When a diamond or other gemstone is removed from a ring and set into a new ring can you reuse the old ring? Yes you can.

It’s generally not a good idea to try and manufacture an entirely new ring out of the old one. Differences in alloys and manufacturing techniques can create many different problems including pitting. However, many times the head or crown can be replaced or the prongs rebuilt to securely hold another stone. Even a stone of a different size or shape. You may not want to continue to wear the ring yourself but a son or daughter just might be thrilled to have something that belonged to you!

Check with your jeweler for all the possibilities.

Nobody likes to wear dull or dirty jewelry and this is especially true on your wedding day. For all of you brides-to-be, who don’t want dull and listless looking jewelry to spoil your pictures, especially those close up shots, here’s what to do…

Contact your local jeweler and arrange to have your engagement ring, wedding band, and any other jewelry you plan to wear on your wedding day, professionally polished and cleaned about a week or so before the wedding. Once all of your bridal jewelry has been expertly cleaned and polished (here’s the hard part) don’t wear it! That’s right, safely store it until your wedding day and make your bridal jewelry the very last thing you put on. Your jewelry will look just as radiant and beautiful as you do on your wedding day.

There is nothing worse than grabbing a necklace to wear only to find out that it somehow managed to get all twisted up in knots. A simply and inexpensive way to keep this from happening is to pass the necklace through a drinking straw and then fasten the clasp. Now you have a straight necklace that can never tangle.

How to clean gold and diamond jewelry

Cleaning your jewelry between visits to your local jeweler can keep it looking bright and new. Here’s a few tips to help you out.

Jewelry Cleaning Solutions

Store bought or commercial non-abrasive jewelry cleaning solutions are fine. You can make your own by using distilled water and adding just enough ammonia to smell. A drop of mild soap can be added for exceptionally dirty items.

Soak your jewelry

Soak your jewelry in the cleaning solution. Generally, about 15-20 minutes is long enough. Remove the jewelry and very gently scrub with a very soft toothbrush. Store bought jewelry cleaners usually come with a small brush and a plastic cleaning basket. Not a bad idea to purchase some initially for these handy items. Rinse well using distilled water. Gently dry using a lint free cloth.

More Tips

Always use distilled water. This will help prevent spotting.
Change your cleaning solution often
Gently heat the water. This aids the cleaning and rinsing.
Visit your jeweler 3-4 times a year for cleaning and inspection.

REMEMBER

Do not use this for stones such as emeralds, pearls, turquoise, coral or any other porous stones. If you have any questions always consult your jeweler.

Whether it is from moving or your trusted family jeweler retires, often it becomes necessary to find a new jeweler to perform the routine inspections or repair work on your jewelry. Here are a few tips to help you in making the selection…

Meet with the jeweler directly. Often a store has a jeweler that works on the premises. Set an appointment to meet with them to discuss your needs. ASK QUESTIONS! I cannot stress this enough. If you have a concern, address it. If you don’t feel comfortable with the store, the jeweler or the answers you get, move on.

Ask the jeweler what is their specialty. Proficient jewelers are good at most operations but are feel they are best at one or two. Find out what it is. Getting a jeweler to talk about what they are most proud of isn’t too difficult. (My specialty is gemstone/diamond setting…see what I mean!)

Ask how long the jeweler has been doing work for the store. Longevity is a positive.

Ask to see some of the jewelers work. I don’t believe you will ever find a store that doesn’t have any repair work waiting to be picked up. For security reasons, expect to provide a picture ID.

Ask the store personnel what work the jeweler has done for them. The highest compliment that can be paid a jeweler is doing work for the people you work for.

The most important jewelry in the world is the jewelry that belongs to you!

Many folks are uncomfortable about leaving their jewelry for repair. Wondering whether or not the stone they leave is the one that they’ll get back. Here’s a few tips to help you and your jeweler feel more confident about it.

Remind yourself what your stone looks like. Ask the jeweler to clean your jewelry and with a loupe, and their assistance, locate a particular identifying mark within the stone. Accurately measure the stone as well. Do this before leaving the jewelry for work.

Have your jewelry appraised by an independent certified appraiser or gem lab. This will document the specifics of your jewelry. Certified stones have had this done prior to your purchase and come with a certification.

Have your stone charted, gem printed and/or laser inscribed. Check with your favorite jeweler about having your stone charted (map of the inclusions), gem printed (photograph of inclusions) or laser inscribed (serial number lasered on girdle).

Please join us in the forum with your thoughts about…

Jeweler Switched My Stone-Fact or Fiction?

Diamonds are the hardest substance known, but they are also one of the more brittle and they can be chipped and broken. What should you do if you think you have chipped your diamond?

1. Wrap your ring in something soft, a simple tissue works fine for this. Put it somewhere safe until you can get to your jeweler to have it inspected. Continuing to wear the ring risks further damage from additional impacts.

2. Take your ring to a jeweler to have it inspected. It may be a small chip that can be protected and covered by simply rotating the stone in the setting. Or it may be a fracture that requires replacing the diamond.

You have several options if your diamond is damaged. One of the better options is to have the diamond recut. Smaller chips can be polished out with little additional loss of carat weight. While more extensive damage may require more agressive recutting.

With more and more loose gemstones and diamonds being sold on the internet having loose gemstone set at your local jeweler is becoming more and more common. But who is responsible for your diamond if it gets broken or damaged while being worked on?

In many cases, you are. Few jewelers are willing to accept responsibility for diamonds and gemstones that they did not sell themselves. This makes asking this question one of the more important ones when choosing a local jeweler. Ask your jeweler directly who replaces your diamond if it is broken while being worked with. Look at his receipts for a disclaimer of liability. And get that responsibility in writing.

Join us in the forum and join in the thread discussing this in greater detail.

Who is responsible for my jewelry?

A carat is a unit of weight that is equal to 200 milligrams or 100 points. Diamonds or gemstones weighing less than 1 carat are expressed as a fraction of a carat, 1/2 carat, or in points, 50 points. Carats is often abbreviated ct. or cts. Jewelry with multiple diamonds or gemstones are often given a single weight abbreviated as ctw. meaning carat total weight.

A karat is a unit of fineness or purity in gold. Pure gold, at least .999 percent pure gold, is 24 karat. Karat is most commonly abbreviated K. An 18K gold ring would contain 18 parts pure gold with the other 6 parts being alloy. A 14K gold ring would contain 14 parts pure gold and 10 parts other metals.

Pavé is a “pattern” of arranging diamonds or gemstones very close together to cover an area of piece of jewelry. Think of mosaic tile work or a cobblestone street. Small beads of gold are raised in order to secure the stones in place.

Often, pavé and bead setting are confused and used interchangeably when in actuallity, they are two different things. Bead setting is the technique used by the artisan to secure the stones while pavé is the design or the “look” that is being created.

In the image of the pavé and bead set engagement above, the small diamonds that are beneath the center marquis shaped diamond are pavé and the two rows of diamonds you see on the ridges are simply bead set.