made too small?

[faegrace]

I received the setting from lanbo/beyondjewelry3 today. While it is lovely, I think they got the measurements all wrong.
It is supposed to accommodate an 8.6 center stone, per specs in my order. I cannot even come close to 'dropping' the gem into the center; the prongs, though straight up, prevent it entirely. That sounds waaay too small, yes?

I have sent them an e-mail. I would like to give them the opportunity correct the problem rather than trash the order completely.

Please respond if you know whether or not the gem should fit into that center w/o actually being set. And, if you've had any experience sending things back to this vendor to fix, that would be helpful to hear as well. I am kind of freaking out because I am on a deadline. Once here, the stone still has to be set.

TIA ~
faegrace

 

[T L]

Can you take a photo of the gem in the setting. I have found that even though the prongs don't always fit the stone in general when it is loose, it still may fit.

 

[faegrace]

TL ~

The gem will not fit at all in the setting, even to stay for a second.

~ fae

I'll try to take a pic.

 

[T L]

I have purchased settings where the stone will only rest on top of the prongs of the unset setting, but the jeweler said it fit. They bend the prongs back a little to get the stone in there. Take a photo, but before you return it, ask your jeweler to be sure.

 

[faegrace]

Okay, I got it to balance, but obviously very much on its side.












What do you think?

 

[faegrace]

The only problem is, my "jeweler" lives in another state.

 

[T L]

Can you do a profile shot so we can see the basket under the stone? Beautiful setting.

 

[faegrace]

Excuse the box fuzz....

 

[T L]

I think it will fit. A good jeweler will have to bend the prongs back a bit, but I don't see a problem for an experienced jeweler. Email the photos to your jeweler and see what they say. That's going to be a gorgeous ring when it's done!!

I've had stones that won't even fall in the setting, and only sit on the top of the prongs, that my jeweler has made fit. At least your stone tilts in there.

 

[faegrace]

Thank you, TL. I am sitting here feeling like the newbie I still am.... I guess when it is something for someone else, I feel there's even more riding on it, you know?

I'll e-mail with pics and keep my fingers, legs, and arms crossed.

~ faegrace

 

[T L]

The key is to have a good jeweler. My jeweler just made a stone that was too deep, and too large fit a USED setting with smaller prongs (from the fact that it's used). I was flabbergasted. I think it will look nice in there, and if it fell all the way down into the prongs and into the basket, the setting might be a little too large for the stone. You don't want that either.

I was at the Intergem show, and a vendor showed me a setting that would fit a round 8mm diamond I had, it was the correct calibrated size setting, and the round stone only sat on top of the prongs. They told me they could set it right there, but I opted not to get the setting because I can get the same one for less $$$ on ebay!

 

[faegrace]

I want to attend a gem show! That's what I get for living in Small Town, USA.

Is Tucson worth it if you can only attend the retail side of things? Hmmm.

 

[MontageCreations]

Normally if you can tilt a stone into a mount it will be a near perfect fit. A good jeweler will be able to set that without any issues.

for a beautiful match-up with stone and setting.

 

[faegrace]

Thank you, Dallas!
I appreciate your feedback.
I am now excited to see this set.

~ faegrace

 

[innerkitten]

I have been learning to set stones and I think it should fit into the setting.

 

[innerkitten]

I just saw the photo. Who is setting it for you? It's not sitting on the little basket thingy. But maybe if the prongs are pulled back it will fit.

 

[faegrace]

InnerKitten ~

No, it will not slide down to the basket at all. The prongs completely prevent it so I have no way of truly knowing until a jeweler sees it IRL.

~ fae

 

[Aoife]

This may be a case of it depends on the skill of the jeweler. I had 2--or was it 3?--settings from lanbo that were exactly like this, and 2 different jewelers said there was no way to make the gemstone fit. After that I stopped ordering from lanbo. If you have a jeweler you really trust, it might be worth sending it to him to see what he thinks. Even if he can't make that particular stone fit, it might be worth keeping that gorgeous setting for another, smaller stone. What a spectacular ring that will be!

 

[faegrace]

Aoife ~

I am sorry to hear you had bad experiences with lanbo. I did initially contact them via e-mail. I guess I just have to sit and wait to hear something, either from my jeweler or from lanbo.

I certainly don't want to pay some sort of astronomical fee to have a jeweler adjust it, especially when the order was confirmed for an 8.6mm center stone modification. The whole point of ordering from lanbo rather than doing a custom setting was to save cost.

~ fae

 

[Aoife]

I know, it's frustrating. At this point I have a couple of settings from lanbo and from LOGR that did not fit the stones they were originally ordered for. They're lovely settings, so I'll eventually find stones that will fit them, but that's money tied up that could have been spent elsewhere. I always feel envious of CS'ers who have managed to find jewelers who can make things work in a situation like this.

Please keep us posted on what you decide to do.

 

[faegrace]

Thank you for the feedback, Aoife. You're very sweet.

My jeweler just wrote me, and though he is complaining about these types of settings and their inevitably "thin prongs," he is willing to set it. He says the prongs look long enough to fit the garnet.

So, now I say a prayer to the Goddess of CS and hope for the best. I will certainly post pics/update as this unfolds. I really do love the style of the setting with this particular gem. An abstract rose maybe.

~ fae

 

[Aoife]

That's great news! Keeping my fingers crossed for you...

 

[T L]

Thank you for the feedback, Aoife. You're very sweet.

My jeweler just wrote me, and though he is complaining about these types of settings and their inevitably "thin prongs," he is willing to set it. He says the prongs look long enough to fit the garnet.

So, now I say a prayer to the Goddess of CS and hope for the best. I will certainly post pics/update as this unfolds. I really do love the style of the setting with this particular gem. An abstract rose maybe.

~ fae

I assume the gem is a supernova oval from Barry, and supernova cuts are known for high crowns . That's something to keep in mind when getting these ebay settings. You may need to specify that you need longer prongs as some jewelers might not be able to work with the default length prongs.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

It is important to remember that the stone shouldn't sit on the basket with the prongs bent over it but, rather, that it will sit in notches on the prongs themselves. The function of the basket is, mainly, to hold the prongs firmly in place. If a gem can be dropped neatly into a setting, the prongs will have to be pushed in to hold it properly in place.

Good luck and I can't wait to see pictures of the finished ring. I am sure it is going to be amazing.

 

[faegrace]

Thanks for the advice TL and LadyDisdain. I'll keep all of that in mind. It's one of Barry's rounds, TL.

Off it goes to be set; I'll keep you posted.

G'nite, All.