taking diamond out of bezel.. (?)

[treysar]

If I wanted to take my diamond out of the bezel and place it ON TOP, with prongs, would taking it out ruin my setting?

 

[MichelleCarmen]

ooh, your ring is so pretty! why do you want to change it?

 

[TravelingGal]

I have no idea if it would ruin your setting treysar, but allow me to say I love it the way it is. Sorry if you didn''t ask for that opinion, but I do love it!

 

[FireGoddess]

I''m watching this thread with interest because I''m curious to know the answer. I know in some cases the reverse can be done (prong to bezel, as in MrsSalvo''s pronged setting that became Chrono''s bezel), but don''t know about bezel to prong. Would you just be adding prongs to the halo? I''ve always wondered if that would be structurally sound, or possible, as my jeweler pretty much mangled my prongs and I''ve always wondered if they could be redone without redoing the entire head. Didn''t think that soldering prongs on would be as strong as having them be cast as a single piece with the head though.

 

[chrono]

Nonexpert opinion coming up.

I''ve heard/read that to remove a stone from a bezel setting, the setting is practically "destroyed" as the bezel actually envelopes the stone and the stone has a seat in the bezel. So I think it is a one way street where you can change a prong to a bezel but the reverse cannot be accomplished.

I hope a true expert will chime in to clear this up.

 

[denverappraiser]

‘Ruin’ is a pretty harsh word but what you are describing isn’t an especially easy job to do well and done poorly it’ll make a mess that's impossible to recover from. Talk to the craftsman you are planning to use to do the job and get their advice on how to best proceed. It has to do with the engineering of your halo and what exactly you want when you’re done. This is not a job for an apprentice but a master should be able to do it. If you can, start by talking with whoever made the ring in the first place.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

 

[chrono]

So, it is possible but very difficult? What are the chances of it turning out well? Slim or more than 50% chance?

 

[treysar]

I love my setting too - but what I DON''T like is that the metal in the bezel keeps YELLOWING. It''s aggravating me - i feel like I have to get it dipped every 4 or 5 months. If the bezel was beneath the stone and prongs held it in (like double claw prongs) it would alleviate the problem.

Hm.

Maybe i''m thinking this because i saw an outrageously nice oval set east west in a setting as I just described above. It was GORGEOUS!