Grandmother's engagement ring

[narual]

I'm planning to propose to my girlfriend and recently took my grandmother's engagement ring out of storage. I took it in for an appraisal and was surprised the the appraisal was quite different from the one it received before it went into storage in the late 1980s. I'm trying to learn more about the ring and get feedback on it. Ran across this forum while researching what the cut was actually called (I think it's a carré cut) and thought I'd join and post it.

I'll attach one photo to the thread, but there are a bunch on this web gallery I threw together. I've had this domain for ages and never used it, but it seemed appropriate for post in photos of the ring:
http://twomonthssalary.com/autogallery/index.cfm

The images where the stone looks dark blue are just underexposed in an attempt to pick up some of the lighting better. All of them are toned a bit too blue. The lighting was a bit too yellow and was making the platinum look like gold.

It's worn from 50+ years of marriage and my mom wore it for a while on her pinkie, which bent it out of shape (I had that fixed and the ring cleaned before I took the photos), and the bezel has gotten a bit ragged looking on top, covering up the stone too much.

The appraisal is as follows:
One lady's platinum engagement ring containing one .75 carat emerald cut diamond measuring 5.21mm by 5.16mm by 3.29mm, being of H color and VS-2 quality. Ring finger size being 4.5, with ring gross weight being 3.6 grams. Value $4,350.00

It was weird, because when I was standing there with him he measured it out and told me it was 1.18 carats, then I get the appraisal and it says .75. When mother had it appraised in the late 80s she was told it was slightly over 1 carat. They also told her it was IF quality and I forget the color, but it was different, more colorless value there, too. It's not technically an emerald cut because it has 4 corners, not 8. I think that makes it a carré cut, but I'm not sure.

I'm still debating between restoring and resizing the ring, or using the raw materials for a different ring, possibly based on the original style, or just doing a new ring and giving this one back to mom.

 

[LibbyLA]

narual,

Nice ring!

I'm looking at a size chart from Blue Nile's web site and it's showing the following for Asscher cuts (which are kind of square emeralds, and your diamond is pretty close to being square), 5 mm is .75 ct. and 5.5 mm is 1 ct. A .75 ct. emerald is shown as 6 x 4.5 mm and a 1 ct. is 6.5 x 5 mm (but of course emeralds can be all sorts of combinations of lengths and widths). It seems likely that .75 ct. is a reasonable estimate of the size of your diamond based on those measurements. I have a different chart that shows even larger measurements for the same weights.

Do you have a feel for what type of ring your fiance-to-be likes? I would be tempted to propose with this ring and tell her that she has the option of having this one rehabbed or using the diamond and getting a new setting (I'm not a halo fan, but this would look nice in a halo or in a vintage setting or even in a modern setting if that's what she likes) or getting a new ring.

Please keep us posted!

liz

ETA: I'm not sure that the admins allow linking to an external site, so you may want to cherry-pick some of your photos and post a few more of them here.

 

[vinjewels]

I love the idea of heirlooms and think if you don't use this to propose, why not gift it to her the day of or before the wedding as her something old? I think it would be a touching gesture.

 

[narual]

Thanks, Libby. Yeah, I've seen that on bluenile and other places. It's basically an asscher cut without the corners removed, I think it's called a carré cut. So at 5.21 by 5.16, without the corners cut off, it should be more than .75ct. But the only way to know for sure is to weigh the loose gem, I guess.

She wants a little bit more flash than this, I think, but not too much, and the ring needs to not protrude much. She's a social worker so she spends lots of time in not so nice neighborhoods, and she doesn't want it getting caught on anything.

The engagement ring she'd picked out for herself (and mostly paid for herself) from her previous relationship (on a much more limited budget) had 9 small stones set close together to simulate a larger one, and had some smaller stones to the sides, I think. I only saw it briefly the other day when she was rearranging the jewelry armoire. I think she said the TCW was a bit shy of 1 ct.

She liked a few of the things we looked at on Blue Nile, including a couple of the halo ones and some of the bands that had more side stones.

What I'm thinking of doing is a reverse cradle ring. I'm not sure if anyone makes them besides deSignet. I'll throw a few samples from their gallery here. It's easier to understand visually, I think. It's basically two thin bands that are connected at the top by the stone and the design, knot work, whatever, and the interior is empty. With the engagement ring, you can wear it with a silver spacer band, or just bare skin; then the wedding ring slips inside the engagement ring to complete the design. That way she could wear the eventual wedding band even when she can't wear the engagement ring and it doesn't look odd. She liked some of these, too. I'd do a custom one in platinum with an open celtic knot work style design that's something meaningful to her. The wedding band would be rose gold (and mine would be rose gold with platinum rails, engraved with a pattern to match the knot work from her engagement ring).

