Reset of old engagement stone

[Larissa]

My mother hasn''t worn her original engagement stone for at least 10 years and is finally thinking of reseting it. It''s not the most impressive stone ever compared to everything on here so I doubt that there are too many brillant ideas for it.

She can''t find the papers on it, but believes it to be .28 carats, VS1, F.

We dicussed setting it into a necklace - but she typically wears longer 22" yellow gold necklaces (chain only), which obviviously wouldn''t show off the stone so she''s unsure if she''d wear it in a 16" necklace.

We also discussed using it as one of a set of earrings. This was her favorite idea with her only concern being that after fake diamonds on her ears for years that this *may* seem like a downgrade since they would be smaller.

Any other suggestions? Making at 3 or 5 stone ring is out due to budget.

At almost 60 years old, what would be the best choice for the stone?

If she does decide on earrings, how would she go about finding a match for it? Would she need to get it appraised and then attempt to find a close match through a jeweler or could she just send it to a jeweler and hope they could find a close match without all the exact angles an appraisal might provide?

 

[Modified Brilliant]

Hi Larissa,

The most important question is "what jewelry item would give your mom the most enjoyment/wear?
That really steers her in the right direction. Diamond earrings are a staple everyday item for lots of women.
It would be easy for a jeweler to match the diameter,weight, color and clarity of your stone. Emphasis on technical details, i.e.
crown angles, pavilion depth, etc. is not critical to matching a pair of diamonds for earrings. Certainly the tables should be similar in size and
they should look like a matched pair to the naked eye. Keep us informed on your decision. A three stone ring with your diamond in the center and color on the sides is another option. You could use blue topaz, citrine, amethyst to keep the cost down.

www.metrojewelryappraisers.com

 

[Larissa]

Oh, I didn't even think of suggesting coloured stones to her!!

MB - so how do I go about finding out the table size, etc if she decides on earrings? Could a jeweller that she would get the other stone from do it? Or would it need to be appraised to find out?

 

[AdaBeta27]

Oxford Diamond on ebay has listed a new vintage style setting for .25 to .45 diamond, IIRC. The setting is 12mm wide and priced between $500 & $600. They also have a $450 or so 3 stone. These are semimounts that have side setones, etc. Just drop in her center stone.

 

[Modified Brilliant]

A competent jeweler should be able to measure the table size or match table sizes fairly closely. Matching diameters
of the stones, or a near match will be important, too.
After the work is done, you could have the same jeweler write an appraisal for you or you could seek out an
independent appraiser. Good luck with your project.

www.metrojewelryappraisers.com