sizing of platinum ring problem

[nv]

Hello,

I just had my fiancee''s engagement ring sized at a local jewelry shop. It''s a platinum setting with 4 princess cut diamonds on each side of the center stone. After examining the ring more closely, you can see a slightly darker strip on the bottom of the ring where the ring was cut to size it down from a 5 to a 4-3/4. The strip is smooth to the touch. There''s a small spot on the strip that is also slightly darker. We waited at the shop while the ring was resized, and it only took about 20 minutes. I just called the jeweler back to ask him if I should be able to see this darker line, and he said I should not be able to see it, and suggested I bring the ring back in. I also asked him if anything besides platinum was used to solder the ring back together, such as white gold, and he said no.

If the jeweler did in fact solder the ring back together with only platinum, should I see this darker seem?
In order to solder a platinum ring back together, should the diamonds have to be taken out of the setting as is suggested in other posts?
Should I trust this jeweler with the ring to fix this?
Is it likely that this type of problem can be corrected without using plating or something similar that will have to be frequently maintained?

Thanks very much!
Noah

 

[oldminer]

A plain shank platinum ring sized down fro 5 to 4 3/4 should have been welded not soldered. Welding, done properly, will be invisible as there is no seam at the end of this process. If a lower heat platinum solder or white gold solder was used, there could be a visible seam with either metal and method. Welding is preferable when possible.




Truthfully, sizing a normal ring smaller should leave no visible seams or marks. A little at the bottom of a ring is no big deal, burt it ought to be very hard to see. Hard to detect seams or slight variation in color can be plated over with rhodium and will mask the process for a time. By the time the rhodium is gone no one will be looking so closely at the ring and it won't matter. This is most pyschological stuff and not material to enjoying the ring, but I do appreciate how big a deal perfection seems to people. Perfection is an infrequently attained goal, and very difficult to maintain. Reason and moderation are a lot more pleasant goals, but this is up to the individual.

 

[nv]

Thanks for the replies.

Down the road, is the ring likely to develop any structural problems, or further discoloration around the seem as a result of this soldered sizing job?

Also, doesn't the jeweler have a responsibility to warn a customer when he's about to take a visible shortcut like this?

When I invest so much time and money in something like this, I'm a bit of a perfectionist with the result. Now it almost seems that the ring is tainted. I'll just have to get over it I guess.

Thanks again for the info.

 

[nv]

The seam is narrow, but definitely noticable. And the first thing that catches your eye is a spot on the seam. From a layman, it looks like a bit of the solder beaded up on the seam. I'll try to post a picture tomorrow if I get a chance...

Thanks again for all the information. This site is great.