Advice on antique trilogy ring - should I get this fixed?

[bluegiraffe]

The amazing BF and I went to a vintage store a couple of days ago and picked out a ring! It's (as you'll see from the pictures) a sapphire trilogy ring, apparently mid-century, and it was just about within our budget It had to get sized a few sizes smaller to fit me, and now I'm a little worried because there are inner gaps between the stones which didn't previously exist -- I'm guessing that they opened up when the ring was resized.

Is it odd that these gaps bother me, and should I try and get them fixed? Is it even likely that the jeweler would be able to do that? I wish he'd warned us beforehand that this might happen, but I suppose he couldn't have known exactly how it would go either... I've been stalking a bit and looked all over pricescope for a thread with a similar question but couldn't find one (there are lots of threads about gaps between rings or gaps between a halo and a center stone), so I'd really appreciate any advice

 

[kgizo]

How many sizes down did the ring go? Please post pics of profile of the ring and underneath. It would bother me and i think the jeweler should have informed you, but a lot of shops send out repairs so the person you worked with at the store may not have known this could happen. Most vintage sales are final so check your receipt.

 

[nala]

Are you sure those gaps weren't there before the resizing? I only ask bc I recently bought a 3 stone with similar gaps. And they don't bother me for some reason. Lol. I almost think it's a certain style. The above is a pic. Idk why I don't mind them. I think I just like the stones and the added bonus that I ge more finger coverage

 

[kgizo]

Hi nala! I think gap / no gap in a 3 stone is like airline / no airline in a halo, meaning there is no right or wrong answer because it all comes down to personal preference. When I said it would bother me I meant that getting a piece of jewelry back from a repair looking different would bother me if I wasn't told in advance.

 

[bluegiraffe]

Hello!

Update: I went back to the shop. The guy confirmed that the gaps weren't there before the resizing (idiotically, I hadn't taken pictures, but of course the store had pictures on file), but that there wasn't a way to fix them and have the ring stay my size.

kgizo: I'm a tiny bit annoyed that I wasn't told in advance that the ring would look different (the contract is unclear, since there's a 30-day returns policy which is supposedly voided by the free resizing, so who knows what happens in a case where the problem is caused precisely by the resizing). But on the other hand, I really like the ring! I love the stones, and I'm not sure I would have had the know-how to pick out a sapphire I like + 2 diamond sidestones *and* get them set within our budget. (fwiw, the ring had been sized down five sizes, which is quite a bit, and I guess if I knew more about vintage jewelry I would have realized something like this might happen...) Anyhow! Here are some pictures of the profile/underneath view.

nala: I didn't even realize that gaps between the stones in three-stone rings were a style that existed at all! That's somewhat reassuring to hear, since I was somewhat worried that if I did keep the ring it would look odd to literally everyone who knows anything about rings. I looked on the internet for pictures of three stones and everything I could find showed no gaps. Is this a very unusual style, or a style that's just not made any more, or am I perhaps just not noticing the gaps on other rings? Is your ring difficult to clean?

Thanks so much for all your thoughts! I can't believe how much there is to learn and I really appreciate it

Are you sure those gaps weren't there before the resizing? I only ask bc I recently bought a 3 stone with similar gaps. And they don't bother me for some reason. Lol. I almost think it's a certain style. The above is a pic. Idk why I don't mind them. I think I just like the stones and the added bonus that I ge more finger coverage

Hi nala! I think gap / no gap in a 3 stone is like airline / no airline in a halo, meaning there is no right or wrong answer because it all comes down to personal preference. When I said it would bother me I meant that getting a piece of jewelry back from a repair looking different would bother me if I wasn't told in advance.

 

[kgizo]

For future vintage shopping, there is something called a horseshoe insert to size a ring down without changing the shank (see pic). I have this on two rings and dont notice it at all, but I think I've read of one or two people on here that didn't like the feel.

Seeing the underneath view I think they are right that nothing can be done at this point. I wouldn't mess with the integrity/strength of the shank by breaking and soldering the baskets closer together. Five sizes down is a lot and I believe they should have notified you of the risk of the baskets spreading out a bit. You do have a ring you really like so I think your options are to let it go and never use them again, or maybe ask them to reimburse you 50% of the cost of the sizing because you aren't happy with the outcome.

Enjoy your ring and engagement! It is very romantic to have a vintage ring with some history as an engagement ring. Someone loved it enough to keep it safe before it made its way to you.

