t bother me. When I got the thing home, I was trying to see if the designers name who designed the ring stamped it. Not only were there initials stamped, it said in the shank, 18K.

Now, I know for fact that this implies 18K white gold. If its plated, I don''t think you can stamp it as that unless it''s solid 18K. Is it possible to blend sterling and 18K in a casting? I have heard you can or that there are ways to do it. I am not sure. Has anyone seen a ring where the shank and undergallery are 18K and the head itself is sterling silver? It looks like they made the head seperate and plopped it on top of the ring and just molded one into the other. You can see a line on either side of the undergallery where the head rests.

My guess is that someone might have screwed up and I just made out on it. I really don''t know. I was debating telling the jeweler plop that stone out and keep the setting. If there only a shank of 18K in that thing, that makes what it sold for even more rediculously low for what it is. It came from a manufacturing jeweler no less. LOL

Thanks in advance.
-joe

 

[door knob solitaire]

We want pictures.

Please?

 

[AndyRosse]

Is this a vintage ring? I don''t ever hear about diamonds being set sterling silver. Or is it a gemstone?

Heads of rings can be sodered on and changed if needed. That sounds like the case with yours.

I''m no expert, but 18k does sound like gold to me, and I don''t know why anyone would put a sterling silver head on a WG ring. But you never know.

And about the setting, I doubt it can be used as very much. Probably scrap at best. So unless the jeweler or you plan on putting another stone in this ring, it probably isn''t worth much unless it is a designer setting. And even then, it might be worth much more intact now than after you pull the stone and set something else in it.

But like I said, I''m certainly no expert on this particular area. Hopefully someone else will chime in!

 

[AndyRosse]

Oh, and like DKS said, we want pictures!!!

 

[snuga]

Wow, I have never heard of that happening, but I do think 18 sounds like white gold. PICS please??

 

[jszweda]

Rascal,

Thanks for the insight. What you said along with someone else on here, it does make sense. It''s not a diamond for the centerstone. It is a colored stone.

It''s not a vintage ring, but it is an antique style ring. It has a close filagree head and it has an open under gallery like you would see in a very old estate piece. I actually thought it was at first.

What you said about soldering a head on like you describe makes sense. Why the hell it''s 18K WG with a sterling head, I have no idea. It just might be that way though.

The setting is in fact a designer piece. The initials are stamped, and it''s got a lot of detail to it. The quality of the work is good, but I didn''t buy the ring for the setting. I was tempted to tell the woman heat the bessel, and give me a gem jar; keep the setting and do as you wish with it.

Unfortunately, other than scrap, the center stone is freaking humongous. I can''t fit another stone in it simply because it would be tough to find something as huge as this one.

 

[jszweda]

Hi!

I tried to take a pic of this thing earlier but my cam froze on me. I can''t zoom in with it at all, and I don''t have a digital camera. Trust me, I would love to send pics of the setting so you can get a better understanding as to what I am talking about. I simply can''t send a good pic.

I had no clue there was any white gold in there. Since there is, even if it is only good for scrap without that stone, it''s still icing on the cake for the deal I got on it.