New diamond, need setting advice please!

[Agnasia]

I have put down a deposit on a gorgeous OEC and the plan was 'just' to replace my current diamond in the existing platinum setting. However thinking about it, I don't know how straight forward that will be?

Diamond currently is 4.5mm and new one will be 5.7mm - can I switch them over? I have done my best with the flower shots, these are my first so apologies in advance! I actually never realised how 'blobby' my prongs were until I took these photos

Oh and if anyone has any recommendations for jewellers in London I would be hugely grateful

Sorry if the pics are massive!

 

[TC1987]

I'm not a jeweler, but I am going to guess that they might be able to pull those prongs out straight, flare them out a bit, perhaps add some gold to the end, and make the larger stone fit.

If not, then they'd have to remove that head and solder in a larger one and maybe resize the ring if installing a larger head increased the inner diameter of the ring. If the existing head is soldered to the shank, and not cast as one piece with it, changing it won't be very difficult.

 

[Agnasia]

Thank you TC1987, I really hope that is a possibility. My husband agreed to upgrade the diamond, but he still wants it to look like the ring he proposed with.

 

[Agnasia]

If the prongs can be pulled out a bit, do you think they could also be thinned? I'd love the prongs to be more delicate so they look more like the Laurel solitaire below (by Erika Winters) from the front - is that possible? Happy to keep the rest of the design the same.

Guess I would need a skilled jeweller, it's so hard to know who to try in the UK, not like the US!! I don't know if there are any tried and tested jewellers? I'll do a search on the site but it would great to have some feedback.

 

[Gypsy]

I'm going to say no, and that it will be expensive to do so. I don't think the current head can work on that large a stone. And the cost to cut it out and replace it, given the style of ring, is going to be very expensive.

 

[Agnasia]

Oh no, really Gypsy? So I would have to have the ring completely re-set? I hadn't really thought about that

 

[Agnasia]

I've been having a think, this setting is really important to both me and my husband, is it really not possible to replace the head? I know it may be expensive but is it possible? I understand that the prongs as they are will not accommodate the larger diamond.

I am not planning on making any further changes to my ring down the line, so this is it. What would you do if you were me - re-set the whole thing? I may be sounding very naive but I genuinely do not know much about jewellery and I'm doing my best to learn, so would really value anyone's input.

 

[Gypsy]

You are going to want to go to a place with an in house bench that does their repairs on site and ask to talk to their bench jeweler to see what he thinks. Where are you located?

 

[Agnasia]

I'm in the UK unfortunately, North London. It seems to be so much harder to find really good jewellers here. We had problems with my engagement ring initially so I'm desperate to use someone with good feedback.