 

[bluegiraffe]

Aw thank you! That's exactly why we thought it would be fun to have a vintage engagement ring, because it already comes with half a century's worth of love Yeah, I wish they notified me ahead of time, guess that's what I get for being a newbie and not knowing what questions to ask... though the sizing was free, so at least that's something I can't complain about.

I'm still kind of worried that someone who knows things about rings will be able to figure out that the ring doesn't properly fit me, especially since I haven't ever seen other rings with similar gaps between the baskets, but maybe that's not a big deal if nala and others say it's just a matter of personal preference!

For future vintage shopping, there is something called a horseshoe insert to size a ring down without changing the shank (see pic). I have this on two rings and dont notice it at all, but I think I've read of one or two people on here that didn't like the feel.

Seeing the underneath view I think they are right that nothing can be done at this point. I wouldn't mess with the integrity/strength of the shank by breaking and soldering the baskets closer together. Five sizes down is a lot and I believe they should have notified you of the risk of the baskets spreading out a bit. You do have a ring you really like so I think your options are to let it go and never use them again, or maybe ask them to reimburse you 50% of the cost of the sizing because you aren't happy with the outcome.

Enjoy your ring and engagement! It is very romantic to have a vintage ring with some history as an engagement ring. Someone loved it enough to keep it safe before it made its way to you.

 

[bluegiraffe]

Hello! Update: I took the ring back just to ask the jewelers whether they could at least make the gaps more symmetrical, and they ended up resizing it somehow. They didn't mention just how, so I can't quite figure out whether they ended up breaking and soldering the baskets closer together... I don't suppose you can tell from the photos?
Hopefully, whatever it was, the ring will stay sturdy enough since I'm planning on wearing it for a while Again, thanks so much for all your thoughts!

For future vintage shopping, there is something called a horseshoe insert to size a ring down without changing the shank (see pic). I have this on two rings and dont notice it at all, but I think I've read of one or two people on here that didn't like the feel.

Seeing the underneath view I think they are right that nothing can be done at this point. I wouldn't mess with the integrity/strength of the shank by breaking and soldering the baskets closer together. Five sizes down is a lot and I believe they should have notified you of the risk of the baskets spreading out a bit. You do have a ring you really like so I think your options are to let it go and never use them again, or maybe ask them to reimburse you 50% of the cost of the sizing because you aren't happy with the outcome.

Enjoy your ring and engagement! It is very romantic to have a vintage ring with some history as an engagement ring. Someone loved it enough to keep it safe before it made its way to you.

Are you sure those gaps weren't there before the resizing? I only ask bc I recently bought a 3 stone with similar gaps. And they don't bother me for some reason. Lol. I almost think it's a certain style. The above is a pic. Idk why I don't mind them. I think I just like the stones and the added bonus that I ge more finger coverage

 

[kgizo]

Can you take a profile pic? What did they tell you when you asked how they fixed it? What metal are the baskets and shank?

 

[bluegiraffe]

Yes of course! Here's an (admittedly terrible) profile pic, with any luck I'll have a better one tomorrow when the lighting is better. Unfortunately since they don't fix it in house, the guy literally had no idea how it was fixed - or perhaps he's just being vague. I realize the picture might not show it since it's so bad, but the baskets are really a lot closer together right now! The shank is 18k yellow gold and so is the center basket; the other two baskets are white gold (I'm told).

Can you take a profile pic? What did they tell you when you asked how they fixed it? What metal are the baskets and shank?

 

[kgizo]

It looks much more symmetrical. Are you happy with the appearance? Those stones are a lot closer together and I have no idea how they did that because it looks like the outside of the baskets are attached to the shank. Perhaps post your question in Rocky Talk as that gets more traffic. If you are concerned about the baskets being adjusted gently drag the ring across a sweater or some fabric and see if threads collect under any of the prongs.

 

[bluegiraffe]

It looks much more symmetrical. Are you happy with the appearance? Those stones are a lot closer together and I have no idea how they did that because it looks like the outside of the baskets are attached to the shank. Perhaps post your question in Rocky Talk as that gets more traffic. If you are concerned about the baskets being adjusted gently drag the ring across a sweater or some fabric and see if threads collect under any of the prongs.

Yes I'm definitely happy with how it looks! And who knows how they did it... I'd still be very curious to know (especially if it would help me with care of the ring) so I'll probably wear it for a few days to see if the prongs collect threads, as you say, and then try posting to Rocky Talky. Thanks so much!