Conflicting reports--How should a mounted solitaire look?

[Candibello]

I recently purchased a 1.35 round diamond and need to have it mounted. It won't fit in the original head on my setting and the company that originally made my setting (Memoire) is mounting a new head onto my ring and sending it to the jewelry store I used to purchase the ring. I must have Memoire do this in order to avoid voiding my warranty on my setting. The setting I had before was made for a one carat, and I had a CZ as the center stone. Prior to understanding that the original jewelry store must set the stone to avoid a voided warranty, I shopped at another store to get a quote for the head. When the other store saw my ring (setting with cz mounted) they remarked that my stone wasn't set properly. I told them it was a CZ and they said it looked unfinished and it was rough. To demonstrate this, the sales person showed me a mounted solitaire and ran the head across my arm. It was smooth. It did not feel rough at all. Mine, however, felt very rough, and the CZ seemed to be set below the prongs a little more than the one the sales person showed me. When I brought this up with my jeweler (the one I must use), they inspected the ring and said it was set perfectly. Now I am confused. How should a six-prong round look once mounted? Should the metal be above the diamond a good bit or should it feel smooth and the diamond be placed higher? Maybe photos would help? I am really torn since I know I must use the one store to avoid losing my warranty. Thanks!

 

[LIGemzGal]

Do you have any pictures of the CZ in the setting?

 

[Bron357]

The “tests” for a well set gemstone include the prongs being equally spaced (looking top down), the gemstone being flat in the setting ie no tilt when viewed side on, the gemstone not wiggling in the setting (using a fingernail on the girdle - the edge- and seeing if there is any movement) and the finish of the prongs.
Yes, the prong tips should be smooth but if you are comparing a ring that’s been worn with a brand new one, the ring that has been worn may have slightly scuffed prong tips. That’s what happens when you wear rings daily.
While I understand your desire for maintaining the warranty, I’d check and see exactly what your warranty includes and if in fact it’s worth hanging onto. If a gemstone falls out do they replace it for free or are they just giving you an “annual clean and check the prongs”? Any jeweller can clean and check your prongs, usually for free.

 

[MollyMalone]

I'm thinking that a ring with a center stone that's a CZ is not a good predictor of how your new diamond will be set. CZs typically have much thicker girdles than a diamond of the same face-up dimensions, so they are "seated" differently in the prongs. And in the case of a showcase setting with a CZ center, it may have left the jewelry store not as finished as it would have been/will be with a real diamond.

Memoire's warranty page makes it sound as if the diamond must be set by Memoire itself to be covered by the warranty:

Limited Lifetime Value

www.memoire.com

So think you'll want to clarify this -- and get the assurance in writing that the warranty will be honored if your jeweler sets the diamond, not Memoire. OR is sending the diamond to Memoire a viable option?

 

[Candibello]

I'm thinking that a ring with a center stone that's a CZ is not a good predictor of how your new diamond will be set. CZs typically have much thicker girdles than a diamond of the same face-up dimensions, so they are "seated" differently in the prongs. And in the case of a showcase setting with a CZ center, it may have left the jewelry store not as finished as it would have been/will be with a real diamond.

Memoire's warranty page makes it sound as if the diamond must be set by Memoire itself to be covered by the warranty:

Limited Lifetime Value

www.memoire.com

So think you'll want to clarify this -- and get the assurance in writing that the warranty will be honored if your jeweler sets the diamond, not Memoire. OR is sending the diamond to Memoire a viable option?

Thank you! Your response mirrored my thoughts. Last week I asked the Memoire authorized jeweler if I needed to send the diamond with the setting to Memoire for the reason you mentioned. The jeweler informed me that the person setting the stone in-house is authorized to perform warranty work on Memoire jewelry because he received a certification from Memoire to be able to do so. I asked the Memoire retailer if the reason it was rough was because it was an unfinished CZ. She said no. She inspected it and said the prongs were just still in excellent shape and always felt rough when new. She was surprised at how well they had held up after 13 years. She said the setting was perfect. I will see if I can find a pic of the ring. It was just odd, because the diamond at the competitive store looked very different once set--and felt different. I just need a gut-check. Let me find a photo...

 

[Candibello]

The “tests” for a well set gemstone include the prongs being equally spaced (looking top down), the gemstone being flat in the setting ie no tilt when viewed side on, the gemstone not wiggling in the setting (using a fingernail on the girdle - the edge- and seeing if there is any movement) and the finish of the prongs.
Yes, the prong tips should be smooth but if you are comparing a ring that’s been worn with a brand new one, the ring that has been worn may have slightly scuffed prong tips. That’s what happens when you wear rings daily.
While I understand your desire for maintaining the warranty, I’d check and see exactly what your warranty includes and if in fact it’s worth hanging onto. If a gemstone falls out do they replace it for free or are they just giving you an “annual clean and check the prongs”? Any jeweller can clean and check your prongs, usually for free.

Thank you! Great information.

 

[Candibello]

Do you have any pictures of the CZ in the setting?

Do you have any pictures of the CZ in the setting?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Was it an empty setting when you first saw it and you asked for a cz to be set, or did you buy a sample setting that had a cz in it? You are getting a whole new head, so it's not going to be those same prongs anyway. Plus, you don't know who set that cz in the first place, right? I'd just make it clear at the outset that you want it to be well polished with no rough spots or whatever you see that isn't right about the current one.

 

[Candibello]

Was it an empty setting when you first saw it and you asked for a cz to be set, or did you buy a sample setting that had a cz in it? You are getting a whole new head, so it's not going to be those same prongs anyway. Plus, you don't know who set that cz in the first place, right? I'd just make it clear at the outset that you want it to be well polished with no rough spots or whatever you see that isn't right about the current one.

Thanks for the reply. I purchased the setting with the cz already in it from a family-owned jewelry store in town. It is most likely that the same man set the cz years ago unless it came from Memoire like that. The owner of the jewelry store told me after inspecting the ring that Memoire would be replacing the head with an identical one because they only have a four and six prong option. She kept saying that it is perfect. “The prongs are supposed to be like a dew drop on top of the stone,,,” we’re her words. I guess I will have them set it and then secretly have another store polish the prongs, if needed.She seemed to get really offended when I mentioned a potential issue. Last time purchase from them, for sure!

 

[pearaffair]

I just want to say, congrats on getting a new big diamond after 13 years of waiting! You rule! I love people that wait until the time is right for their budget and their life

 

[Candibello]

Thank you! That is the sweetest. We are having the cz made into a necklace for our daughter. It is still really special to me! Thanks to everyone for helping me make sure this set will look good for the next 13!

 

[Candibello]

Hmmm... updated question. My jeweler just sent me this image from Memoire and quoted me for the new Memoire head—$725. She said that she never realized ALL Memoire heads were platinum. I had assumed it would be white gold because my petite prong ring is white gold. She said that all Memoire heads are platinum. Is this common? Because my diamond is a 1.35, she said they had to go up two head sizes. I thought that usually you had a choice. I’m just curious what you think.

 

[caf]

Contact Memoire.com and ask them. I looked at their website and saw nothing about platinum heads.