Ring restore - better than new
25th October 2019
Diamond danger
Not much of the claws left
In the last post to the website I mentioned a ring I spotted a customer wearing that was well in need of repairs and a check. Of the six claws that were supposed to secure her diamond, three were missing and the remaining 3 were extremely thin. She was about to lose her diamond.
I only repair jewellery I have made so I advised her to seek some quotes to have the ring repaired.
Article: An end to repairs.
I also pointed out some other issues that required fixing with the band. I offered to quote to totally restore/remake the ring so she could compare her options.
For a simple ring like this, replacing 6 claws and re-shanking the band would not be much cheaper than remaking it. Remaking it would also result in a new ring rather than a repaired one.
Thicker is better
After considering her options she came back to me to have the ring totally remade. On the right is the old ring. You can see that one of the shoulders is slightly bent inwards.
We would make the new ring slightly thicker in the shoulders to prevent this. In fact the whole band would be made thicker as you can see from the newly formed band on the left above.
Remaking the setting
Over time not only the tops of the claws but the outsides edges wear down. It is hard to believe that the old setting above was big enough to take the diamond shown below it sitting in the newly formed setting.
Replacing lost width
The replacement band on the left would be .2mm wider than the worn ring on the right.
Over time as an engagement ring rubs next to the wedding ring gold is removed and the band becomes narrower. We made the new band just .2mm wider than the worn down ring but it looks a lot more in the above photo.
Two different finger sizes
The chamfered edge of the worn ring.
This lady had trouble getting her wedding ring off. Once we removed it we discovered it was a few sizes smaller than her engagement ring.
When you wear a smaller ring next to a larger one for a long period the smaller ring cuts a chamfered edge into the larger ring. You can clearly see that in the above photo especially at the section just under the diamond setting.
Those chamfered edges can become quite sharp and dangerous.
The restored ring
When the ring came to me it weighed 1.7 grams. Replacing lost gold and making it stronger than it was new, increased the finished weight to 3.1 grams. This ring is now ready for a very long second life.