Stuller #123305 Losing Diamonds?

[Cking332]

Hi Everyone,

I purchased and proposed with a ring using Stuller's #123305 setting in 18k x1 white gold (link below) in July. After the original setting, my fiancee noticed a lose accent stone a few months in and we ended up losing it before we could have the ring serviced. Our jeweler repaired it and upon receiving the ring back, we noticed a few of the accent prongs seemed to be tighter to the band and better set than before, however, within a month of having the ring back, with very little hard wear and a lot of babying, we have lost another accent stone. Is this going to be fairly common for this type of band or should we be looking at the jeweler?

Thanks in advance!

18K X1 White 7.4 mm Round Engagement Ring Mounting

123305 / Engagement Ring / Unset / 18K X1 White / Round / 7.4 mm / Polished / Engagement Ring Mounting

www.stuller.com

 

[the_mother_thing]

@Cking332 It’s a beautiful ring, but looks to be pretty thin & delicate (the Stuller site doesn’t list the band/shank measurements that I saw). I’m sorry you’re having to deal with this; who set the diamonds (on the shank vs the center)? Also, does your fiancé exercise due care when wearing it, taking it off for any activities that may introduce risk of damage? It likely really needs to be ‘babied‘ a fair amount, taking it off for any ‘strenuous‘ activity ... I’d probably remove it even for something like washing dishes, which is why I tend to shy away from pave personally, though I love the sparkle factor it gives off!

ETA-the site notes the side/shank diamonds are 1.4mm, and the shank doesn’t look much if any wider than that, making this a VERY delicate ring. From what I’ve read, most PS-recommenced vendors who do good, quality pave suggest bands no thinner than 1.8mm for security & durability.

 

[Cking332]

Thank you for the in depth response! She does take it off for washing dishes, showering, oftentimes when we are at home, and it doesn't get a lot of hard wear as her day to day doesn't require it. She has been very cautious since we got it back from the first repair, which is why we were surprised to lose another stone so quickly. Our jeweler set the stones on the shank originally as well from my understanding. I had purchased the center stone and coordinated with him to bring in the setting from Stuller.

I've attached two photos of how it currently is set and a photo from Stuller's site. One thing I'm noticing between Stuller's site and my ring is that the prongs for the shank stones almost seem to be pushed together towards the center shank on my ring, whereas in Stuller's photo, they are more towards the outer edges of the stone. Could just be a mock up/photoshop thing, but could that be the source of our issue?

 

[the_mother_thing]

I hate to say this, but from the pictures you’ve posted, the setting of the side diamonds either appears poorly done, or there looks to possibly be ‘damage’ to some of them.

I see the missing diamond, but looking at how the diamonds (Arrow 1) are set, they look like they are either loose or set/angled strangely; and it’s hard to tell, but there looks to maybe be a diamond missing in the collar as well (Arrow 2).



I’d refrain from wearing the ring at all, and get back to the jeweler who did the work immediately and/or an appraiser who can inspect the setting and advise you on what to present to the jeweler who did the work here. Do you have any sort of warranty/return period for the ring setting or craftsmanship? The Stuller image is a CAD rendering and not an actual photo of a finished ring, so you can’t exactly go by that. That said, I would be disappointed with the quality of work here if the things I pointed out were not the result of wear/tear/damage.

I’m really sorry, this should be a happy time; having issues with a ring is upsetting, I’m sure.

 

[Bron357]

The setting is a ”difficult one” being so slim and the prongs so tiny prongs per diamond melee BUT your melee have definitely been set differently to the Stuller example.
With the Stuller example the prongs are holding the melee towards the outside edge. With your ring, the prongs have been set to the inside.
This I think is the problem.
Your diamond melee edge is exposed and a small bump and the diamond can slip out from the tiny prong.
Instead of being held in say 1 o’clock, 5 o’clock, 7 o’clock and 11 o’clock position like the Stuller example, your diamonds are held more at a 2.30 o’clock, 3.30 oclock, 8.30 o’clock and 9.30 o’clock position.
I gather that your jeweller set all the diamonds? In that case the flaw is with his work and his positioning of the prongs, not the actual setting. However a setting that slim will always require more care and “babying”.

 

[Cking332]

Thank you both for your responses! We will be taking it back to our jeweler to be addressed and hopefully reset. They do offer lifetime guarantee and have a good reputation.
I know they were rushing to get this done for me originally and have overlooked the setting details in favor of time. Glad to know we’re not crazy for thinking this was an issue!

 

[the_mother_thing]

Thank you both for your responses! We will be taking it back to our jeweler to be addressed and hopefully reset. They do offer lifetime guarantee and have a good reputation.
I know they were rushing to get this done for me originally and have overlooked the setting details in favor of time. Glad to know we’re not crazy for thinking this was an issue!

Just a note for consideration - IF a remake is in order, and if budget allows, consider going with platinum. It is the metal most recommended for delicate pave work; however, so much of the longevity & integrity of pave is in the skill of the jeweler/bench who sets it. If you do a search for ‘pave‘ on PS, you’ll likely find loads of information. Good luck!