any suggestions for the strongest combination with 90% Platinum?
I'm open to changes in the alloying
Well, Jesse, you could call me an old fogey, but I’ve never seen
anything better than 10% iridium platinum - the old standby, the
first and best alloy, in my mind. EVERY other platinum alloy I’ve
worked, which is most of the biggies, is inferior in some way or
another. Surely people will dump on this, but I see no reason
whatsoever for using anything else, ever. Certainly not that
abomination that’s cobalt platinum…But that’s just me, and most
of the rest of the jewelry industry…
As Steven K's alloys appear out of my price range, any suggestions
for the strongest combination with 90% Platinum? I'm open to
changes in the alloying if it will grant the ring stability and
peace of mind...
90 Pt 10 Ir is probably the best fabrication alloy.
Jim
James Binnion @James_Binnion
James Binnion Metal Arts
Thanks again for all the suggestions. Here is the update so far… The
store owner is agreeable to remaking the whole ring from scratch… I
suggested a palladium-iridium alloying, and it took them awhile to
find iridium (since not many metalsmiths use iridium apparently)…
According to the original designer, he has never had any problems
with this design (though I’m not sure how many of them has been
sold), and the store and designer is not comfortable using iridium as
they feel it lowers the image/value of the product and the store, so
they are now suggesting using a “super-hard platinum”-alloying… The
owner didn’t know the exact alloying, but he said that it used
sometimes for wedding rings. Perhaps they are similar to Steven K’s
alloys?
About the design, after numerous talks about the designs
stability/instability, what I gathered is that the original designer
feels hesitant about changing the design b/c of its aesthetic
beauty–i.e. the “airy” look / floating, exposed diamond…
(although two claws to support the diamond underneath have been
previously suggested)… They said that an thin bezel underneath
would not do much to protect the diamond b/c the force would be
shifted to the diamond slipping up instead of down or sideways…
Therefore a thicker underbezel would be needed which would in turn
change the appearance of the ring to drastically in their opinion…
While I did relay Neil the Jeweler’s and Johns detailed instructions
for fixing the ring, the owner said that some sort of pictoral sketch
of the suggestions would be helpful…
So I’m wondering if this proposed fix of using "super-hard platinum"
would be sufficient, and as I’m guessing that a structural addition
would be needed, would it be possible to somehow look at a rough
sketch, or if anyone knows a similar ring with the underbezel and has
access to a photo?
would it be possible to somehow look at a rough sketch,
I’m going to jump in here to say something to the regular Orchid
members on this issue. Mr. Hsu, who I don’t believe is a jeweler,
has gotten a couple of thousand dollars worth of free advice from a
number of extremely experienced jewelers over his ring issue. If he
is looking for a sketch from one of the members I would strongly
suggest you charge him for it at market rates. A little free advice
is one thing. A time consuming sketch is yet another. This is, after
all, a forum dedicated to jewelers helping jewelers not jewelers
giving free work to customers who should properly be paying for work
required.
Daniel R. Spirer, G.G.
Daniel R. Spirer Jewelers, LLC
1780 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02140
It turns out they are not remaking the ring, but instead using “some”
process to what I gather “reinforce” the existing structure using a
Pt 90/ 8.5Pd/1.5 Cobalt Alloy.
It seems that from this hardness chart, it would seem an
improvement:
The store also said that if they remake the ring from scratch, the
strength/durability difference is negligible…
I’ll probably get accused of being “mean” by someone, but it appears
to me that Mr. Hsu’s endless quest for is really a
request by a potential jewelry customer to get some thing done for
free that he should really be paying for. It doesn’t sound, Mr. Hsu,
as though you are a practicing or aspiring jeweler, but rather
someone looking to get some work done on the cheap.
Thanks for your comments and suggestion Mr. Spirer. Yes I agree that
a sketch would require a monetary charge. Again, I have been and am
very much appreciative for all the responses to this situation.
has gotten a couple of thousand dollars worth of free advice from
a number of extremely experienced jewelers over his ring issue
I was thinking along the same lines. I wanted to mull over my
response for a day so I wouldn’t come off as flippant but…
They have your money, its time they started earning it.
It so happens I am working on another similar situation right now. A
1.5 ct emerald cut diamond that the ‘designer’ has set between two
prongs on one long side and a bar on the other and ofcourse the stone
slides back and forth because there is nothing to keep it from doing
so. My fix is like what I previously talked about in another reply. I
was thinking of providing a pic and /or sketch but the responsibility
of the ring belongs to the jeweler in Japan who, as I point out
above, has been paid. A fair amount of my business is fixing other
jewelers’ mistakes and crass as this may sound, I charge a healthy
fee for it. And their disappointed customers become my loyal
customers.
At this point Mr Hsu should ask himself if he still has confidence
in his jeweler.
With all due respect, I think you’re jumping to conclusions. I think
Mr. Hsu is what he presents himself to be. He’s bought a ring that
doesn’t seem to work right from a store that didn’t know entirely
what they were doing. They don’t want to give back the money, and
Mr. Hsu wants desperately to find a solution to the problem. He’s
probably spent a good chunk of money relative to his income. Wish I
knew a way to help him other than convice him he probably needs to
get a refund as it doesn’t seem the store is going to provide him
with a product that they are willing to stand behind. By the way,
Wayne, I liked that article on Emerald that you wrote recently. Can’t
remember the publication, it’s not one I subscribe to and somebody
gave it to me, but the article is very comprehensive.
You could be right, I read it differently. In any case, pehaps what
he should be doing is pursuing legal advice or the BBB. It just
seemed out of place here, but, again, I could be wrong.
I was referred here from another forum… and simply wanted to
understand the best course of action from those knowledgeable in the
industry/craft considering my ignorance of this specialized
knowledge… I believe I understand enough of the situation… If the
outcome is not resolved quickly by the shop I purchased the ring, I
will have the ring remade either locally or through contacts made
through these forums.