 

[LibbyLA]

narual,

I think those are something you have to really like. If y'all do, that's great.

Would not be my choice because they look very bulky (uncomfortable) and I think the engagement ring looks awkward without the wedding ring. I also think that such a setting will overpower that diamond. Is this a style she sees herself wearing when she's middle-aged or retired?

Please do keep us posted. I think it's neat that you have a nice heirloom piece and will be using at least part of it for your marriage.

liz

 

[narual]

That's a lovely idea, vinjewels. If I don't use the ring or its materials for her engagement, I'll definitely consider doing that (or more precisely, fixing it up and sizing it and then giving it back to my mom so *she* can do that.)

And if there's an issue with the link I posted, I'll add more photos in, otherwise I'll just keep the clutter reduced. They're all fairly similar photos of the same ring. I'll add one different one if it'll let me edit.

 

[Amys Bling]

I love the idea of heirlooms and think if you don't use this to propose, why not gift it to her the day of or before the wedding as her something old? I think it would be a touching gesture.

I like this idea

 

[LibbyLA]

Or just add a couple more (like the profile) to a new message. I think that the admins like to have the photos here so that there's not a chance that the photos will "disappear" as the thread ages. If you look at some older threads, the photos are no longer available, and that's never a good thing.

liz

 

[Amys Bling]

narual,

I think those are something you have to really like. If y'all do, that's great.

Would not be my choice because they look very bulky (uncomfortable) and I think the engagement ring looks awkward without the wedding ring. I also think that such a setting will overpower that diamond. Is this a style she sees herself wearing when she's middle-aged or retired?

Please do keep us posted. I think it's neat that you have a nice heirloom piece and will be using at least part of it for your marriage.

liz

agreed- id make sure she like the idea as it is definitely unique And not everyone's style

 

[vinjewels]

Ahhh, very good idea, Narual. Even better. If you do decide on it, it seems very fitting for her to do that. Can't wait to see what you decide on. Enjoy the process!

 

[narual]

I think those are something you have to really like. If y'all do, that's great.

Would not be my choice because they look very bulky (uncomfortable) and I think the engagement ring looks awkward without the wedding ring. I also think that such a setting will overpower that diamond. Is this a style she sees herself wearing when she's middle-aged or retired?

I'm not sure if they're really that bulky. The top bit, at least, is smaller than the cutesy Hello Kitty one I gave her when she moved in. They can size them with narrower bands, too. The examples I picked were mostly chosen to show how the thing fit together. And they might overpower it, yeah. That's why I was considering just buying a new one. I can certainly afford it. But a new one doesn't have the history. And I don't want to make the stone just a side stone to another one.

As for looking awkward without the wedding band, I'm not sure why. It comes with a spacer band in silver or (I think?) copper which you can wear or not as you please, to be replaced by the wedding band when it's appropriate to wear that. And the point of this is to have the wedding band not look awkward without the engagement ring (like my stepmother's... engagement ring was a 1.5ct marquis cut, wedding ring was a big hole surrounded by 2 .8 ct marquis sapphires and 2 .5 ct marquis diamonds. Could never wear that without the engagement ring, so she has to take it off a lot.) while still combining with the engagement ring to make it whole.

I think I'm going to have grandmother's ring repaired, cleaned up and sized for her since the jeweler said that'd only be a couple hundred bucks. They can weigh the stone while they're doing that and get an accurate weight, at least. Then, whether I use it to pop the question, as a pre-wedding gift, or just give it back to my mom, it'll be in good shape and can be worn (Mom wears approximately the same size I think).

 

[narual]

Or just add a couple more (like the profile) to a new message.

OK, here they are.

 

[LibbyLA]

narual,

Thanks for posting the photos here. I think you'll get a lot more feedback if people don't have to go somewhere else to see photos. Saves time!

There are a lot of wedding sets that include a wedding ring that doesn't look funny without the engagement ring. Look through the "show me the bling/ring" forum and you'll see. As long as the engagement ring isn't an odd shape that requires a fitted wedding ring, you'll be fine. She could wear a standard wedding ring (with or without diamonds) with this heirloom engagement ring.

Rings like your stepmother's were popular several decades ago, but that sort of thing isn't common now. Start looking at wedding sets (that women are wearing) and you'll see.

As for a silver or copper spacer, that's going to look like a wedding ring. I don't think many people will be able to tell the difference between a spacer and a wedding band. If you both like it, though, go for it.

liz

 

[vinjewels]

I really hope I am not overstepping my boundaries here because you didn't ask for this, but I have to put it out there so I can get offline and sleep!
WHAT about proposing with your grandmothers ring after you give it a tune up. Tell her it is for her to choose as an option for a wedding ring or her something old. You can take her shopping and have prearranged several different styles brought in to a store: bands, the reverse cradle rings you were thinking about, Solitaires, cluster settings, some antique settings... She can be brought a glass of champagne, doted on and ya'll can make a celebration out of it.
I really am sorry, I have to stop watching the Bachelor and letting my imagination run away.

