Advice for dealing with loose setting? (photo attached)

[mark44]

Hi everyone,

After a long process I finally picked up my ring last Friday and proposed on Saturday! The proposal went perfectly and we''re both really excited to get married in summer ''06. Thanks to everyone here for the advice and info - Pricescope is definitely a really valuable resource.

But ... I''m having some problems with the security of the diamond that I''d appreciate some advice on. I purchased a princess cut diamond from Excel diamonds and had a custom setting made at a local goldsmith. When I first picked up the ring the diamond was quite loose and I could easily push it halfway out of the setting! Needless to say they remade the ring so that the diamond was tight in the setting. But on Saturday after I had proposed we discovered that the diamond could still be moved around in the setting, although not nearly as bad as before. Also part of the setting is a bit crooked which might be contributing to the problem.

The diamond can be slid slightly in the channel. In the first ring they made, I could slide the diamond all the way out of the setting with my fingernail! The channel is now closed at the ends with a tiny bit of metal so it "shouldn''t" be able to fall out, but I still think that it shouldn''t move at all!

I feel good that the goldsmith will work to set things right, but I''m starting to lose confidence that they are capable of modifying the setting properly so that the diamond is held securely. Is there a simple modification that can be made? I think if the channel were closed off more tightly at the ends then it should be okay....

I''d appreciate some advice on how to make sure the setting is secure, as well as any tips on how to deal with the goldsmith to get this problem properly resolved (I don''t want it to get messy).

What do you guys think?

Thanks,

Mark

 

[jaz464]

If I had walked into a jewelry store to pick up my custom setting and I found that I could slide the diamond out of the setting with my fingernail, I would have done so (slid it out) and demanded my deposit back. Actually, something similar did happen to me last week. Now, instead of the local jeweler, Whiteflash is doing my setting. I tend to loose my patience real quick with these sorts of things so I would tell them I do not think my diamond will ever be safe in one of their settings and I would like a refund. I''m sure others will tell you to demand that they fix the setting to your satisfaction. The choice is yours.

 

[mark44]

Hi jazmine, I''m going in tomorrow to speak with them about it. If I decide to bail on this goldsmith it means the whole process begins again with another goldsmith which is something I don''t want. Especially since it means my girlfriend would be without her ring for quite a while. I''m hoping they can make it right! I''m in Canada so if I send it to the US for the setting it means I would have to pay excise tax on the stone a 2nd time when it comes back.

Mark

 

[jaz464]

I hope they can make it right too. Good luck. And remember, being w/o the ring now might be painful, but losing the diamond due to a loose setting will hurt a lot more

 

[valeria101]

Why not a tension setting?

There doesn''t seem to be much holding the diamond in place in this one Usually the band goes a tiny bit over the corners of the diamond holding them from slipping out the setting or there are walls or some other elements holding the pavilion - Cartier has a well known ''Tank'' desigtn made this way, and the bands of white metal do it for the huge aquamarine in THIS ring.

Just a thought... your mention that the stone can be pushed out of the channel setting made me think of these traditional ''stoppers''.

 

[SeaOats]

Mark, first of all, it is a gorgeous ring!!

Of course, the security problem really bothers me. The stone should not move. If it does, it could actually "gnaw" away at the metal. We don''t want that

.

I also understand you not wanting to start over from scratch with another jeweler, but really, this jeweler better step up big time to correct this problem on the THIRD try, otherwise, I would take my stone and my $$ and run like hell. In the end, a couple weeks without the ring will not kill you or your girlfriend/fiance (even though it seems like it right now!). It''s much better to get this fixed and done correctly now instead of constantly worrying and taking repeated trips to the jeweler. Believe me, I''m living that right now.