First time - Couple Questions?

[jcarlylew]

Hi Everyone,
I am new to this site - i found it while trying to do some research on a ring from my late grandmother. My boyfriend and i have been looking at rings for awhile now, and not only on a tight budget (had to buy a new car), we just wern''t finding "the one." Well low and behold when i traveled down to see relatives last week, my aunt presented my sister and i with our grandmothers rings! (i have the engagement ring, she has a the anniversary ring.). So now i am 99.99% sure this will be my future ring.

Since i am still learning what kind of style is what, i was hoping someone could tell me? Also, if anyone knows ANYTHING about CD Peacock jewelers, i would love to know more. I am 99% sure that is where the ring came from.

this is what i know so far (i hope)

900 PLAT 100 IRID (this is good?)
at least 1/2 ct middle stone
size 5 (thank goodness i live in cold weather, because otherwards i wouldnt be able to get my 5 1/4 finger through the ring!)

Sorry for the shoddy picture, i am also new to taking up close detail pictures.

I am getting the ring appraised next week, so it will be cleaner and i will have some better pictures!

thanks!

 

[jcarlylew]

here is one picture (sorry its so small)

 

[jcarlylew]

and the other!

again, your imput is appreciated!!

jamie

 

[justjulia]

I sincerely hope that my future grandchildren are as excited about my jewelry as you are. How sweet!
Can''t wait to hear about the appraisal.

 

[jcarlylew]

Date: 6/27/2008 8:11:12 PM
Author: justjulia
I sincerely hope that my future grandchildren are as excited about my jewelry as you are. How sweet!
Can''t wait to hear about the appraisal.

Yes - I''d much rather have a ring of sentimental value than a new one - my grandma (or memaw, as we called her) was actually my grandpa (papaw)''s second wife after his children had grown (minus one aunt who was in her teens). She understood how much she meant to us as our own. Also, for memaw, who had no children, we truly were her grandkids!

 

[justjulia]

Awwwwww, that is wonderful.
My husband''s grandmother was called "Mamaw"...
Hopefully an expert here can chime in about the plat content and all, but the rings sound very nice. I don''t have any jewelry from my grandmother, but I do have a painted ceramic jewelry box she made and I treasure that. How nice to have something from someone you loved so much.

I''d love to see more pictures!

 

[BlueSki231]

Your ring is an heirloom - very special. And it''s very beautiful!

I love CD Peacock! Even though I guess they could be considered one of those "mall" jewelers, I wouldn''t put them in the same category as KAY or Zales or Helzberg who sell those god-awful cookie cutter rings as I like to call them. (No offence if anyone got their ring there!)

CD Peacock has beautiful high quality jewelry in my opinion. They''re a Chicago-based jeweler and only have stores in Chicago and suburbs I believe.


On a side note last time I was in there I almost got in an argument with the sales lady haha. She tried to convince me the Hearts on Fire diamonds were the MOST WONDERFUL CUT DIAMONDS IN THE WORLD!! I mentioned that I could get a hearts and arrows / ideal cut diamond that was just as beautiful, without the expensive "HOF" brand name and she assured me that is just not possible. In her 30 years in the business she''s seen nothing else like these out there..
At that point I just had to smile and walk away... and say a prayer for the poor innocent souls who are suckered into paying almost twice as much for a stone as they should be. What can ya do..

Gotta do your research!

 

[Miranda]

I love heirloom pieces! What a beautiful ring!

 

[angeline]

re the platinum alloy: Mark Morrell, who is a very respected designer and platinumsmith (do a search on his work on here) uses this exact alloy. Here is a link to an article he wrote on why he uses it.

Platinum Purity

 

[ahappygirl]

How wonderful and meaningful this surprise was! You love for her shows in your excitement and appreciation and I am SO happy for you!

Can''t wait to see the ring spiffed up, but I will say it looks like a very beautiful and classic setting style. As the other poster pointed out this is the same plat. that MM uses, and even though it may have been bought in a higher -end mall type store (I have no idea, just going off the other post) the quality and workmanship back then likely far exceeds most things you''d find in a comparable store today.

Congratulations!!

 

[jcarlylew]

Thanks for all your responses! I''ve read reviews now that CD Peacock is more like a mall store. But then again, here in washington, Tiffany''s is going into all the (lame) malls as well! oh wel, times are changing!

I also just found out that my sister has the orginal matching wedding band to the ring (you can probably see the cut marks on my ring) so hopefully i will be able to get that back together.

Does anyone know if its possible to resodder platnium rings (or resize them, for that matter)?


I hope to have pictures up next week to give you the full report - i am more excited for the aprasial than shooting off fireworks

 

[surfgirl]

First of all, congrats on your family heirloom! I have my grandmothers erings and it is a special thing. To wear it as your ering is even more special so it seems like fate, doesn''t it?!?

Yes you can re-size an antique ring. And while you''re waiting for that appraisal, may I suggest cleaning the ring yourself? You can soak it in a bowl of hot water with some dishwashing or Simple Green in it, and after 10-15 minutes, use a wet toothbrush to gently clean it and then rinse in clean water and pat dry. Make sure to close the toilet lid and plug the sink drain before doing this. Or, just take it to your local jeweler if you have someone you trust, and ask them to pop it into the ultra sonic and steam it. You''ll be amazed at how it looks after you clean it.

Enjoy! And dont forget to use an independent appraiser, not someone who owns or sells jewelry...

 

[Rhea]

You can resize platinum. If you''re making it larger then I would recommend finding a jeweller who uses the same type of platinum rather than the more common 950 one.

I have that style of e-ring. I love it. I hope you get better photos soon, it looks stunning!

 

[jcarlylew]

Hopefully i will have some new pictures tonight (after i clean my ring, of course). Looks like i wont be getting the apraisal until the 3rd now

But of course with having this ring... I have to join the ladies in waiting forum

 

[jcarlylew]

Here are some more (cleaner) pictures! sorry for the grainy photos

 

[jcarlylew]

and another. tomorrow i get the ring appraised. talk about excitement!

 

[julesbeth]

Its gorgeous! Congrats I just love antique rings.


And yes, CD Peacock is still around and is a chicago based jeweler. http://cdpeacock.com/

 

[kcoursolle]

What a beautiful and special ring!! The materials that it is made out of are very high quality. After getting it polished, it''s going to look brand spanking new!

 

[everlong_x]

That''s such a wonderful heirloom! I have always loved my grandma''s rings, so I''m hoping I may be as lucky as you one day!

 

[stacy]

That is an absolutely gorgeous ring. I love the prongs! And I love rings with a sense of history. I hope you'll continue to enjoy this stunning ring for years to come!

 

[jcarlylew]

thank you! today is the day of apraisal - only in... 8 hours

it''ll be worth the wait though!!

 

[jcarlylew]

Hi Everyone!

Well, i got the appraisal back today... so here is the final description!


Platnium 900/100(IRID)

Center Stone
.57 ct
1920''s Old European Cut
Clarity SI-1
Color I
Cut Good

Side baguettes
.80 tcw
Clarity VS-1 to VS-2
Color G-H
Cut Good

Total Weight 1.37 ct

Talk about holy crap! needless to say it''s appraisal value was MUCH more than i expected. I''ve never owned anything more expensive (car excluded) than a TV, and i thought on sale it was too much

Guess what is going into a saftey deposit box tomorrow??

 

[jcarlylew]

forgot to say, we had one other ring apraised as well. My memaw wore this as a wedding band. Since this belongs to my sister, i am not sure what she plans on doing with it. Any suggestions on what to turn the diamonds into?
(she''s a cook, so she only wears her wedding band. not a diamond person either

)

14k Diamond Band with Half Round Shank w/ 5 brillant cut diamonds

Clarity SI2 - I1
Color G-H
Cut Good
tcw .26

sorry the picture is a bit fuzzy

 

[jcarlylew]

couple more

 

[jcarlylew]

...

 

[jcarlylew]

...

 

[nclrgirl]

What a beautiful and special ring! Congratulations!!!

 

[Rhea]

Do you have any photos of the side of the ring?

 

[RxTechRN2b]

The style of your grandmas ring reminds me of a Harry Winston solitaire flanked by tapered baguettes in a nice low setting. And it is very good quality materials as well! A far cry from what you''d get at Kays, Zales, or Helzberg "maul" chains. I''ve always loved antique pieces, especially if you know the person to whom it belonged. The size of the stones are perfect for your size finger as well - just the right amount of coverage to look classy. Why are you putting it in a safe deposit box?? That ring is meant to be worn and loved!! A ring like that could be paired with a thin platinum wedding band or one with channel-set horizontal baguettes. Since you didn''t need to use any of your budget to get the engagement ring, maybe you can put it towards a slender half-circle horizontal band of VS F baguettes. I just got one from OGI for less than two-thousand dollars as a stack ring to go between my two channel-set Tiffany&Co half-circle round diamond bands.

 

[jcarlylew]

Date: 7/5/2008 11:04:24 AM
Author: RxTechRN2b
The style of your grandmas ring reminds me of a Harry Winston solitaire flanked by tapered baguettes in a nice low setting. And it is very good quality materials as well! A far cry from what you''d get at Kays, Zales, or Helzberg ''maul'' chains. I''ve always loved antique pieces, especially if you know the person to whom it belonged. The size of the stones are perfect for your size finger as well - just the right amount of coverage to look classy. Why are you putting it in a safe deposit box?? That ring is meant to be worn and loved!! A ring like that could be paired with a thin platinum wedding band or one with channel-set horizontal baguettes. Since you didn''t need to use any of your budget to get the engagement ring, maybe you can put it towards a slender half-circle horizontal band of VS F baguettes. I just got one from OGI for less than two-thousand dollars as a stack ring to go between my two channel-set Tiffany&Co half-circle round diamond bands.

Well, since we are technically not engaged yet (phsss!) I just feel it''s safer in the bank rather than our apartment. I just got the wedding band from my sister - i must say i''m not crazy about it, but it does have the chanel set baguettes. I think i might just have it re designed so it sits -->
I am shocked at what the value the ring is at (far beyond our price range) and what i could get for the same amount at the jeweler. maybe something bigger but not nearly as nice looking (IMO). Thank you for the compliments!

Hopefully i will have those pics up soon (as well as side shots).

BF and i had a long talk about using the ring - i wanted to make sure i was not taking away his "pride" by having a ring provided already. So far he seems okay with it, since i brought up what will come up with other people. to them, i just "poohoo." plus there will be more times for him to buy me jewelry (i still wear the first necklace and earings he gave me - not expensive by any means but means that much more than something i could buy myself).

So now it''s sit and wait time - next trip is the oregon dunes during labor day weekend, and then our 2 year mark