this is her engagement/wedding band, and she was understandably upset when the local jeweler who had previously sized it declined to do the repair. the ring shank or base was cracked, probably from wear or a less-than-stellar job on the sizing.
in addition to being cracked where it had been sized, it was also missing a diamond. the engagement ring has three different diamond cuts. 1) the center of attention is the marquise cut diamond 2) the straight-cut diamonds or correctly termed “baguette cut” diamonds and 3) the rounds, or full-cut diamonds. even tiny there are 58 facets! amazing even to me!!
it’s unusual for a California resident to use a jeweler in Connecticut for repair, but this was a referral from my brother who lives there. family can be a great asset to a small business owner! we emailed and texted and she shipped the ring to me. (for shipping i use either priority mail or express mail via the usps which many folks find really convenient.)
the 14k yellow gold ring was originally white rhodium plated, which, as plating is known to do, was beginning to wear off. it had originally been purchased by the customer from the web as a “preowned” ring. there is no way to know what it looked like or the condition it was in before the first repair.
thus and so, we did indeed take on the California repair. when we work on a piece from outside the shop we explain the worst case scenario. it is really hard to guarantee how a used item will wear. for a number of factors and because this ring was mass produced, the quality is not as fine as an item fashioned individually. in accepting this repair, i explained all the possible outcomes.
what we did to fix her beloved ring:
- the diamond was matched and set.
- the crack was soldered.
- the ring was stripped of the white rhodium at the customers request
- finally, it was polished and refinished.
and it came out seamlessly i might add.
can you identify where the crack was?
i was able to use paypalme to magically receive payment, shipped the ring back to its owner who was thrilled!
location: Sacramento, CA
