Prong refinement: Possible? Worth it? or Leave it?

[ringo865]

I got this ring for our 5-year anniversary at the end of June and I totally love it. The diamonds are super white and clear and the rubies are really clean. It's pretty prong-y though. I'm not sure whether it'd be worth the cost to have the prongs refined; filed down, maybe pointy claws (or if it'd even be possible).

There are 8 rubies down each side and one on either end (18 rubies total), then 7 diamonds down the middle with shared prongs. The prongs stick way up over the stones (the diamonds mostly) and are high and kinda blobby. Not sure whether this is because of the shared-prong nature of the prongs or because it's just not finely finished. (obv its' not VC quality)

They don't snag on anything (clothes, hair) and all prongs are sticking up evenly such that they're not scratching me. But, of course, with all the macro lenses and loupe-ing I do, they seem gigantically over-large.

Wondering whether the shared prongs holding the diamonds are big/blobby because they are holding diamonds on both sides of each prong? Or if the bigger prong top contributes to the overall flower-y feel of the center stones, or if they're just plain blobby.




Two of the rubies have smaller, less blobby prongs. They're still not what I'd call claw prongs, but at least they don't look like nails (or bearing beads). So, I think refining them could be done. Just wondering if it'd be $500...


Is this something DK would/could take on? Would the cost to refine the prongs outweigh the expense of the entire ring?

Thanks for weighing in.

 

[skypie]

I can't weigh in on whether it is feasible or cost effective, but I would say the ring would look better with less conspicuous prongs. It is a pretty ring but it sort of resembles a caterpillar (although a pretty one) with how large the prongs are.

 

[ringo865]

It is a pretty ring but it sort of resembles a caterpillar (although a pretty one) with how large the prongs are.

Haha, I can't unsee the caterpillar! I hope I can turn it into a butterfly.

Here's a perspective pic, though. Much less Larval looking.

 

[JPie]

I agree with @skypie . If the prongs can be reworked, I think it will let the rubies and diamonds really shine and make the ring look more delicate overall.

 

[AnastasiaBeaverhausen]

I had a ring with shared prongs like that. My jeweler told me when that ring was made, they probably just cut off the prongs across the top and didn't really spend anytime polishing them. So he was definitely able to refine them so that they looked "softer." I can't speak to how much it cost though, because he was working on the prongs anyway to reset some stones and he just offered to make the prongs look prettier while he was at it. It's a subtle difference, but I would think with a ring like yours with so many prongs, the cumulative effect would be more noticeable?