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Stone Fell Out... AHH. Now what?

ringthings

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
230
I woke up this morning, realizing that my ruby had fallen out of an heirloom ring.

I scour the house, finally finding the little ruby. Phew. It appears that part of the side is chipped and/or worn down with age, thus falling out of the bezel.

I've posted the ring before here, I'll try to find the link and photos. The ruby is/was bezel set, with diamonds around it.
My grandmother designed it decades ago.. the ring is at least 60 years old, and the stones are older than that (the stones were antique when she designed it, so my family says).

So, I have a few questions:

1) How can I find a good local jeweler to reset the ruby?

2) Is a bezel setting with more of a cuff the best way, so there is more holding it in this time?
The ring is white gold on top, with the finger part of the ring yellow gold.

2) Can any jewelers bezel mount the ruby while I wait in store? I really don't want to send this anywhere, or wait/come back another day. Do any jewelers actually do "while you wait" fixes these days?

3) What kind of price am I looking at to reset this ruby without messing up the antique ring?
 

ringthings

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
230
These pictures are BEFORE the ruby fell out. It won't easily fit back in now, and I don't want to try to force it.

IMG_0855ring.jpg
 

Circe

Ideal_Rock
Trade
Joined
Apr 26, 2007
Messages
8,087
ringthings|1305261341|2920415 said:
I woke up this morning, realizing that my ruby had fallen out of an heirloom ring.

I scour the house, finally finding the little ruby. Phew. It appears that part of the side is chipped and/or worn down with age, thus falling out of the bezel.

I've posted the ring before here, I'll try to find the link and photos. The ruby is/was bezel set, with diamonds around it.
My grandmother designed it decades ago.. the ring is at least 60 years old, and the stones are older than that (the stones were antique when she designed it, so my family says).

So, I have a few questions:

1) How can I find a good local jeweler to reset the ruby? Depends - where are you? If you post in RockyTalk, you'll probably get some local suggestions: if not, I'd recommend stopping in to local places and asking if they have a portfolio of their bench's work.

2) Is a bezel setting with more of a cuff the best way, so there is more holding it in this time?
The ring is white gold on top, with the finger part of the ring yellow gold. Basically, yes - they'll need to build up the bezel. Since there are still stones set in the ring, they might need to laser-weld it.

2) Can any jewelers bezel mount the ruby while I wait in store? I really don't want to send this anywhere, or wait/come back another day. Do any jewelers actually do "while you wait" fixes these days? They could ... but replacing a bezel isn't a 20 minute job. It'll take a couple of hours, and at that point, it's kind of an insult to the jeweler to ask if you can sit with the stone - it implies you don't trust them. I'd try to find a trust-worthy person to work with, explain that it's a sentimental piece, and ask them to work as quickly as possible to get it back on your finger.

3) What kind of price am I looking at to reset this ruby without messing up the antique ring?
Hard to say. Since it was bezel-set, I'm having a hard time envisioning the damage to the stone - it normally wouldn't be able to chip *inside* the bezel unless you hit it as a very odd angle right along a fracture, and then in order to fall out of the bezel a good chunk of it would have to have come off. There's a chance the bezel just loosened somehow, in which case it can be bent back into shape easily, in which case it will be much cheaper! If the stone is damaged, in addition to having the setting rebuilt, you might want to have it repolished, which will add to costs. Any chance you can post pictures of the stone and ring as they are now?
 

ringthings

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
230
Thanks, I'll try and post pics.

That's good to know about bezels loosening.

The bezel.. to me.. doesn't look damaged. Maybe my grandmother set it in the bezel because the stone was already damaged, then the bezel loosened yesterday? I want to think that I didn't damage a really old ruby anyway, but I guess I might have. I wear it all the time.. shower.. everything (bad idea, I guess). The ruby has never looked to be in amazing shape (it has a few knicks I could see when it was in the ring,.. like a nick in the edge and a tiny indent in the center. Now, I see that the ruby isn't round on 2 sides... The edges are chipped). I've never had any jewelry repaired, so I am worried about the price of this. If it can go back in the bezel as is, I probably would leave it.. instead of polishing it.. for the time being.

ring1.jpg

ring2.jpg

ring3.jpg

ring4.jpg
 

ringthings

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
230
One more pic that should be better... my camera just isn't liking close ups.

ring5.jpg
 

ringthings

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
230
I just saw your comments in the quote. I'll search here for local suggestions. The only jewelry stores I know of around here are mall types, and I've heard the horror tales of things getting lost or messed up.. which is why I was guessing that waiting in best (and I'm anxious to get this thing fixed). But if it takes a few hours, I wouldn't want to insult the jeweler by asking. I guess finding a reputable in-house jeweler is what I should focus on.

With the shape the ruby is in, I wonder if I should replace the center stone altogether? I'm inclined to keep it, because it's the original.. out of sentimentality.
 

canuk-gal

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 19, 2004
Messages
25,649
HI:

Do a search in your area--BBB for starters--for jewellers. Ask friends about their experiences using certain shops/benches in town. I am not sure you will find success with someone working on your ring "while you wait"--it might be a bigger job than you imagine. Moreover, your stone looks damaged--perhaps it might not be "salvagable", KWIM?

cheers--Sharon
 

marcy

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Feb 27, 2007
Messages
26,278
I would ask around for experiences from other people with local jewelers. Definitely find one that does the work on site so your ring and ruby aren't shipped out anywhere. I hope your get your ring fixed up and back on your finger soon.
 

ringthings

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
230
I guess I'll check with the BBB and Google Reviews. I'm new to this city, and don't know anyone who is into jewelry.. so I unfortunately have no way to get personal recommendations. I'll be sure to ask if they repair in house or send it off when I go to different jewelers and ask.

I'm tempted to get some super glue, glue it in, and call it a day. I'm getting worried about how much building up a bezel would cost.
 

ringthings

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
230
The jeweler was able to reset the stone for $20 in one day. Amazing!
 

marcy

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Feb 27, 2007
Messages
26,278
Awesome!
 

VRBeauty

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 2, 2006
Messages
11,211
What a sweet ring! I'm glad you were able to get it repaired!
 
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