Rubies and diamonds - 1910 meets a 2015 DK repair

[mrs-b]

About ten years ago I was given a ring bought on ebay. It was supposed to be a 5 stone ruby ring, but when it arrived it was clearly set with garnets - chipped, uneven, badly matched garnets. It was also made from a dull 9kt rose gold. The only part which was as advertised was its hall mark, which dated the ring at 1910 - at that point in time, 95 years old.

I had the garnets removed with the intention of having it restored to whatever its former glory was meant to be - then did not one thing with it for a decade. Then a month or two ago I dropped it off with David Klass to work his standard magic.

I had the outer rubies (and yes, they're rubies, not pink sapphires; we've had them tested) but didn't have a center stone or the diamonds. David sourced a lush, matching ruby which he had re-cut to match the outer 2 rubies and to fit the center spacing. I bought the two diamonds from Blue Nile (.42 J SI1 and .41 J VS2 triple ex and beautiful cut stats) and David had all five stones set. He then had the ring plated in 18kt rose gold - and here we are! My stunning 1910 ruby and diamond 5 stone ring in 18kt plated rose gold - all pulled together by the brilliant David Klass.

 

[mrs-b]

One last one!

 

[Acinom]

What a stunning result! This is a gorgeous ring. Old world charm in a fresh and updated way. I like!!!!

 

[JDDN]

I am loving this ring and I'm really, really loving the gorgeous pink shade of the rubies! The rubies look really perfect with the rose gold too!

 

[arkieb1]

Wow, I love it!!! It looks really comfortable to wear as well as being a beautiful colour!!!

 

[Californiadreaming]

That is a gorgeous, gorgeous ring!

 

[Tourmaline]

Wow, this is lovely!

 

[Ally T]

Oh gosh, it's beautiful! Congratulations on the restoration - it's a job well done

 

[mrs-b]

Thanks for your very kind comments, Californiadreaming, Tourmaline, Acinom, JDDN, arkieb1 and Alex T -

Alex - 'restoration' is precisely right. It's more than a repair - it's like a beautiful piece of art restored to its former glory.

Acinom - I love old rings. I love the heart of them and the sense of history. After I've added a little history of my own, I'm hoping to pass mine on one day so someone else can their history to it also.

JDDN - I bought the outer rubies from Andrew Gulij and they're really nicely cut with a gorgeous color. They have a lot more red in them than these photos show, but they're definitely on the pink end of what's allowable in rubies. I LOVE rubies in all their colors and I love a ruby with a lot of pink flashes.

Arkieb1 - it is SUPER comfortable to wear, and I'll be wearing it a LOT!

 

[picante27]

What a gorgeous ring! I love the warmth of the rose gold with the rubies! I love antique jewelry, so great that you and DK gave this ring new life.

 

[Siameseroo]

I love this ring! Gorgeous!

 

[CharmedOne]

Congrats on the stones being rubies! They are amazing! I really love this ring and rose gold is just perfect!

 

[_lovesvintage_]

Beautifully restored antique ring! I love reveals like this so much!!! I love a great story and knowing whatever history that comes with it too. Congrats on putting your likes into this project and enjoy wearing this lovely piece.

 

[Enerchi]

OH WOW!! that looks incredible! I love the RG plating and the gorgeous engraved details on the setting. DK is amazing, that's for sure! I love looking at his photos.

How frustrating that would have been to not get what you thought you were buying, and I fear that is often common place on eBay. I've been stung as well. In your case, you brought it back to life and that's an awesome ring you have now --- enjoy!! Its fantastic!

 

[Catmom]

It's absolutely gorgeous!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Very beautiful, mrsblop!!!

 

[mrs-b]

Thank you so much picante27, ricezo, CharmedOne, lovesvintage, Enerchi, Catmom and diaondseeker2006 -

This ring really has been resuscitated (speaking of 'new life', picante!) I had a vision for this ring since it was first given to me and it harks back to the days I was much younger and saw rings like this in jewelry stores. I've always loved alternating colored gems and diamonds and I LOVE rose gold! I particularly like the engraving along the sides and I think plating it in a warmer rose gold color brings out the detail more clearly.

Enerchi - yes - it was incredibly disappointing to go out on a limb with ebay, then find we'd been summarily ripped off. There was no line of easy recourse, so we just bit the loss and said we'd fix it 'later'. Well, later turned into a decade, but perhaps all the waiting made it that much sweeter when it was done. It arrives tomorrow, and I can't WAIT to see it!! I think, of all my rings, that this one is my favorite.

