I have a cough, cough, diamond, cough question!

[danachit]

I know this is a pearl forum but I was wondering if anyone here could help me with a diamond question?

I have an estate engagement ring....about 100 yrs. old. Platinum with lots of square settings full of small diamonds and a one carat diamond in the middle. It's strking.

However...I find myself in need of a two carat diamond. I don't know if this ring could be altered to hold a larger diamond. And if it could, who would I trust to work with it and where could I get my hands on a nice two carat stone at a wholesale price?

 

[Valeria101]

Wouldn't know what to say about modifying the setting... and I suspect that most would not venture to give a definitive answer without handling the ring. Pictures would have to be awfully detailed and show at least front and back.

Possibly, even if the setting cannot be really modified some may offer to make (crude) alterations - plucking on a new 'head' to hold the new stone or whatever. 'Seen some horrible stuff.

Bottom line: is there a jewelry shop doing custom platinum work nearby? If so, it should be the place to start asking. Substantial modification to an intricate setting is not necessarily allot easier then starting from scratch.

As much as I know...

You might want to post the question HERE too.


Diamond prices: many complain that prices online include ridiculously tight margins. Bluenile is an idea, I would think. You might want to steer clear from stones with a branded cut and learn a bit to judge good from bad on your own for comfort. If you try out other shapes then round you should get lower price / carat for whatever reason. An oval may even be easier to fit in your setting.

IMO, the ultimate bargain hunting field would be from reputable auctions. If you don't have anything better to do then go through a crush course of diamond facts & fiction and hunt one down for the next few months...

Just a thought.

 

[GemGeek]

I do know someone I would trust to do handle this kind of work. His name is Jeff Alexander of Alexander's of Atlanta. He was on the pearl tour with us and he is honest, thoughtful and intelligent. I don't know about a "wholesale" diamond, but you should know that markups on diamonds have gone down drastically since Blue Nile and the Rapaport price list have been around.

Cheers,
Blaire

 

[Casey.R]

I would think it would be hard to do but I guess it depends on the setting.

 

[nlerner]

The most important thing to take into consideration is that when you remove a diamond from a setting there is a very real possibility of damaging the stone.

 

[danachit]

I do know someone I would trust to do handle this kind of work. His name is Jeff Alexander of Alexander's of Atlanta. He was on the pearl tour with us and he is honest, thoughtful and intelligent. I don't know about a "wholesale" diamond, but you should know that markups on diamonds have gone down drastically since Blue Nile and the Rapaport price list have been around.

Cheers,
Blaire

Thank you everyone for your thoughts. I agree,that it's a bit scary to think of messing with this pretty design. I love this ring so much, though...wish I could get this same setting with just a bigger stone. I'll post a pic later today and you can see what I'm talking about with the unusual setting.

I live in Atlanta! I'll give this place a call and get some basic info. Thanks so much!

 

[GemGeek]

Thank you everyone for your thoughts. I agree,that it's a bit scary to think of messing with this pretty design. I love this ring so much, though...wish I could get this same setting with just a bigger stone. I'll post a pic later today and you can see what I'm talking about with the unusual setting.

I live in Atlanta! I'll give this place a call and get some basic info. Thanks so much!

Well, yes, I gave you Jeff's information because you are both in Atlanta. Ask for Jeff when you call and tell him Blaire says "hi". I guess I need to see the ring to get an idea, but you would be surprised at how many rings are available to jewelers and he might be able to find something similar without reworking your current ring.

I can't wait to see it. :

 

[AdamLasVegas]

If it is really an old ring than you may want to contact www.langantiques.com and pick their brain. If you want a diamond to match the period you may want to contact www.rickshatz.com

If you are looking for "wholesale" be carefull someone does not sell you a dog. Try jamesallen.com or whiteflash.com to check prices or even to buy, very competitive and honest.

Good luck.

 

[Valeria101]

Sidenote: Mr. Shatz needs a new website... with their own pictures. It's shame for a honest company to look like any lowly FleaBay schemer, seriously!

 

[nlerner]

In the thread of "Diamond equivalent of PearlParadise.com" post no.5,
I mentioned Jacob Kattan (cutter, polisher and wholesaler).
His representative in the US is Shai Sagi phone no: 5133796921
If you do contact him, mention "Pearl-Guide".

 

[AdamLasVegas]

Sidenote: Mr. Shatz needs a new website... with their own pictures. It's shame for a honest company to look like any lowly FleaBay schemer, seriously!

You mean they ripped off someone elses pictures or just using generic stock photos?

 

[Valeria101]

You mean they ripped off someone elses pictures ...

Something like that. Perhaps the store really doens't care for their presence online, but ...

 

[AdamLasVegas]

Something like that. Perhaps the store really doens't care for their presence online, but ...

Well they cough up money for ads in trade magazines, but the site is generic. Internet retail is not their forte.

 

[danachit]

Thank yall so much for all this info....

A new tool & equipment catalog came today and the presidium multi tester caught my eye. It will read diamonds, moissanites, similants and such. And it's so small it'd be easy to whip that bad boy out while looking at estate jewelry.

Would sellers be offended or okay with the testing the authenticity of the stone? Are these thermal & conductivity testers reliable?

 

[lisamla]

I don't know if a seller would be offended, but I would think they would want to make the sale. It wouldn't hurt to ask. If I were the consumer, I would be hesitant to make a large purchase without some type of confirmation of what I was buying or money back guarantee - especially if I was purchasing from an estate seller not specializing in jewelry.

 

[Heidi]

Thank yall so much for all this info....

A new tool & equipment catalog came today and the presidium multi tester caught my eye. It will read diamonds, moissanites, similants and such. And it's so small it'd be easy to whip that bad boy out while looking at estate jewelry.

Would sellers be offended or okay with the testing the authenticity of the stone? Are these thermal & conductivity testers reliable?

Have you learned anything more on this? (Please forgive me and point me in the right direction if this discussion has continued on a different thread.)

On stone authenticity testing: Any reputable dealer should be fine with you coordinating an appraisal from an unbiased expert. If you're looking to invest in a big stone then the 70-80 bucks is worth it.

Something to keep in mind regarding cut: There have been trends over the years and the era that your ring is from generally prized luster over brilliance. The use of platinum is part of that aesthetic. What this means in current market terms is if you go for one of the older cuts that doesn't stand up to today's brilliance standards you will get more clarity, better color and higher carat weight for your dollar. The new "name" cuts will not net you a great result in an older setting, anyway because the metalwork wasn't designed to maximize that kind of cut.

From an overall value point of view, keep in mind that tampering with the original design will reduce the appraised value of the ring in the end. Not that it really matters if you love the piece, but if you think you ever want to re-sell it's a factor. If you prize the aesthetic of the ring and want to put your money toward the stone and style matchup that feels better to you, you may consider commissioning a copy redesigned for a bigger stone.

Do you have an appraiser's description of the setting and the stones? Now I am thoroughly curious.

**EDIT** I just sent you a PM so that we don't clog up a pearl forum talking about something that's not a pearl. I apologize to the group for not thinking of that sooner!!!

 

[danachit]

Well...truth be told...I'm going to the Scott antique market tomorrow, here in Atlanta, which is where I purchased my platinum/diamond engagement ring.

They deal in lots of estate jewelry so I'll have fun at least trying on some larger stones. (All the while repeating "I will NOT buy a big fat diamond ring. I will NOT buy a big fat diamond ring.")

Now...back to talking about pearls.