Melee fell out of antique ring, wedding is tomorrow!

[kemurphy]

The title kind of says it all... my wedding is tomorrow and I looked down at my engagement ring and to my horror one of the diamonds has fallen out of my setting. My ring is a platinum Edwardian setting and I don't know how I should proceed.

Will modern single cut melee match the antique stones? Or should I hunt down an antique melee. I don't even know how to proceed! Ideally I would like to get it fixed before tomorrow so I don't have a gaping hole in my engagement ring at the wedding! I'm just not sure that is possible or even advised.

Any advice on how I should deal with this would be wonderful.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I would be very particular about who I let do the repair. I think you are going to have to wait until you return from your honeymoon to deal with it. I can't remember off hand where you got your ring, but I'd want someone like SingleStone to fix it if it were mine. They can determine what the best replacement stone is. They also need to check all the other stones and be sure they are secure and fix them if they are not. You need to allow time for that.

Hope your day tomorrow is all you have dreamed of!!!

 

[Circe]

I think replacing a - what, one point? - accent stone is something that could be handled by any competent jeweler. I also think those who work with antiques should have single cuts on-hand ... and this is the kind of repair that will take ten minutes for a quick fix (though after the wedding, take it in to have the prongs on all the rest checked!). Can you tell us where you are geographically? We might be able to recommend someone close to you more specifically.

But if you should be cautious ... I remember one of our old members, LGK, having a huge problem with one setting that kept using melee. She said that when she didn't have time to go to the jeweler, she would use a pinpoint drop of ... modeling glue, I think? (I would check this first - whatever it was, it balled up and could be flicked out with a little effort when she would go in for the actual repair.) She said that at normal viewing distance, it was a surprisingly effective cheap quick fix. So there's also that option ....

 

[diamondseeker2006]

The "any competent jeweler" is the complicated part for those of us who don't live somewhere like NYC, Circe! I'll bet I couldn't find a jeweler anywhere in my region who'd have single cut melee on hand. But maybe she lives in a large city and it is possible. Still don't see her being able to take the time out of her day the afternoon before her wedding, especially if they have rehearsal, etc. tonight!

 

[SB621]

I think replacing a - what, one point? - accent stone is something that could be handled by any competent jeweler. I also think those who work with antiques should have single cuts on-hand ... and this is the kind of repair that will take ten minutes for a quick fix (though after the wedding, take it in to have the prongs on all the rest checked!). Can you tell us where you are geographically? We might be able to recommend someone close to you more specifically.

But if you should be cautious ... I remember one of our old members, LGK, having a huge problem with one setting that kept using melee. She said that when she didn't have time to go to the jeweler, she would use a pinpoint drop of ... modeling glue, I think? (I would check this first - whatever it was, it balled up and could be flicked out with a little effort when she would go in for the actual repair.) She said that at normal viewing distance, it was a surprisingly effective cheap quick fix. So there's also that option ....

agreed!!!!! Shipping to SS is crazy! You would spend more money on the shipping costs then replacing the melee. And you don't have to live in NYC to have competent jewelers. You just need to ask the correct questions!

OP, first off find a jewelry who has a bench onsite!!! Then see what types of settings they have in their store. Ask if they repair antique and or repos? How often do they repair them? Talk to them about it and let them explain exactly what is involved with the repair. Lastly find out what happens if they don't do the repair to your liking. What recourse do you have etc. Honestly to replace a melee isn't such a big deal and most places can do it and do a very good job. Ask around and definitely check out reviews online. When I lived in the boonies of NC I found a wonderful jeweler by word of mouth (my appraiser who deals in antique jewelry recommended him!), and he fixed most of my stuff as well as resized almost all my rings (VC, SK, LM) with intricate pave work etc. I actually wish I had let him have a go on my Edwardian ring as it had a botched job with setting a diamond. A well loved PS vendor added a bezel to my ORIGINAL and ANTIQUE Edwardian ring without telling me. Then he charged me to remove it!!!!! If I had found my local person at the time, I would have gone with him in a heartbeat.


I do agree that I wouldn't rush to get this done. When you have some downtime from the wedding then really dedicate some time to finding someone fantastic. Good luck!

 

[kemurphy]

I wanted to update that it all worked out perfectly. I went to my parents jeweler who had amazing yelp reviews and who has done great work on my parents antique heirlooms in the past. He does all the work on site himself.

I'm blown away but not only was he able to find single cut melee, he did it all in under 2 hours. I can't even determine which diamond was replaced. He did say I need some more prong work done in the future to help prevent this. I couldn't be happier the way it turned out!

 

[NonieMarie]

 

[SandyinAnaheim]

I'm SO glad this worked out for you! Now you'll be a happy bride tomorrow!!

Congratulations on all fronts - and now you have a jeweler too!

 

[SB621]

Horray for having it fixed! Now have a wonderful wedding!

 

[kemurphy]

Thank you all!!! Things are all coming together so well. About to head off to the rehearsal and dinner!