Is it normal for my diamond to become loose?

[Yaya348]

Hi I just purchased a upgrade ring for myself almost 3 months ago but the stone has become loose already, It's a 1 carat princess cut and set on a four prong setting(not the v prong one). I bought the setting online and gave all the measurements of the stone with the order. When i went to their office to have it set, The jeweler did a small hole in the bottom of the setting to fit the diamond. When i received the setting it did look too small for the diamond but im no jeweler and i though he would know better. Anyway I had to go back a week later because the stone looked crooked and it bothered me. My original engagement ring has never become loose and it's almost seven years old. So im here thinking either the prongs were too small for the diamond or the stone wasn't set properly or both....

Is it normal for a princess cut stone to become loose that quick?? Like i said my original 1/2 ct princess is set on V prongs and has never become loose. I'm just worried i get it fixed and have it happen again. I'm not hard on my rings, I only wear them when i go out and thats usually the weekends.
So im stuck with this setting that I'm pretty sure the prongs are too small for the stone, the time for exchange or return already expired... Here's a picture of how croocked the stone looked after i had it set the first time, and he said there was nothing wrong with it.

 

[WinkHPD]

Personally, as a jeweler, I do not like to use prongs without V caps for princess cuts. It is a recipe for disaster as it is too easy to chip a corner while setting the stone and it is easier for the stone to become loose since normally the points are not as well seated in the narrow round prong as they would be in a V cap.

In addition, and it is hard to be sure in your photo, but it looks as if your head may be set crooked in the mounting, as your ring shank is not parallel to the surface it is laying upon. Actually, looking more closely at the photo and comparing the relative distance from the prongs to the shank the bottom right prong appears noticeably closer to the shank than the bottom left prong, thus strengthening my opinion that the head is not straight in the mounting. This could be from a bent prong, as well as from the head being crooked, but in any case it does not assist in the appearance of your ring.

My sincere recommendation is that you find a local jeweler that you have checked out on line for reviews with an emphasis on quality of workmanship in those reviews and have the head in your ring replaced with a V cap style head. I think you will have a safer mounting and a better appearance if you do so.

Wink

 

[Yaya348]

Thanks Wink for your reply. Unfortunately this setting doesn't have an interchangeable head, and i don't have more money to say "i'll just buy a new setting"... I saved a lot to be able to get this ring, it's just so disapointing... by the way now that im looking back at the pictures of the setting alone the prongs don't look even. I should have made sure but i guess i was too excited to get the diamond set and wear my ring.

 

[WinkHPD]

I am sorry to hear that. Did you speak with the vendor to query them about this and what they might be willing to do about it, since it appears to be a craftsmanship defect?

Also, if you sent us photo from the side we could give you better comments about whether or not the head could be replaced with only minor surgery. Of course that would still not be inexpensive by the time you bought the head and paid for the labor to remove the existing head and install the new head.

Wink

 

[Yaya348]

here's a few pictures i took when it arrived. The prongs almost looks like a K.




in this picture i put the diamond right on top and you can clearly see the prongs aren't straight.

 

[Yaya348]

I am sorry to hear that. Did you speak with the vendor to query them about this and what they might be willing to do about it, since it appears to be a craftsmanship defect?

Yes I sent them an email yesterday and i just received his reply:
"I'm sorry about the trouble. You can send the ring to us using any shipping carrier and we will fix it and ship it back within 2-3 business days. Or you can bring it to us personally.
We will add some solder to the prongs so that the stone will be more tightly secured.
Yigal."
What does it mean that he'll add some solder to the prongs? i never heard of that before. It's that effective?