Bezel set emerald ring

Jewelry Discussion
1

hello everyone,

i designed a ring with a 5.47cts. bezel set emerald cut emerald
, it is heavily included.

my customer hit the stone and there is now a larger fracture
inclusion in one corner. she wants this covered with a plate of
some sort . i dont want to take the stone out. (YIKES,
toooooo scarey) and i know that emeralds cant take heat. i
thought of making the plate, tube setting a diamond on the plate
and then riveting the plate on the ring. i dont know if this
is a good idea or if the plate will be secure enuff.

all suggestions will be heartily welcomed :o)
thanks
Ruth

2

Ruth said,

  my customer hit the stone and there is now a larger fracture
inclusion in one corner. she wants this covered with a plate
of some sort .

Unless you feel real brave & very lucky, suggest she find some
other victim to do her repair. This has the makings of real
disaster.

2 bits worth of prevention is worth a Million $ of cure!

Dave

3

Ruth,

I don’t like the idea, not that it matters what I think. I would
remove the stone, have it recut, design and make her a new ring
for the recut stone. This way its something you and your customer
can be proud of. And you can sell her two rings, not that that’s
the objective. Just because the customer has an idea doesn’t mean
we have to do it, who is the jeweler here anyway.

Mark P.

4

Hello,

Why don’t you fracture fill the crack? You can soak it in some
acetone over night, take it out, and let it dry. Then you can
fill the crack with opticon, a commonly used epoxy for filling
cracks in emeralds and other gem stones. It will fill in the
void, making it almost impossible to see, and also give the
stone a bit of stregth. I should be noted, that the customer
should be told that the treatment should be disclosed if she
ever chooses to sell it. Fracture filling is a very sensitive
subject, but at times like this, it can take a badly flawed
stone and bring it back to better than original condition. She
will be pleased. It is best to use the opticon in a vaccum
chamber for best results, but it will also work good without it.
Just follow the instructions on the label. You can buy opticon
from many jewelry and lapidary supply houses.

glenn