Need Diamond Ideas for Men

[craighnt]

My mother pasted away a few years ago and left me a very nice diamond cocktail ring which she originally said I could have made into cufflinks. The female siblings got all the the other jewelry. She felt like I should at least get something.

As a man, I do wear rings, watches and necklaces, but the last time I wore cufflinks was about 6 years ago. I am looking for suggestions, I don't really know where to start. I do have a partner, but he already has a diamond ring passed down from his father. So sharing it its out. I though about selling the whole ring and just buying something I like, but it doesn't site right with me for sentimental value.

The other problem I have is the diamonds themselves. I took the ring to a chain jewelery store and they said the main diamond in the center was good, but 2 of the other surrounding diamonds had some small cracks. The color in some of there were clear and some had slight yellow. Its an old ring, as in Mine Cut in platinum. I dont have the 4 Cs, Sorry. But the Jeweler did want to buy it.

I was thinking save the center diamond and make a nice man's ring but what can I do with the other lesser quality ones? Would anyone buy those? Could I get them re-cut? Should I just make some cheap settings into a necklace and other rings and cufflinks anyway? Keep the center stone and sell the rest of ring and get something else in her memory? is that possible? Open to suggestions.

I should say, my tastes run really clean and modern, and while I have seen some great setting online, so far they seem like places that would not take an existing stone. Sort of interested in tension settings, but was told by a jeweler that is trademarked and very hard to do. Anyways, here is the ring. What would you do? What dose one guy do with 7 diamonds! LOL

 

[Enerchi]

That's a very beautiful ring your mom left you!

I'm sure the jeweler wanted to buy it!.....he'd low ball a price to buy, then resell as a high priced vintage OMC!

Maybe there is something here to inspire you:
http://www.diamondsbylauren.com/index.php/categories/mens-jewelry

Use the centre stone as above then maybe a second ring where the remaining 6 diamonds are either channel or gypsy set?

 

[mwilliamanderson]

Is this a piece your Mom wore a lot? I have my grandfathers ring and I get a lot of good feelings opening the box once or twice a year to admire it and think about him. If it had a diamond in it, I would definitely have it reset into something so I could see it every day!

Enerchi's idea for a channel set ring with the smaller diamonds is great. Why not look into your options for putting the large stone into a tension setting since that seems like your first choice? You could find a jeweler who works with Gelin Abaci if you want something in gold or platinum. But I recently had a tension set ring made by Bruce Boone and I'm very happy with my choice. I know there are a few members here who have worked with Bruce. Do a search for Kenny's ring photos, they were very helpful for me to see.

My ring is made from cobalt chrome. He works with several other metals and he will set your stone if it's clarity is SI or above.

Here's a top view of my ring.

 

[ecf8503]

I think a tension setting would be great; BUT - I would have it unmounted then appraised (by an independent appraiser not associated with a jewelry store to avoid conflict of interest) to see if the stone is in a condition to withstand being tension mounted. Since it is old, it may have some wear or even cracks that could prohibit it from going into a mounting like that.

That said, I know Jonathan from Good Old Gold had / has an AVR set into a ring - http://vimeo.com/9432287

This is a thread about men's rings - might be helpful:

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/mens-bling-eyecandy-folder.116617/

 

[Enerchi]

Here are some ideas from www.briangavindiamonds.com

I just narrowed the search down to under $1800 and used 18K WG as my metal option.

 

[VRBeauty]

I love old mine cuts - what a wonderful ring!

Do you wear an earring (or two)? If not, might you wear one at some later point in your life?

I ask because one of the pastors in my church wears a wonderful diamond earring that I'm guessing is at least .75 - 1 ct. I couldn't take my eyes off it when I first noticed it - catching the light as he was preaching - and when I had a chance I asked him about it. He told me his mother had given him her diamond earrings before she passed on, and he kept one as an earring and made one into a ring.

So- give some thought to turning one of the diamonds into a big bodacious earring!

BTW another male friend who likes diamonds and jewelry has worked diamonds (lots of them) into a watch band, money clip, belt buckle, and into the stock on a Remington rifle. We're talking "jewel encrusted" - except for the rifle - and they mostly stay in the safe, but maybe a subtler version of one of these might work for you?

 

[kenny]

What a nice dilemma you have.

As mentioned I have tension settings, aka TS.
They let more light into and out of a diamond.
They are a breeze to clean.
IMO they are safer than prong settings.

Actually we've had 4 made, 3 titanium from Boonerings and one platinum from Gelin Abaci.
Two other TS makers I'd consider are Steven Kretchmer and Neissing.

I'd remove the main stone and ship it to GIA in New York or Carlsbad, California for a full grading report.
They will deal directly with you.
You don't have to pay a jeweler to do this for you.

Then you know with certainty what you have.
This is important as lower clarity diamonds may not be strong enough to withstand the force applied by a TS.
Also if you are into insurance a grading report from GIA is a strong document to support what you have.

GIA does not assign a value so if you want that you'd have to pay a professional appraiser.
I'd recommend finding one from the PS list above.
Click on Resources, then appraisers.

I just bought a diamond and am also deciding how to set it.
I'm pretty sure it will be a TS but I'm considering all 4 makers and all possible metals.
My SO's TS is titanium and it has tarnished a little.
I don't like the darkness.

 

[kenny]

FWIW, here are some shots of our TSs.

 

[soxfan]

My mother pasted away a few years ago and left me a very nice diamond cocktail ring which she originally said I could have made into cufflinks. The female siblings got all the the other jewelry. She felt like I should at least get something.

As a man, I do wear rings, watches and necklaces, but the last time I wore cufflinks was about 6 years ago. I am looking for suggestions, I don't really know where to start. I do have a partner, but he already has a diamond ring passed down from his father. So sharing it its out. I though about selling the whole ring and just buying something I like, but it doesn't site right with me for sentimental value.