 

[Coralfish]

What an absolutely stunning ring. The quality of the stones just screams out.

When you say 'and yes, they're rubies, not pink sapphires; we've had them tested', what do you mean?

It's absolutely gorgeous. You must be delighted with it.

 

[Rockinruby]

Wow! What a lovely restoration! I love the stones with the pretty rose gold! Perfection! Thanks for sharing the story of this beautiful ring!

 

[tyty333]

What a beautiful update! So nice that its going to be worn now!

 

[mrs-b]

Coralfish, rockinruby and tyty333 - thank you! It arrived today and I LOVE IT!

Coralfish, I bought the outer stones as rubies from Andrew Gulij at Gemfix, but a number of people assured me they were pink sapphires. David Klass took them, however, and had them checked out and said they'd come back confirmed as rubies. They weren't sent to a lab (I assume) so we're just going on expert opinion.

Here's my favorite photo that I was able to get today. I hope you like it; I think it also shows the quality of the diamonds I bought. YUM!

 

[Coralfish]

Ah I see, thanks for clarifying.

Wow it is just a stunner. In the 'true' antiques very rarely do you see stones approaching the quality of yours. I bet the quality is evident even from across the other side of the room.

 

[CRYSTAL24K]

DK did an excellent job rehabbing your gorgeous ring! I know absolutely zero about colored stones, but I have to comment on the luscious color of the rubies: I never imagined that rubies could look so bright and so pink! I love it! Enjoy!

 

[mrs-b]

Thanks again, Coralfish - I'm so glad you like it.

Crystal - David always does a great job, from what I can see. As for the rubies being so pink - this is not necessarily a good thing, as it pushes them closer to pink sapphires than is generally desirable in a ruby. Both ruby and sapphire are in the corundum family, so they're very closely related from the get go (pls excuse me if I'm telling you what you probably already know), and one of ruby's distinguishing features is its redness. However, after a couple of assessments from people who should know, they've been deemed ruby, and they're also a little more red than the photos are picking up. I can't seem to capture it, though; every time I photograph them the red seems to disappear and the pink comes screaming through!

Either way, it's a fabulous color and the whole ring is very eye-catching. It's also very comfortable to wear with a lot of sentiment attached, so I think this ring will be getting a LOT of outings in the foreseeable future!

And I'm glad you like it!

 

[JDDN]

I keep coming back to this thread to ogle your gorgeous ring !!

This is definitely one of my favorites on PS. I just love rubies that have a bit more pink in them, although I love all shades of rubies.

Sigh...this is such a lovely piece. I hope you enjoy it very much!!

 

[mrs-b]

Thank you, JDDN! One shouldn't say this, I know, but it's one of my favorite pieces on PS too! The color is just mesmerizing - in all lightings. I can't stop looking at it and I have yet to take it off! I feel so lucky and spoiled. I might take a new family shot soon - to include the new adoptee.

 

[CRYSTAL24K]

Just like JDDN, I keep coming back to look at this gorgeous ring also!

I am learning a bit about colored stones, mostly blue sapphires, and now I know a little bit about rubies. I have been sneaking into the Colored Stones Forum to admire the beauties over there. The Sapphire thread that was started in September may be my colored stone gateway thread-LOL. There are no September babies in our family, but I do have two boys and I do not have a family ring yet- hmmmm.....

I am glad that you are getting immense enjoyment from your ring! It deserves to be seen and loved!

 

[LLJsmom]

Lovely work by DAvid Mrs. Blop. Congratulations on such a beautiful piece.

 

[mrs-b]

Thanks, Crystal and LLJsmom

You know how you often buy a ring - you're all excited about getting it - then you get it and you LOVE it - then a week passes and...the shine goes off and you find a number of things you'd like to change? And THEN - you realize you haven't actually scratched the itch you wanted the ring for in the first place?

Yeah...well...

NOT THIS BABY!!

I LOVE this ring. I don't want to change a THING. I have a bunch of rings - this one is my favorite. loveitloveitloveit!

Thank you for the encouraging comments - I just adore this ring and am so happy to have added it to my collection!

 

[yanaazul]

Wow, the things I miss when I'm off PS for a while! Your ring is beautiful, I bet those rubies glow in person.