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question about rattling stone

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cocolaw

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Hello! I have had my ring since December and it was made by a very reputable jeweler. I really do not know what to do at this point. The center stone started making noises and visably moving in the setting in december in the first 2 weeks(I had not hit it or dropped it or anything!) and so I brought it back to the jeweler. He fixed it and then I noticed more noises, so I brought it back and he fixed it again. Then I must have hit my hand against something because I noticed that one of the small stones was missing and that the center stone was loose again-so I returned it and had it fixed again. Then a few weeks later I noticed that one of the prongs was lifted up and my stone was moving around more than it ever had. The jeweler thinks I must have snagged it on something for it to have lifted the way that it did. He repaired this about a month ago, and now I am noticing rattling again!! I have been so careful-I have not bumped into anything or dropped the ring. What is going on? This is supposed to be a very secure setting-4 prong platinum and an emerald cut. I do not want to keep bringing the ring back to be fixed because it is really out of the way for me. It is insured. Should I bring it to a different jeweler?
 

Lorelei

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I would try a different jeweller Coco, this doesn''t sound right to me.
 

neatfreak

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Weird! You are sure the sharp prongs aren't getting caught on anything right? Even a heavy sweater can catch and pull platinum prongs sometimes. If a prong was lifted up it really needed to be caught on something-otherwise it wouldn't pull up.

I would go back to whoever made the ring and ask them to really check it-not just tighten the prongs and see if they can figure it out. These things happen sometimes, but hopefully the vendor can help you figure it out. If it's loose that might be a design issue. But if the prongs are literally lifted up-it is probably getting caught on something...
 

ajourklaus

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coclaw,
it sounds to me that you have a very weak setting.
Are the prongs round or of rectangular shape? Is there an under bezel in the setting?

In my opinion you should find a jeweler that understands jewelry. Selling is not enough. From what I hear you need a different setting to hold and block the stone.

For a emerald cut you want a under bezel in the setting and rectangular shaped prongs to be safe.
 

motownmama

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That seems like sound advise to me. Good luck!
 

cocolaw

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I can''t tell if there is an under bezel. I think there is a bezel that the emerald sits in and then 4 prongs pressing down to keep it secure. the problem is that when i move my hand, the emerald shifts around. i can tap the top and it makes a clicking noise and moves. is it possible that the bezel is slightly too large for the stone and this is why i keep having the problems with the setting?
 

denverappraiser

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Visit a different jeweler and assess the situation. In the meantime, don’t wear the piece. Diamonds and even emeralds spinning around in their settings make a pretty good saw against the inside of the setting and platinum isn’t an especially durable material when it comes to this. If the stones are tight there’s no wear against the inside of the prong but if the stones are moving you can cause damage surprisingly quickly.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver
 

cocolaw

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Following up: I just took my ring to 2 different jewelers. Both said that the center stone is definitely loose, but neither think it is going anywhere. Jeweler 1 said that the knife prongs have a little cut in the foot or the base (i forget his terminology) which is where the emerald is supposed to rest, and the top of the prong secures it. He said that the cuts are too large or too deep and are allowing the emerald to slide around. Jeweler 2 said that my prongs are way too small for the stone.

Both jewelers said I need new prongs and that just tightening the prongs is not enough. They both say that I need to go back to my original jeweler.

So which sounds right and what should I ask my original jeweler to do?
 

Diamond Explorer

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Sounds like you need new prongs. maybe a new jeweler.
 

ajourklaus

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Hi cocolaw,

I do not understand way they send you back to the original guy? Way wouldn''t one of them do it for you?

The original guy could not do in four tries, he is not going to be able to do it in the fifth try, he does not know what he is doing. A stone in a new ring should not have moved in the first place. Sometimes there is a little tightening involved (I call it braking in the ring) but that''s it.
If a setting cant take a moderate amount of abuse it is the wrong setting and you are working with the wrong crew, reputable or not.

Jewelry is very easy. People can talk as much as they want, in the end the piece does the talking and your ring is screaming help!

A new good jeweler is going to charge you for the repair service but I think it is a better alternative then loosing the stone.
 

cocolaw

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thanks for your input! my concern is that if i have another jeweler repair this ring, i''m sure that it will no longer be under warranty from my original jeweler (and it will cost me). neither of the jewelers who inspected the ring today really wanted to get involved since it is such a new ring. One jeweler said that if it had been like 10 years then i should find a new jeweler, but since this ring is only 4 months old I need to have the original jeweler fix the problem. That jeweler did say that he would give me new prongs for 240 if i wanted to go with a different jeweler. Agh!! so frustrating.
 

Indira-London

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As your original jeweller warranties your diamond and has willingly re-set the diamond for you - go back to him and explain what others have said.
He is likely to want to fix the problem just as much as you as he has a reputation to maintain - you did say that your ring was "was made by a very reputable jeweler". If this means that he remakes the prongs then that is what he will need to do.
 

denverappraiser

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It’s up to you to decide if avoiding the brain damage is worth the extra cost. A warranty where you aren’t comfortable going back with a manufacturing defect isn’t really very valuable in my opinion. It may be worthwhile to get an estimate from the other jeweler to fix things so that you know how much money your talking about. My guess is this is going to be an expensive job to fix properly if it's correct that your seats have been overcut and you may want to take a stab at the 'free' solution for that reason but do make sure you agree upon what the problem is, what is going to be done about it and what will be the standards of an acceptable job when it's done. More homework is called for.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver
 

neatfreak

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My question is: When the original jeweler made the ring did you tell her/him that you wanted the prongs as small as possible? Us PSers tend to do this and so if this is the case it may explain why she/he hasn''t offered to beef them up for you yet and instead just tightened them for you? Just thinking out loud here...
 

Indira-London

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Date: 4/3/2009 12:11:19 PM
Author: neatfreak
My question is: When the original jeweler made the ring did you tell her/him that you wanted the prongs as small as possible? Us PSers tend to do this and so if this is the case it may explain why she/he hasn''t offered to beef them up for you yet and instead just tightened them for you? Just thinking out loud here...
Good point - I was wondering this too which is why I suggested going back to the original jeweller as he is likely to be the most motivated to be able to help if the situation re. prongs is explained to him
 

cocolaw

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Nope! absolutely not. I wasn''t one of those that went back for tweaks in the design, etc. and I def. didn''t request small prongs. I was pleased with what was created until the diamond started moving.
 

marcy

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Sorry to hear you are having problems with your ring. I would go to the original jeweler, tell them what other jewelers said and ask him to fix it.
 
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