Prong set to bezel...impossible?

[AquaSoul83]

Hi all - my engagement ring is a claw prong set aquamarine (stock picture from website shown with diamond), but I would much prefer a bezel setting. My local jeweler told me it would be difficult to modify and didn't want to try it. I am emailing other local jewelers for their professional opinion as well. It's a platinum ring with two small diamonds on either side of the center stone. I was told that any attempt to modify the setting would damage the diamonds because of the temperature required to work with platinum. I am just not a "prong" kind of girl and need to find a way to make this ring more my style. Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[marymm]

FWIW a highly skilled bench person could likely do what you want, but I don't think the finished piece would flow nicely, and for the cost in terms of labor, me personally instead I'd just remove the Aqua, sell the current setting, and have a new similar setting custom-made to incorporate a bezel.

 

[Michael_E]

Making this ring into a bezel style setting is not too difficult, but it is time consuming and a bit spendy. This would be best accomplished by removing the stone, cutting out the existing head, fabricating the new bezel head and laser welding it into the setting. My present employer has a laser which we use daily for tacking things together and making repairs which would be impossible otherwise. Using the laser with platinum makes a fantastic join and since it's a weld, shows no color difference from the parent metal and is stronger than any other method of joining. Call around and look for a custom shop which can make the head and has a laser for welding the parts together.

 

[T L]

I would only get the most skilled jeweler to do a bezel, as the setting process can easily chip a stone, especially an aqua, and especially in platinum.

 

[chrono]

The cost will be quite high, almost equivalent to the cost of another brand new setting.

 

[AquaSoul83]

Thank you all for your responses. I have found a local jeweler, well-respected and experienced in custom designs, to modify my ring with a bezel. The jeweler is family owned spanning 3 generations and in business for 95 years in the same community. They are also adding a diamond halo around the bezel to accent the aqua and keep more in line with the vintage style of the ring design as the bezel alone would be too modern. I am waiting on the CAD drawing before making the final decision, but I hope to have the modified ring in a few weeks. I'll post pictures once it's complete. Thanks again for your feedback!

 

[pyramid]

Bezel setting is the oldest form of setting, although a clean set bezel ring has a modern vibe depending on it's shape.