Whatever you do, you know her best. If you do the choosing and end up narrowing what you want to propose with down to a specific style, PS is a great place to have everyone search out great values and beautiful rings. Good luck!

 

[Amys Bling]

I really hope I am not overstepping my boundaries here because you didn't ask for this, but I have to put it out there so I can get offline and sleep!
WHAT about proposing with your grandmothers ring after you give it a tune up. Tell her it is for her to choose as an option for a wedding ring or her something old. You can take her shopping and have prearranged several different styles brought in to a store: bands, the reverse cradle rings you were thinking about, Solitaires, cluster settings, some antique settings... She can be brought a glass of champagne, doted on and ya'll can make a celebration out of it.
I really am sorry, I have to stop watching the Bachelor and letting my imagination run away.

Whatever you do, you know her best. If you do the choosing and end up narrowing what you want to propose with down to a specific style, PS is a great place to have everyone search out great values and beautiful rings. Good luck!

I like this idea

Either way she is one lucky old to be gifted that stone - I love he history of
It!

 

[Amys Bling]

I think those are something you have to really like. If y'all do, that's great.

Would not be my choice because they look very bulky (uncomfortable) and I think the engagement ring looks awkward without the wedding ring. I also think that such a setting will overpower that diamond. Is this a style she sees herself wearing when she's middle-aged or retired?

I'm not sure if they're really that bulky. The top bit, at least, is smaller than the cutesy Hello Kitty one I gave her when she moved in. They can size them with narrower bands, too. The examples I picked were mostly chosen to show how the thing fit together. And they might overpower it, yeah. That's why I was considering just buying a new one. I can certainly afford it. But a new one doesn't have the history. And I don't want to make the stone just a side stone to another one.

As for looking awkward without the wedding band, I'm not sure why. It comes with a spacer band in silver or (I think?) copper which you can wear or not as you please, to be replaced by the wedding band when it's appropriate to wear that. And the point of this is to have the wedding band not look awkward without the engagement ring (like my stepmother's... engagement ring was a 1.5ct marquis cut, wedding ring was a big hole surrounded by 2 .8 ct marquis sapphires and 2 .5 ct marquis diamonds. Could never wear that without the engagement ring, so she has to take it off a lot.) while still combining with the engagement ring to make it whole.

I think I'm going to have grandmother's ring repaired, cleaned up and sized for her since the jeweler said that'd only be a couple hundred bucks. They can weigh the stone while they're doing that and get an accurate weight, at least. Then, whether I use it to pop the question, as a pre-wedding gift, or just give it back to my mom, it'll be in good shape and can be worn (Mom wears approximately the same size I think).

Many rings allow a wedding band to sit flat- therefore the wedding band would not look weird on its own.

Check out the emerald cuts and asschers thread- you can find it in the Show me the bling section of the forum- click on the SMTr helpful threads archive sticky near the top and the link is in the first post.

Lots of different sets there for you to enjoy browsing!

 

[yennyfire]

I like vinjewels idea too! Let us know what you end up doing. I love your grandmother's ring. It is gorgeous and the sentiment behind it makes in extra special!

 

[Amys Bling]

I like vinjewels idea too! Let us know what you end up doing. I love your grandmother's ring. It is gorgeous and the sentiment behind it makes in extra special!

agreed.

 

[narual]

Hi there! So after thinking it over, discussing with family and with a local jeweler, I decided to let a jeweler have creative license while retaining the major aspects of the ring. He sent me the mockups today... I'll post them here to see what you lovely folks think of them.

Here are some relevant notes from an email I sent out to some friends with the images:

Originally the owner and the goldsmith at VanHorne's looked at it with me and we'd discussed doing a halo of a dozen 2 point stones around it. I showed most of you the very rough mockup I'd made in photoshop. I didn't like the look of it much but was sure when they actually did it it would look nice.

When they sent it over to the actual jewelry designer, he called me to get a better idea what I wanted. I gave him the basic parameters (more sparkle, keep the original look and feel as much as possible, retain the original stone and all the original platinum, have nothing sharp that she could catch on something, and have it be a low profile) and told him he had creative license, as long as he showed me the design for approval or any changes before making a wax. He agreed, sounded rather relieved (the original idea wasn't going to be up to his standards and he said he could make it look a lot better for within a couple hundred dollars of the original estimate).

