Emerald ring wear

[Kennie]

Hi, I have been a long time lurker and thought I would get your I have a sqaure cut emerald engagment ring...which I know now is not good for 24/7 wear (and didn''t know at the time) and I don''t wear it all the time just a lot of the time

. I have had my ring for 9 months and it has begun to show wear (already) along the north and south sides of sides of the ring....

There is an inclusion that is closer to the surface near one of these sides with the wear. My question is, in other people''s experiences/opinions, how likely is it that I am going to cause a lot more "wear" to this ring and gradual rounding of the sides with my frequent wear?

I try to avoid wearing it when I am doing things that bang my hands quite a bit, but I would also not want this ring to shatter if I accidentally hit it the right way. Everyone talks about being "careful" with their rings, but the possibility exists that no matter how careful you were you just might move your hands the wrong way one day. Would it be in my best interests to make this more of a right hand ring and get something else that I could wear everyday?

Thanks everyone.

 

[Indylady]

If its a ring that you are really set on wearing often, you might consider a protective setting, perhaps a bezel or even a bezel with a halo. Or, you might just set the ring aside as an occasional wear ring.

 

[Kennie]

I could have it reset, although I am on my second setting (the first one had too thin of a band for my liking and was in need of some more diamonds). I just didnt think the wear on an emerald would happen quite so soon...

 

[serenitydiamonds]

Date: 11/27/2009 5:51:50 PM
Author:Kennie
Hi, I have been a long time lurker and thought I would get your I have a sqaure cut emerald engagment ring...which I know now is not good for 24/7 wear (and didn''t know at the time) and I don''t wear it all the time just a lot of the time

. I have had my ring for 9 months and it has begun to show wear (already) along the north and south sides of sides of the ring....


There is an inclusion that is closer to the surface near one of these sides with the wear. My question is, in other people''s experiences/opinions, how likely is it that I am going to cause a lot more ''wear'' to this ring and gradual rounding of the sides with my frequent wear?


I try to avoid wearing it when I am doing things that bang my hands quite a bit, but I would also not want this ring to shatter if I accidentally hit it the right way. Everyone talks about being ''careful'' with their rings, but the possibility exists that no matter how careful you were you just might move your hands the wrong way one day. Would it be in my best interests to make this more of a right hand ring and get something else that I could wear everyday?


Thanks everyone.

Is it the ring only that is wearing down or is it the stone itself? Do you have a picture so we can get an idea? Do you know the exact treatment of the emerald? Do you have a photo of the emerald? What metal is the ring made of?

While you do need to be careful with emeralds, depending on the quality you don''t have to be super paranoid about it. It''s just a stone that has to be treated gentler than a diamond but sometimes I feel there''s a lot more paranoia than reality to it. Even diamonds will shatter when hit with a forceful direct impact. Some of the newer treatments, such as permasafe and excel, are very durable and can even be placed in ultrasonic cleaners.

I feel they can be worn everyday, but should be placed in a safe space for more aggressive activities, I recommend the same for diamonds also. The odds are higher that you will damage the prongs or settings before the stone in typical wear.

--Joshua

 

[LD]

My Mother wore her antique Emerald engagement ring every day for many many many years BUT she did look after it. She never got it near water, always took it off when doing anything even remotely stressful for the Emerald. It''s about 100 years old and only has one tiny chip to the side. However, I believe this is the exception.

Emeralds are very prone to showing wear and tear as they are a soft stone. You mentioned that the Emerald is showing wear on the North and South portions? These will be the more exposed areas. I''m afraid that if you are "heavy" on your rings (and to get that amount of wear and tear after less than a year you must be even if you don''t realise it) so the only solution is to have it re-set with a bezel setting or another type of protective setting as has already been suggested. If you have an inclusion very near the surface you may want to get the ring looked at in any case because re-setting may not be possible if the inclusion makes the Emerald unstable.

 

[cellentani]

This is particularly interesting to me because my dear SIL has an emerald e-ring that she has worn 24/7 for two and a half years. I''m not sure that she takes it off for anything, except maybe showering, so it endures dishes, housework, etc. Now I''m really curious to see if it has has any wear. If i can get the ring off her finger, I''ll loupe it and take some photos.

 

[Kennie]

I have attached pictures of the ring from before the reset, I will try to take some new pictures oday that show the wear on the emerald. I am not sure what treatments it had, they didn''t disclose any but that doesn''t really mean anything as the jeweller wasn''t very upfront it seems, even though it is a reputable store (not a chain, but it is b & m). The setting is fine, a few scuffs here and there -it''s 18k white gold. I did ask them how often they thought I should replate the ring, and they said never..that probably should have been my first clue not to buy the ring!

LovingDiamonds, you are right, I must be quite heavy on my rings to be showing this much wear already! I got the ring at the beginning of February and then at the end of the month I had it reset, so I didn''t get it back till April, so from April till now its showing wear already.....and to think I thought i was being careful haha.

I have to admit that I am not a fan of bezel settings, although I am beginning to appreciate how they would be good in this situation. We have been having a problem finding a wedding band to go with the ring because of the setting, nothing sits flush with it unless I went custom. But I think we will just look for a ring that looks nice on its own because I wont be wearing my emerald often it seems.

 

[serenitydiamonds]

Date: 11/28/2009 11:41:40 AM
Author: Kennie
I have attached pictures of the ring from before the reset, I will try to take some new pictures oday that show the wear on the emerald. I am not sure what treatments it had, they didn''t disclose any but that doesn''t really mean anything as the jeweller wasn''t very upfront it seems, even though it is a reputable store (not a chain, but it is b & m). The setting is fine, a few scuffs here and there -it''s 18k white gold. I did ask them how often they thought I should replate the ring, and they said never..that probably should have been my first clue not to buy the ring!


LovingDiamonds, you are right, I must be quite heavy on my rings to be showing this much wear already! I got the ring at the beginning of February and then at the end of the month I had it reset, so I didn''t get it back till April, so from April till now its showing wear already.....and to think I thought i was being careful haha.


I have to admit that I am not a fan of bezel settings, although I am beginning to appreciate how they would be good in this situation. We have been having a problem finding a wedding band to go with the ring because of the setting, nothing sits flush with it unless I went custom. But I think we will just look for a ring that looks nice on its own because I wont be wearing my emerald often it seems.

I am curious to see the wear on the stone, you''ve been wearing it by itself? Emeralds are hard stones (harder than glass and all metals) with almost an 8 on the Mohs scale. Because of they way emeralds form, containing many fractures, their toughness (resistance to breakage) is low. It would be a little strange that it is wearing down unless you had a harder stone next to it (Sapphire, Diamond, etc). There is a possibility the filler is wearing down though if it has a thick coating.....

Unfortunately most B+M''s that don''t specialize in Emeralds wouldn''t probably know if/what the treatment is. Typically it would be a resin or oil based filler. If you love the stone and want to make it more durable you could get it re-treated with ExCel, which is used in high grade emeralds you''ll see at the top tier stores. Excel Treatments

I''m not a fan of bezel''s either...lol.

--Joshua

 

[Kennie]

Ring as it looks now

 

[Kennie]

Another view

 

[Kennie]

and another

 

[LD]

Kennie can you take a few close up/macro shots of the damage? These photos (whilst lovely) are just too far away to be able to see anything properly.

Joshua - I am far from an expert but would you recommend having an Excel treatment UNLESS the Emerald has it already? What if it's a natural Emerald that's just been oiled? Surely you'd be devaluing the gemstone by doing that? I know that Kennie has said there was no disclosure of treatments but I definitely wouldn't rush to do that unless I knew that this wasn't going to negatively affect the gemstone.

 

[Kennie]

Yes, I have been wearing it by itself so nothing has been banging up against it. I tried to get a good picture that shows the wear but it was hard, and I am not sure if what I captured was anything but glare! Any tips?

