Montana and filigree ring pics

[ephsea]

Well, after many months of waiting, I've finally gotten my SO's recut montana sapphire back from the jewelers, set in a 14k white gold die-cast filigree from Janeliunas. The stone looks as good as it's going to now, Jerry closed the window up well but there's definite bowtie(s). My girlfriend is not so picky and has no idea that she will be getting her dream ring (I had some money she didn't know about), which is literally an unheated seafoam green Montana w/ a checkerboard cut top set in 14k white gold filigree. Those grow on trees, right?

I'm really pleased so far, but I would like honest comments about the appearance of the custom goldwork done by the local jeweler. The setting was for a 10x8 stone, and this measures 9x7, so I knew some custom work would have to be done - I just imagined it looking much less crude? They only charged me 50$ because my family goes there, but to me a discount on shoddy work is not a deal. Am I right to complain about this? Is this sub-par, or have they made the best of a bad situation? They added a ring on the pavilion, as discussed, but it's set higher than I thought with obvious file marks outside that I can see from side elevation. It's also set in cock-eyed. It bothers me, but won't bother her. Can this be fixed without a new setting, or should I let well enough alone?

 

[ephsea]

Setting pics

 

[ephsea]

The Gemartservices recut was great, Jerry retained the face-up size, polished the girdle to hide the chip the dummy put in it, and the stone went from 2.4 to 2.14ct. Did lose some saturation, but worth it not to stare at skin in the middle of sapphire.

 

[movie zombie]

you paid $50 for this setting?!
geez, I think it looks great.
and I think it is a stunningly gorgeous ring.
if what you think is "crude" is underneath, forget about it.
and for $50 you don't get $500 workmanship....
just my thoughts....your SO is very lucky to get this ring.
oh, and ovals are known to have the bow-tie thing going on.
in this instance I don't think it detracts from your stone and/or ring's beauty.
I'm sure there will be others more picky than I am but, again, I'd just live with it, especially since your SO won't mind at all.
if she does, deal with it then.

 

[distracts]

I'm honestly having trouble seeing what shoddy workmanship you are talking about. Is it ONLY on the ring underneath the stone? Because I maybe see that, but I can't quite tell what I'm seeing - if I'm seeing flooded solder blobs or if the oval has just been cut weirdly to make contact with the ring, or if all I'm seeing is shadows. I can't see file marks in the pics. Maybe someone else can see it better than I can?? Or you can take pics through a loupe or with a super macro lens?

I'm not surprised at where it's set - the setting came with those fleur-de-lis prongs and to set it lower they'd have to completely redo the heads of the prongs, I'd think.

 

[VirginiaZee]

Personally I didn't even notice the bowtie at first, I was staring at the perfect polish on the stone! Jerry does absolutely amazing work!

That said, it's really sweet that you're getting her her dream ring. And if she won't notice/care... *shrug* Honestly, $50 for the whole setting is ridiculously good, that's how much it costs me to get a stone set (assuming I supply the perfectly calibrated setting). And from what I hear, it's very tough to make a smaller stone fit in a larger setting, so it seems they might have made the best of a tough situation. That said, add me to the camp that I'm not really sure what the problem is, even with the enlarged photos.

If it really bothers you, I suppose you could take it somewhere else and get a second opinion, but there are no guarantees the new people would be able to "fix" it, and there's a chance they could mangle the whole thing (not trying to be alarmist, just stating that it's a possibility, particularly if they're not used to colored stones...).

 

[ephsea]

Well the setting was 250$ I think from Janeliunas, the 50 was just to set the stone. I suppose it's a done deal now, but for future projects should I find a different jeweler? I was looking for quality work, not a budget job - money was not an object here. Those are solder lumps around the bottom, fyi. I am unfamiliar with goldwork per se, but have a lot of experience with metalwork and this strikes me as shoddy work...

 

[T L]

Well the setting was 250$ I think from Janeliunas, the 50 was just to set the stone. I suppose it's a done deal now, but for future projects should I find a different jeweler? I was looking for quality work, not a budget job - money was not an object here. Those are solder lumps around the bottom, fyi. I am unfamiliar with goldwork per se, but have a lot of experience with metalwork and this strikes me as shoddy work...

Ahhh, so $300 in total for the mounting and stone setting job. Did you tell them you were unpleased? Can they redo the work for you? These days vendors aim to please because it's easier to get online reviews.

I buy premade calibrated settings all the time, and my jeweler charges $20 to $30 and does a very good job, so for $50, I would expect better setting skills.

 

[VirginiaZee]

Ahhh, so $300 in total for the mounting and stone setting job. Did you tell them you were unpleased? Can they redo the work for you? These days vendors aim to please because it's easier to get online reviews.

I buy premade calibrated settings all the time, and my jeweler charges $20 to $30 and does a very good job, so for $50, I would expect better setting skills.

+1 to this... hopefully they're receptive to your feedback and will want to try to work with you for a good resolution all around.