The other problem I have is the diamonds themselves. I took the ring to a chain jewelery store and they said the main diamond in the center was good, but 2 of the other surrounding diamonds had some small cracks. The color in some of there were clear and some had slight yellow. Its an old ring, as in Mine Cut in platinum. I dont have the 4 Cs, Sorry. But the Jeweler did want to buy it.

OMG. That is the most beautiful cocktail ring. If the "chain jewelry store" wanted to buy it, I don't buy their assessment of the "cracked" diamonds. Can you take it somewhere else? And independent appraiser maybe? It sounds like they were trying to low ball you on the premise of the ring being damaged. I could be totally wrong, but an independent appraiser wouldn't have a horse in the race, per se.

Also, I may be WAY out of line, but if your mom felt like you should get something because the girls got everything else, maybe she wouldn't have been upset if you sold and got something you liked? I know that this ring would make someone VERY happy. It is a truly stunning cocktail ring!!!!!!!!!

I would wear the crap out of that ring. It's SO amazing! I cannot even imagine what the rest of her collection looked like!

You could also keep it for any children you may have?

 

[soxfan]

I forgot to add, I love how they put the whiter diamond in the center, and the lower colors as the petals. It really is so unique and so beautiful.

 

[arkieb1]

I hope Greg doesn't mind me posting his link, he got a light yellow OEC set into a men's ring for himself recently here is the link;

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/gents-light-yellow-oec-ring.191550/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/gents-light-yellow-oec-ring.191550/[/URL]

It's also very common to have stones that are old that are cracked and chipped. It happens with age and from the original owner bumping her hand up against things, if you have a good loupe or something with high magnification you should be able to check the stones and see if they are damaged yourself.

 

[GreenBling]

What a lovely piece! I dont have an idea for jewelry, sorry. Just wanted to say that the first thing that came to my mind was to turn it into a bookmark.

 

[JulieN]

Wow, it is very beautiful.

If I had the money, I would have a match made for cufflinks for my BF.

 

[gregchang35]

Hey hey,

Arkieb- i dont mind that you posted my ring light yellow OEC thread. Anything to help.

As for ring design, it took me a lot of searching on the net and ebay to find a design. I have a semi tension and then the bezel setting as you can see from the thread.

The centre diamond could be used for a solitaire of some sort, and tension designs are good for showing off the diamond and more importantly cleaning. Dirt can get into the designs of most rings, so tension is the easiest to clean. However, i am lucky in the sense that i have an ultrasonic cleaner at work so when i need to clean the rings, i dip them in there for a few minutes.

My first thought about the others could be made into a set of cufflinks as Julie N suggested: 3 on each cuff link, though the last time you wore one was 6 yrs ago makes me hesitate with making something that you do not wear that often.

Necklace design- interesting as i have been searching the net for sometime but have not been able to come up with THE ONE. so, i keep searching- ebay, images, amazon... A dog tag kinda style with some design with the diamonds.. 6 of them shaped into a cross?

Other rings- yes, a cygnet type ring or an eternity band. I do like eternity bands- specifically with Carre or Asscher cut diamonds, i know that doesnt help. Maybe a 1/2 eternity band made with the 6 diamonds. Eternity bands= diamonds going all the way around the band. Since you only have 6 then it will be 1/2 eternity band. Channel setting is my favourite for the eternity bands.

Earrings- if you wear them. but will still leave you with a few more to play with.

Bracelet- the ID tag kind on a leather band or gold band with the 6 diamonds in a design of some sort.

Sorry that i dont have any pictures to show you. it is on my home computer. I am at work at the moment hehehehehe. well, it is the end of the day!!!

There are a few options. I hope that helps.

 

[craighnt]

Thanks for all the advice everyone, some great suggestions and ideas. I probably wont be doing the diamond encrusted rifle. LOL

I sort of have a new question now. I don't have a jewelers loupe and my eyes are bad, but with the help of my glasses and magnifying glass I think I see some really damaged stones as mentioned by quick jeweler look over. Two of the stones look like they might in fact be cracked, not just a feather. A third one might have a small chip on the side.

If I were to remove the stones from the setting, will those cracked ones just crumble? Can I sell them for scrap or just toss them? I am assuming re-cutting would be too expensive for such a little stone.

Someone suggested maybe just selling the whole ring and get something I really want since the intent when to modify it into use anyway. At the same time someone else will get to enjoy the ring in it's original antique setting. I am torn about that idea. Part of me says that is logical but part of me wants to keep some of it. Also might not get that much for it. Walking away with a small ring after selling one with 7 diamonds seems kind of like tossing money out the window.

So I was thinking a third option might be to remove just the center stone and sell the ring that way. Do places buy rings like that or would I have to fill it with another stone just to make it presentable?

What do you guys think?

 

[RockyRacoon]

Random option -

Could you remove the center stone, so that you could use it on your own project?

That way, you could keep a remembrance and still let someone enjoy the complete setting.

Not sure if this is an option, but just a thought!

 

[craighnt]

Random option -

Could you remove the center stone, so that you could use it on your own project?

That way, you could keep a remembrance and still let someone enjoy the complete setting.

Not sure if this is an option, but just a thought!

That is what I was thinking, I just don't know if anyone would buy the ring in that condition or with the original stone removed. It could help pay for the cost of the new setting.

I read the help section How to Sell your diamonds. It's good advice but not specific to my situation. I guess what I am saying is I dont know if its smarter to remove all the stones and sell them for whatever is the going rate, loosing 2 at least. Or is it smarter to keep the ring in tact as an antique piece.