I might be just being really paranoid, but I went to two different stores to have the ring looked at under a scope to double check that I wasn''t making it up. I can see it with the nake eye, but maybe thats because I know where I am looking. Oh well. I don''t want to wreck the stone too much more with daily wear and I certainly don''t want it to crack, so it''s just going to have to become an occasional ring. Which makes me sad because I didn''t think wear should/would occur this soon and I wouldnt mind wearing my yummy green rock

 

[Indylady]

Beautiful ring! What do you think of a halo instead of a bezel, with the emerald sitting flush with the halo? That might protect it some.

 

[serenitydiamonds]

Date: 11/28/2009 7:12:08 PM
Author: LovingDiamonds
Kennie can you take a few close up/macro shots of the damage? These photos (whilst lovely) are just too far away to be able to see anything properly.


Joshua - I am far from an expert but would you recommend having an Excel treatment UNLESS the Emerald has it already? What if it's a natural Emerald that's just been oiled? Surely you'd be devaluing the gemstone by doing that? I know that Kennie has said there was no disclosure of treatments but I definitely wouldn't rush to do that unless I knew that this wasn't going to negatively affect the gemstone.

If it is an oiled emerald that she is concerned about damage to I would recommend ExCel. It is the treatment used on VERY high end emeralds and typically does not decrease the value from an oiled stone. It is quite common to take high end emeralds that are oiled, removed the oil, and treat them with ExCel. If the stone has no treatment, then naturally it would decrease the value and I would not recommend adding treatment. Treatments on emeralds that have a long shelf life and do not change the color (Resins, Polymers, and Oils) are considered normal and acceptable for emeralds. The newer transparent resins and polymers last forever and can even allow the emerald to be placed in an ultrasonic cleaner, and are removable.

I wouldn't rush into it, but it is something that can considered upon as a potential option.

--Joshua

 

[serenitydiamonds]

Date: 11/28/2009 7:16:06 PM
Author: Kennie
Yes, I have been wearing it by itself so nothing has been banging up against it. I tried to get a good picture that shows the wear but it was hard, and I am not sure if what I captured was anything but glare! Any tips?


I might be just being really paranoid, but I went to two different stores to have the ring looked at under a scope to double check that I wasn''t making it up. I can see it with the nake eye, but maybe thats because I know where I am looking. Oh well. I don''t want to wreck the stone too much more with daily wear and I certainly don''t want it to crack, so it''s just going to have to become an occasional ring. Which makes me sad because I didn''t think wear should/would occur this soon and I wouldnt mind wearing my yummy green rock

Do you have a store that has a scope and a camera attached? That would be the best picture Another option is to use the Macro function (typically a picture of a flower) of your digital camera and take a close picture of the stone from the top and side.

--Joshua

 

[T L]

Date: 11/28/2009 8:22:39 PM
Author: serenitydiamonds

If it is an oiled emerald that she is concerned about damage to I would recommend ExCel. It is the treatment used on VERY high end emeralds and typically does not decrease the value from an oiled stone. It is quite common to take high end emeralds that are oiled, removed the oil, and treat them with ExCel. If the stone has no treatment, then naturally it would decrease the value and I would not recommend adding treatment. Treatments on emeralds that have a long shelf life and do not change the color (Resins, Polymers, and Oils) are considered normal and acceptable for emeralds. The newer transparent resins and polymers last forever and can even allow the emerald to be placed in an ultrasonic cleaner.

I wouldn't rush into it, but it is something that can considered upon as a potential option.

--Joshua

Joshua,
Not sure about that. Sometimes these resins can discolor (I have seen this) or cause signficant changes in the stone (colored resins). I don't know about Excel, or the newer resins/polymers, but I much rather have an oiled emerald than a polymer/resin filled one. JMO.

