How to fix this

[luv2sparkle]

This is my daughters ring. As you can see, one of the prongs is clearly bent, which allowed her stone to fall out. Thankfully, she found it. I would like to have it repaired for her, since money is tight with a new baby coming in June. What would be the best way to have it repaired? I believe the ring is gold (not sure if it’s 14 or 1. Should I have a set of additional prongs added, or/and maybe switch to platinum prongs. Originally, it was medium set at my suggestion, but I am thinking that it might be smarter to have it set lower. She wears it almost constantly except for sleeping. She doesn’t do a lot of gardening (AZ) or lifting weights. What do you think?

 

[WinkHPD]

I am a huge fan of six prong heads for just the reason you show above. Lose or bend one prong and presto, no stone.

From the top this looks like a ring you can have your local jeweler drop a six prong head into and she is set to go. With six prongs, you must lose or seriously bend at least two prongs to lose the diamond.

I actually had a client come in who had lost the tops of three alternating prongs before she made the time to come in to have her head examined, ah er, I mean repaired.

Thank goodness she found her diamond!

Wink

 

[luv2sparkle]

Thank you @Wink. I am very glad she found her stone as well, and that a dog didn’t eat it! One thing I forgot to mention is that there are stones on the prongs. If I remember correctly, it is an xprong style. I know she would probably like to keep that aspect, can a center prong be added? Should the head be switched to platinum?

 

[Texas Leaguer]

If there are diamonds set on the outside of each prong, the proper repair is probably going to get a little pricey. If you go with a new 6 prong arrangement (not a bad idea), it will almost certainly be custom. And, yes, platinum would be a good idea. It is a 'sticky' metal that does not flake off or get brittle. You will have fewer problems with either the center stone or the melee in the prongs if you go with a well made platinum setting.

 

[ringo865]

First look inside for the metal stamp. Might be cheaper getting/making a new setting than upgrading to a diamond-studded six-prong head in a 10k setting (ymmv).

 

[luv2sparkle]

I doubt a new setting is in the cards. They have been married for only 4 years and are having baby #2 in just a few months, so there is a lot of sentimentality attached to this ring as well as financial restraints. I was going to help with the repair and with getting them set up with an insurance policy. It is similar to the Vatche but without the cross bar. Hopefully, this one can be repaired but truthfully, I have never seen a repaired ring that I thought the repairs looked good. I am sure there are some vendors out there who can do it. I just haven't personally seen a good repair.

 

[Karl_K]

Side view pic please

 

[luv2sparkle]

I will Karl. I text her and asked her to send me one. She is in AZ and I am in CA. I will post it as soon as I hear from her.

 

[luv2sparkle]

This isn’t a very good pic after I cropped it, but you get the idea. It is really quite pretty in person.

 

[luv2sparkle]

 

[Karl_K]

Looks like something got caught on a prong and lifted it.
Can't see if it broke or just sprung open.
Most commonly caused when putting on or taking off clothes and the the prong gets caught.

If the prong is cracked a new setting is really the only answer.
Adding prongs is not going to look good at all.
A very skilled bench-man with a laser welder could add cross braces if it just sprung and make them look decent but the odds of it turning out right with the average bench man is not that high.
The best answer is a new setting.

 

[luv2sparkle]

First look inside for the metal stamp. Might be cheaper getting/making a new setting than upgrading to a diamond-studded six-prong head in a 10k setting (ymmv).

That was an errror-it is either 14k or 18k

 

[SimoneDi]

Another vote for a brand new setting..if the prongs didn’t crack, the current one can probably be repaired, but something else I am noticing is that the ring profile is relatively high. I think that once the baby arrives, there will probably be a lot more opportunities for the prongs to give again. Multiple PSers have changed their settings once they had little ones to something more low profile and durable.

Congrats on the little one on the way!

 

[Texas Leaguer]

From the top view I thought it was an interchangeable head. Under circumstances, and with price constraints, I would just stay with the 4 prong head and have it repaired. AND make sure she has an all risk personal jewelry policy.
Also, she should get in the habit of checking the prongs. If she can ever move the stone with a fingernail or a prong seems to be lifted at all, she should take it to the jeweler for attention before continuing to wear it.

 

[luv2sparkle]

I will take it to David Klass when she comes home for a visit on 3/10. If anyone can fix it, I think David can. If not, maybe we can get a holding setting so she can wear it until they can afford to replace the setting. I know she loves it, and it was the exact kind of setting she was hoping for. We will see. @Texas Leaguer, thank you. I think I will do exactly as you have said. I appreciate your input and all who took the time to respond, more than you can know.

After the repair I will come back and let you know how it went.

 

[luv2sparkle]

*UPDATE*

I took my daughters ring to Davis Klass and he fixed it beautifully. He added some cross bars with a tiny bit of engraving. I also had a pair of sapphire earrings that he put on a lever back for me. They were studs and I felt that they were a little to big for my earlobes. They would twist during wear and I felt like I always had to fiddle with them. Here are the pics fro David and Amy. I already have a few more projects in mind to have them bring to reality. They are super easy to work.

 

[luv2sparkle]

One more shot of the earrings

 

[MissGotRocks]

Great result with the ring and the earrings! So glad he could repair and strengthen her ring!

 

[tyty333]

Earrings are gorgeous! Nice job on the ring...adding the basket bar will hopefully add some strength to the prongs. Kudos to DK!

 

[luv2sparkle]

I forgot to say that David added the little diamond above the heart. For reference,the whole earring project was $125, and the ring repair $200. I can’t even believe how reasonable that is. They had to have the top part of the lever custom made by their bench. It is no wonder they are spoken of so highly. Not only is their work top notch and they are easy to work with but their prices are so very resonable. That is a combination that cannot be beat.

 

[foxinsox]

Is there nothing David Klass can't do? all the examples of his work I see are beautiful. He's done such a lovely job of repairing and strengthening that ring! ps your earrings are really pretty as dangles