Stone falls out of antique diamond/ruby ring. What to do?

[ringthings]

I have an antique diamond and ruby heirloom ring.

It's from the 1940s or so, designed by my grandmother. The stones in it were antique back then when she had it. She didn't like the original antique ring she had, so she had this ring made of antique stones in the 1940s. It's white gold on the top, with a yellow gold band.

I've worn the ring a lot, despite it's age.

The ruby in the center fell out again. The ruby has chips on 2 sides of it. It fell out once before, about a year and a half ago.

It's a easy $20 fix in under one day at the local jeweler to" reset" it. I believe the jeweler tightened the bezel last time in a few hours tops from when I brought it in. But, I'm worried the stone will fall out again from wear, cold/hot, etc. I don't want to lose the ruby.

The two times the ruby has fallen out were fortunately when I was at home. Had the ruby fallen out elsewhere, it's too small to find.

Should I take it to the jeweler and have the stone inserted again for just the $20?

Should I try to have a "thicker" bezel made around the ruby to hold it in?

Should I replace the antique ruby with a newer ruby that isn't chipped on the sides?

Should I turn the ring into a necklace so it gets less wear than a ring?

What would you do?

 

[ringthings]

Re: Stone falls out of antique diamond/ruby ring. What to do

Wow, that was a long post. A summary:

- I want to fix the ring cheaply and wear it. I'm just worried about losing the ruby again if I do this.
- Would it be wiser to turn such an old ring into a pendant so it gets less new damage than a ring?

 

[Enerchi]

Re: Stone falls out of antique diamond/ruby ring. What to do

I think a $20 or even $50 investment of resetting it by a professional, qualified jeweller you can trust, is worth it. But... would you get more wear out of it as a pendant? Either way, the stone needs to be reset no matter which way you decide to wear it!

I'd personally go with someone experienced with antique settings, to reset the ruby.

 

[denverappraiser]

Re: Stone falls out of antique diamond/ruby ring. What to do

Fix it. Wear it. Love it.

You might consider taking it to a different jeweler. It may indeed be a $20 problem (likely in fact) but it may not and the difference requires an expert looking at the condition of that bezel. Either way it's possible to fix it, and it probably won't be terribly expensive but there's an important question on the table that doesn't seem to be getting answered. While you're at it, have them check the tips on your diamonds. In the picture some of them look a bit worn too.

 

[bunnycat]

Re: Stone falls out of antique diamond/ruby ring. What to do

It's a pretty ring. I'd fix it but get a new ruby for it. That looks like more than a chip gone. I also second making sure the bench is used to working with antiques.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Re: Stone falls out of antique diamond/ruby ring. What to do

Neil read my mind as I was going to say the same thing...don't take it to the same jeweler since that one did not fix it well the last time! But I would have it fixed right and wear it as a ring. I might consider sending a ring like that somewhere like Singlestone to be sure it gets fixed right.

 

[CharmedOne]

Re: Stone falls out of antique diamond/ruby ring. What to do

I agree, get it fixed by someone more experienced and I'd wear it as a ring since you love it so much

 

[partgypsy]

Re: Stone falls out of antique diamond/ruby ring. What to do

OK there is no reason that a stone should fall out of the bezel! Maybe it will cost more than $20 but you need to go to someone who is experienced and get this fixed properly (so you can wear it with no worries!). It may meant it may have to be a modified bezel (such as bead set underneath, but at the least make sure it is secure.