 

[serenitydiamonds]

Date: 11/28/2009 8:34:57 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover

Date: 11/28/2009 8:22:39 PM

Author: serenitydiamonds


If it is an oiled emerald that she is concerned about damage to I would recommend ExCel. It is the treatment used on VERY high end emeralds and typically does not decrease the value from an oiled stone. It is quite common to take high end emeralds that are oiled, removed the oil, and treat them with ExCel. If the stone has no treatment, then naturally it would decrease the value and I would not recommend adding treatment. Treatments on emeralds that have a long shelf life and do not change the color (Resins, Polymers, and Oils) are considered normal and acceptable for emeralds. The newer transparent resins and polymers last forever and can even allow the emerald to be placed in an ultrasonic cleaner.


I wouldn''t rush into it, but it is something that can considered upon as a potential option.


--Joshua

Joshua,

Not sure about that. Sometimes these resins can discolor (I have seen this) or cause signficant changes in the stone (colored resins). I don''t know about Excel, or the newer resins/polymers, but I much rather have an oiled emerald than a polymer/resin filled one. JMO.

Maybe I should clarify:
Resins, Polymers, and Oils that do not affect the color of the gemstone and are stable are considered normal and acceptable treatments. Cedar Oil, Permasafe, ExCel, etc are some of these typical enhancements.

There are older resins, such as Opticon, that can discolor over time and dyes that add color. Those treatments are NOT acceptable in the trade and discouraged.

Cedar oil, while not stable in the decade time frame, is also acceptable because the stones can be re-oiled if necessary.

I''m just educating options available to help increase the durability of her gemstone. ExCel is used in emeralds priced in the 100k+ range, it is durable, has a lifetime guarantee, and removable. I prefer untreated or oiled stones too, but everything has a price and durability trade-off.

--Joshua

 

[Kennie]

I think I may be macro illiterate and really the wear on the emerald is fairly minimal right now (it just seems to have started), so I don''t have any better pictures. Sorry for ranting a bit, but you know when you notice something and then it bothers you? Especially since the emerald and the ring isn''t that old. I will have to see if there are any stores around here that have the scope and camera attached. I am going to go to my jeweller today to discuss my unhappiness with the ring and their lack of disclosure. They knew I was intending to wear the emerald as an engagement ring, and they never said the stone was not suitable for everyday wear, or that the inclusions in it could make the ring brittle and more prone to breakage. I found that out from several other jewellers when I was looking for a wedding band to go with the ring. Now it seems that if I put a wedding ring next to my emerald it could wreck it even more. Meaning that this engagment ring can not be worn with a wedding band except on those very special occasions. The ring is yellowing quite a bit as well, once again 6 months of wear or so, and it will need to be replated to boot. Next setting I buy will be platinum, I am just not sure if I would like the patina that develops on it over time.

I am frustrated and I feel like my jeweller did nothing to inform me that i might regret my choice. It''s one thing if you buy an emerald or another soft stone and you know it will wear, and another when you are ignorant of that fact. Oh pricescope, I wish I had met you before I bought this ring. I will check with them as well about excel, although since they didn''t really think the ring was treated in the first place they probably won''t know much about that

If I had a halo put on the ring, I would still have the problem with the facets wearing down on the face of the stone, but it probably should minimize the wear right? I love halos, FI does not however..but I guess they aren''t for everyone.

Well off to the jeweller!

 

[Stone Hunter]

I''m sorry that you are unhappy with your ring. From the far away pictures that I have seen it looks just STUNNING.

Of course I can''t see the wear that you see and if it were my ring the wear would really really concern me too. Hope you get some answers from the jeweler.

Anyway since it was pointed out that Emeralds are harder than metal I think you could safely wear a metal wedding band with it. But first find out what that wear is that you''re seeing.

Nobody has mentioned taking it to an appraiser but that''s what I''d do! PS has a list of reputable appraisers nation wide that don''t sell jewelry.

Good Luck!!

 

[LD]

A halo is a nice option but it does depend how the emerald is set within the halo as to whether it''s going to be protected - so have a look at a few settings you like to get some ideas.

