This client began as a referral, sent my way to help her sort through some jewelry from her mother. While we were chatting, she inquired about a special family ring and asked if it were possible to add her mother’s birthstone to it. The ring was well loved and many of the stones were worn. Adding a new stone to a ring that’s in need of a lot of repair was not recommended since the end result would likely be disappointing. So I suggested that we begin with an estimate to refurbish the ring. The mounting was in excellent condition, despite the settings and stones having seen better days. The original stones were synthetic so this client inquired about the cost of genuine stones. We started there. I brought in a variety of genuine gemstones, keeping in mind the saturation that was needed to be consistent with the original colors of the ring, which ranged from intense to pastel. Being that the stones aren’t overly large, I really wanted the colors to pop. She loved the selection of gemstones. Our next step was to remove the old setting and synthetic stones, fit the new settings and set the genuine gemstones. This presented a little bit of a challenge as one of the gemstones had what is known as a “belly,” which is why the color was so intense. Once that was done, the next step was to fit and assemble the marquise-cut diamonds and the baguette-cut diamonds, still in the settings, into the family ring. The diamonds were from a wedding band wrap that was no longer worn. The finished ring is like no other, with beautiful and intense gemstones and sparkling diamonds. What a special way to celebrate the vastly unique individuals that make up one’s family.
- Materials: 14k yellow gold with genuine aquamarine, amethyst, rhodolite garnet and blue zircon
- Client location: Barkhamsted, CT