About 10 days later, he passed me the attached images. He's using 24 ~1 point stones instead of 12 2 pointers and adding about twice as much metal to the band as was already there. (the original is tiny, and super-thin on the bottom). #3 isn't complete -- there will be a cutout under the ring as shown in #4, it just wasn't something he could add in in the program at that angle. Also it's a tiny bit thicker than it will actually be - that's the model for the wax casting, they'll lose a bit of thickness when it cools and they polish it and so on I guess. I think it looks great -- what do you guys think?

He'll be making the wax model of it tomorrow for me to look at.

I'm including his notes below if anyone's interested:

In the pre-toolpath file, you can see the profile view with the cutout in the tapered bezel/head of the ring (similar to the original side opening).

In the other 3 images you can see the details that we carried over from the original ring regarding the shank/band 'grove' and in the side 'plates.'

As per our discussion, I've made this a lower profile ring that will be only about 6mm from the inside top of the ring to the bezel area surrounding the main diamond. The halo effect that we discussed includes the smooth outer line that will make this a 'snag free' design. Additionally, I've tapered that centerpiece so that it is less blocky than what the original ring was when it was new (currently is exhibits quite a bit of wear, thinning, and rounding of that section).

I really think this will look great and carry many of the original features besides being made from the original metal. which is a great sentimental option.

 

[vinjewels]

I am hesitant to give feedback based on the CADs because my eye can't get over the blocky/modern look the images they always make. I think its lack of imagination . The others here will definitely be able to give better tech. feedback. Can you post pics of the wax? I definitely would love to see that! I am glad you came back with an update. I've been wondering how it was going...

 

[narual]

Sadly, they had a problem with someone else's wax coming out of the machine with some problem, and had to redo it, which pushed mine back. It's being done now, and the guy who does the work on it is off tomorrow but may stop by to flip it if he's in the neighborhood, but if not, I'll have it friday I guess. Which probably means I won't have it in time for my originally planned date, since it was a very tight timeframe.

He did take the stone out of the ring and cleaned it up some, and gave me a quick appraisal of it, though. It was kinda amazing seeing how sparkly it was. He said it was very, very dirty inside the ring, and he still hadn't completely cleaned it. I guess they use special lights in jewelry stores to make the diamonds extra sparkly? Anyway, it's exactly .8000 carats, G color, no fluorescence, VS2 quality. He said the cut looked very good, but he doesn't see anywhere near enough step cut diamonds of any kind to know whether it would be considered ideal or just very good. He said all four corners are slightly chipped, one slightly worse than the rest, but the bezel setting will both hide and protect that from further damage.

 

[LibbyLA]

Aw! I can understand your disappointment with the delay.

I bet when you see the diamond in the new setting, you will hardly recognize it! It seems to be a good quality diamond and it's going to look so good cleaned up.

Looking forward to your updates.

liz

 

[narual]

couldn't get a single good sharp photo, but here's the wax.

 

[narual]

sad, between my DSLR and my iPhone the iPhone ended up with the slightly better photos. That's what I get for trying to use macro tubes and a closeup filter to get a closer pic instead of taking it from the lens' real minimum distance and just cropping it.

They're sending it out tonight, and hopefully I'll have the real thing next week.

 

[vinjewels]

I think its going to be really nice! Great job . Are YOU happy with the result? That's really what matters. BTW...that diamond really cleans up nicely from what I can see in the pics.

 

[innerkitten]

It looks great! But the stone is sort of sinking into the wax. Is it supposed to be like that?

 

[narual]

It's a bezel setting so it's inset a bit, yeah. She wanted something low profile.

So after the first wax came out bad and they made the second wax and cast the ring, they weren't satisfied with the quality of the casting. It wasn't dense enough. They asked if they could redo it. Since I'd already missed my original target date I told them to take their time and get it right.

This time, the stone was out of the ring, so they measured it more precisely and redid the CAD and the wax to fit it precisely (the first time I didn't want the stone out of the ring in case I didn't like the design and decided to just use the ring as-is). This time they were satisfied with the results.

I picked up the ring yesterday!

Some photos:

 

[narual]

More photos

 

[narual]

And more. sorry if it ends up being too many. I like playing with my camera.

 

[narual]

and more... I need to decide which ring box to use. I purchased 2 and the jeweler included one as well. Any input would be appreciated

Two in this post: One is cherry wood with white leather interior. The other one is much smaller than the other two, and has slightly padded black leather(ette?) on the outside and black velvet on the inside (which left little hairs on the ring which might show in some of the photos before I blew them off... they're not scratches or inclusions). The small one would be easy to carry in a pocket, but I'm probably going to have it in my camera bag so the size isn't as much of an issue.