If you''re also wearing the plating off the white gold quickly (and some people do) then platinum is an excellent metal to go with. If you get a highly polished platinum you might find that the patina won''t be as worrying as you may think. When I first decided to go with platinum I was worried also because I noticed a couple of people wearing rings that looked like scuffed grey metal. In all honesty, that''s probably from years of wear but I didn''t know that at the time. I wear a platinum wedding ring and in a year it''s only got a slight patina but is still bright and shiny and definitely not grey. Worth thinking about!

 

[Gailey]

I don't know that a bezel is any more protective. I suspect as with all settings it depends upon the skill of the setter and the condition of the emerald. Maybe a bezel is more protective to some shapes more than others.

I say this because my girlfriend has an emerald engagement ring that has been damaged twice. She is now on her second emerald. The first one was re-cut is now significantly smaller.

I would be interested to hear if Joshua thinks thinks this emerald would be suitable for the excel treatment, or is it destined for a re-cut.

 

[Stone Hunter]

Oh so sorry to see that Gailey!! Hope something can be done!

 

[LD]

Oh Gailey that poor ring.

You can see how it''s happened though because the emerald sits above the bezel and it looks like it''s been knocked. Awwwww. I''m sure Joshua will comment but my understanding is that ExCel is a filler so I''m not sure that it would help to repair that damage. I''m pretty sure that would need a re-cut

 

[chrono]

There is absolutely nothing that can protect the crown of any gemstone from damage. Gailey, I’m sorry to see the damage of your friend’s emerald. There’s just no protection for the top that is exposed.

Kennie,
It sounds like your body chemistry reacts to white gold quite strongly. There are some who can wear white gold for years without needing to replate and some who have to replate their ring every few weeks. I also suggest going with platinum if it bothers you. It takes quite a while for the patina to develop on platinum and it can always be polished back to looking shiny and new again.

 

[Kennie]

Gailey: How long was the first ring around before it needed to be recut? I think it''s incredible how emeralds seem to wear. Does she wear it often?

A jeweller took a better picture of the ring. It doesn;t show the wear very well but you can see that my one prong is shaped "like an elf shoe" as the jeweller put it and it is not touching my emerald, so the stone moves up and down *sigh*.

So...my jeweller who I bought the ring from thinks, surprise surprise..that there is no wear on the emerald. He looked at it through a loupe and then he took it into the back. It came out more shiny, but I don''t think he looked at it through the scope which was sitting out in plain view. I am not impressed. Would an insurance claim work in this situation or would it not be worthwhile?

 

[Kennie]

Chrono: Yes, platinum it will be for me from now on!!

How would 14 k white gold react?

 

[chrono]

The wear and tear to your emerald is minimal; at this point I don’t think you will be able to claim anything with your insurance company. As for white gold, gold is really a yellow metal. It is the alloys that make it appear whitish but it is never really a shiny silvery colour. I believe that all white gold is usually plated to appear whiter so eventually this plating will also be worn down or react with your body’s chemistry.

 

[Gailey]

I can''t help thinking that the setting was not custom made for the emerald.

Kennie, try holding the ring up to your ear and flicking the shank with your nail or a pen. You will be able to hear if the stone is loose. If it is loose, it will wear. I''m no expert, but it doesn''t look like it was set very well.

I don''t know how long my friend had had her ring before the first emerald was damaged. I know she had only had the second one less than a year before the second lot of damage occurred.

I think I was grasping at straws about the filler. It''s one thing to fill a fissure but another to build a new tip.

 

[LD]

Kennie that doesn''t look like wear and tear and if it is, as Chrono says, it''s minimal. It actually looks more like the natural inclusions you see in an Emerald. As for the "elf''s shoe" prong (great description by the way!)? That should be easy for a good benchman to sort out. Of course, care will need to be taken because the Emerald will need to be un-set and re-set but IF your emerald is loose then you really should have the work done to ensure no damage is caused.