Problematic Prong???

[lilmaria]

I went to a local appraiser today and he noticed something about my engagment ring that I noticed shortly after my fiance proposed. There is what appears to be a gash of some sort in the prong furthest to the right. He also noticed that there is a gap b/w the girdle and the prong. These are the best pics I could take this afternoon. I know I''ll take some more tomorrow, since I should be home earlier than I was today.

He said that he recommends everyone use a 6 prong setting b/c it will keep the stone more secure, though I like the look of the 4 prong. He didn''t give me a formal appraisal, however he allowed me to look at it under the microscope.

Question 1 - What would you do? Send it back to the original jewler or get it fixed locally?
Question 2 - How much do appraisers usually charge to look at erings?

Thanks for your help.

 

[lilmaria]

Picture 2

 

[lilmaria]

Pic 3

 

[JulieN]

ouch, looks bad

 

[FireGoddess]

That looks like it needs to be addressed. It could be cosmetic but it LOOKS like it could compromise the integrity of the prong, which is NOT good. I would take the ring to whomever made it and show them the pics and the appraiser''s comments - they should rectify the situation.

 

[denverappraiser]

That’s a problem, and it isn’t because of the prong count. It’s dreadful craftsmanship on the part of the setter. You need to replace the head. This isn’t all that difficult a job original jeweler should do it for free but the decision of whether to use them again is up to you. If you know of a good setter locally, I would consider using them but they will, of course, expect to be paid for their efforts and supplies. In any case, get it fixed, this is not secure.

The little notch that the girdle of the stone sits in is called the ‘seat’. It should extend roughly 30% of the way into the prong and the back of the seat should be the same shape as the edge of the girdle. The pavilion of the stone should rest on the bottom edge and the tip of the prong should rest right against the crown with no space. The tips should all be shaped to match one another. The prong in the front center looks bent to me but this may just be the photo. The one on the left is pretty close to what it should look although I’m not wild about the shape and length of the tip. This would be a slightly difficult stone to set because of the heavy girdle but that’s their problem, not yours.

Different appraisers charge different rates but most will be happy to discuss it with you or will publish their rates on their websites. It can vary quite a bit depending on where you are and what sorts of information you want from them.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

 

[lilmaria]

thank you for your help. my sister-in-law spoke with her jewler today. he said he would fix/replace the head for me at no cost and would appraise the ring so i can put it on the chubb policy. he told my sister in law that an appraiser doesn''t need to take the stone out of the setting to get an accurate account, is this true? I was always under the assumption that you would have to remove the stone in order to get the "true view". He also suggests that I don''t leave my ring with any jewler especially for a day or more. he told her appraisals can be done on the spot without taking the diamond out. I am very confused. He is the original jewler and she trusts him a great deal. I''ve never met him, but I love my ring with the exception of the prong problem. He told her that he checked the ring before it went out and he didn''t see any problems. He mentioned that a thread could have snagged the prong, but I find that hard to believe.

Is it weird that I trust strangers (hehehe fellow PSers) more than the jewler? I would hate to be without my ring for an extended period of time to come up with the same problem. Thanks for your help! I appreciate it a great deal!!!!!

 

[RockDoc]

Grading a diamond in a mounting.

Any good appraiser will grade the stone in the mounting, but will put in a disclaimer that it is "graded insofar as the mounting permits".

This means if something isn''t seen the appraiser is NOT responsible for the grading he reported. Is that accurate grading - NO - it sure isn''t.

OPF course it isn''t practical to remove every stone from it''s mounting to check it. If the stone has a major lab report, it is probably OK. But is all you have is the seller''s representation, then get it checked when it is removed from the prongs when the jeweler replaces the head.

A seller SHOULD not be appraising items he sold. He is an interested party. For insurance valuation based on a lab cert, he could issue a "Statement of Replacement Cost in My Store" and most insurance companies will accept that. But an appraisal? A person selling an item should NOT appraise it. Compare this to a real estate transaction.... would you have the house you would buy appraised by the seller?

Neil is very right about the seats cut into this ring... they are too deep to hold the stone securely, and the edge of the stone does not fit tightly against the edge of the stone.

Hope this helps.

Rockdoc

 

[denverappraiser]

It’s wonderful that the jeweler has agreed to fix the problem at no cost but I must say I’m a little concerned about the usefulness of his ‘appraisal’. Complying with the insurance company’s requirements is pretty easy and if this is the only objective it’s hard to beat the price but I thought what brought you here in the first place was concern over a craftsmanship issue that the jeweler has already said he didn’t notice during his final inspection. Why are you expecting him to be more perceptive the next time?

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver