Resetting a Georgian ring

[Dc2009]

Hello Everyone,
this is my first time posting on pricescope but i have been reading up a lot . I love old cuts of diamond rings, I recently bought a georgian ring set with an old mine cut ( or cushion ) not sure of that.I will try to post the pic below.I love the ring even though its a champagne diamond and all that but it is closed backed and set in siver and 18k gold.should i get it reshanked and reset in 18k white gold at 2500 ? or will it be ok,if i wear it everyday or will it wear thinner with time? please let me know what you old timers think?i would love to eventually pass it on to my daughter. thanks.

 

[Circe]

I''m going to repost the pic here, just for consolidation purposes ...

 

[Circe]

And, now, for my comment - it''s hard to tell from the pic, but the shank of the ring looks fine to me. Unless it''s very worn at the back, I''d leave it in its original state until and *if* it is uncomfortable or in danger of breaking. If you were to reshank, I''d try to keep it as close to the original as possible: this ring is a BEAUTY, and a little piece of history. One of our regular posters, Glitterata, collects vintage pieces, and she just had this great little screed about how she hoped the original owner of her ring did X, Y, and Z back in the day when *she* wore the ring: just think about the life the owner of your wonderful ring must have lived! Amazing, and amazingly beautiful. I hope you post hand shots!

 

[coatimundi_org]

Oh I love the stone!!

I think the ring is very lovely as is--I love it when these old pieces are kept intact. I agree with Circe that unless the shank is worn really thin or is uncomfortable, I''d leave it be. It''s a wonderful ring! I''d love to see more pics!

 

[Dc2009]

thanks Circe and coatimundi, i attached a hand pic to the post and also trying to post a side view soon, my main concern is will the sterling setting wear out with time?

 

[Dc2009]

what do you people think about the shank now? shoud i wait a while?

 

[Circe]

That shank looks nice and thick to me, and I have silver rings that I''ve been wearing happily for 20 years now. If you want to "restore" it to the height of its beauty, you might take it to someone who''s used to gems of the period to clean it safely and to polish it, but I''d say that reshanking right now would be unnecessary.

Thank you for the additional pics - I am transported with rapture!

 

[Dc2009]

Thanks, Circe, do you know of anyone who could restore it and repolish it for a reasonable price?

 

[Circe]

Hm ... Ari at Singlestone has a great reputation for working with antiques: he''s in LA, I think. Similarly, Lang Antiques in San Francisco is well known for the quality of their pieces. Would you be okay with sending your ring out, or would you want somebody local to you - in which case, where are you?

 

[glitterata]

Please, please, PLEASE don''t take apart that gorgeous, precious, antique BEAUTY!!!!!! Don''t even touch it! Wear it exactly as it is--it''s PERFECT that way. That''s how it''s supposed to look.

PLEASE!! I''m BEGGING YOU!!!

Sorry to shout. But that ring is amazingly lovely, in gorgeous shape. If you want a new-looking ring, go get a brand new ring--there are plenty around. Breaking that ring into its components or even polishing it too much would be like taking a piece of exquisite old inlaid marquetry furniture and slathering it with white paint.

You have a gorgeous TREASURE there, in amazing shape for its age. You lucky, lucky thing!! It''s survived hundreds of years. Don''t be the one who destroys it.

Okay, I''m going to take some deep breaths now and try to calm down.

 

[mausketeer]

Sigh..... I just LOVE Georgian jewellery....... SO special......

LOL - I think Glitterata shouted at me too when I was thinking of buying a Georgian ring that had closed backs (just kidding Glitter - you were very nice and I appreciated the info). I had wondered about the silver backing holding up over time and asked if I should get it replaced with white gold (the answer was "NOOOOOOOOO!")

I decided I didn''t want to risk damaging the ring so I passed on it..... is this an e-ring? (every day?)

- Jodie -

 

[glitterata]

I''m sorry. I don''t mean to shout. I just love that beautiful old ring and don''t want to see it damaged.

It''s fine to wear it. After all, it''s held up for two and a half centuries already, it will probably last a few more years. But as far as resetting the stones etc, that would make me very sad.

Forgive me. I know it''s not my ring (even though I wish it were!)--and not my decision.

 

[Diamond*Dana]

I have to agree with the others, I would leave your beautiful new ring just the way it is! It is so pretty, and must have such a history...I really rather leave antiques as they are.

 

[Dc2009]

Hello Glitterata and Circe, I know and appreciate your concerns. i love the ring too ,the stone is an old mine cut and its gold backed,so i suppose i will wait a few more years till it starts to wear out before i get it reshanked.

 

[Dc2009]

No its not my engagement ring ,i wanted an old cut diamond ring as it is my birthstone and i just fell in love with it when i saw it.i live in monterey county .

 

[Circe]

Heh - we''re a bunch of enthusiastic freaks, huh? I will say though, reshanking isn''t de rigeur: it''s not something that has to be done with every ring, or even every old ring. We hear about it on the board a lot because it seems like a lot of lucky ladies inherit the rings that their mothers and grandmothers wore each and every single day, rings that need a little TLC to be wearable again. Your pretty ring seems like it''s in good-as-new condition despite its advanced age. Given normal wear, I''d say it''s your daughter or your granddaughter who''s going to need to worry about reshanking!

 

[Dc2009]

i was hoping to save them that trouble,well i hope they love it as much as i do.

 

[Kelli]

Wow what a treasure that is! I love it!

 

[Imdanny]

Date: 2/11/2009 10:18:24 PM
Author: glitterata
Please, please, PLEASE don't take apart that gorgeous, precious, antique BEAUTY!!!!!! Don't even touch it! Wear it exactly as it is--it's PERFECT that way. That's how it's supposed to look.


PLEASE!! I'm BEGGING YOU!!!


Sorry to shout. But that ring is amazingly lovely, in gorgeous shape. If you want a new-looking ring, go get a brand new ring--there are plenty around. Breaking that ring into its components or even polishing it too much would be like taking a piece of exquisite old inlaid marquetry furniture and slathering it with white paint.


You have a gorgeous TREASURE there, in amazing shape for its age. You lucky, lucky thing!! It's survived hundreds of years. Don't be the one who destroys it.


Okay, I'm going to take some deep breaths now and try to calm down.

If that is a Georgian ring, please do not destroy it. It would be a crime against art and history. Seriously.

Once things like that are destroyed, they are gone forever. They can never be replaced.

Thank you for sharing it. It's beautiful. Congratulations!

 

[lightningbug]

Wow, what a special ring! It''s so beautiful and it carries such a wonderful history ~ I wouldn''t touch it. Congratulations on a great find!

 

[Pandora II]

It''s more than likely that there is gold under the sterling.

Old settings were often high karat gold that was then covered with silver as it set the stones off nicely. It may well wear better than you think.

It''s a beautiful piece and I''d be very wary of messing with it.

 

[kcoursolle]

I agree with contacting singlestone to have them assess the condition and see if it should be restored. I really love the setting too and think that this is a special ring (and a gorgeous center stone). It''s hard to tell from the pics if it will hold up or if it needs work, I''d send it to an expert.

 

[blingergrrrl]

Gaaaggghhh.......







That is one seriously gorgeous ring! LOVE the elongated stone set east-west, AND it has side-stones. That ring is PERFECT! I am SO jealous!