I have an old gents two tone ring. The top plate isa die-struck
white gold plate with 5 diamonds (round) in it. It was one of those
pre-cleaned out plates that can fit various size diamonds; one
drills a seat and uses a heavy flat or round graver and sets the
stones. Anyway, the plate is very tarnished, and I need to polish it
bright and possibly rhodium the top again. The problem is that the
diamonds are in the way, and if I attempt to take them out, I will
amost surely break one or more beads off. I tried cyanide, to no
avail. Should I try to bomb? Electro strip?
Use a brush wheel on your flex shaft with tripoli. Then, clean it
thoroughly in the ultrasonic and use a soft brush wheel with rouge.
You can polish directly on diamonds, you will not hurt them. Sapphire
and ruby can take mild polishing before you’ll notice the facets
getting abraded. If the stones are already old and abraied you aren’t
going to hurt much. But once again, if they are genuine diamonds, you
can polish right on them and it will not affect them at all.
Hopefully I answered your question. If you are trying to polish
underneath the diamonds, that’s just a big pain in the behind!
Soaking it in pickle, running it through the ultrasonic and steam
cleaning are about your only options. I’ve been accused of steam
cleaning diamonds up a color grade or two! And ultrasonic out
inclusions to no avail.
If you already tried cyanide bobming will probably not work under the
stones if set tightly meaning very little material from bead to
backing / plate). Anything problematic under a stone will result in
having to remove them…sooner or later- so cut to the chase and
contract for stone removal and resetting if the customer will bear
the costs involved and the probability of some braking, and needing
replacement so give a quote on that cost as well (using whatever
formula you use to offset the changing market with a price that may
be a week or so outdated). While it is noble to try and save the
customer the costs involved ultimately you can’t be held responsible
for the inevitable - breakage on damaged stones- presuming the
diamonds aren’t large and may have some chipping already particularly
if they were held above the band/shank which it sounds like from your
description). Electro stirpping may be efective but it sounds like
you already know that the most effective method would be stone
removal and resetting to get at the tarnished white gold,
additionally if you believe it needs re- plating with rhodium
(particularly after you tried cyanide , there is no doubt that the
protection of the hard rhodium, no matter what thickness it began
with is compromised or at least, an uneven deposition is left ) it
probably does ( I would ! ). So rework the repair ticket and call
the client and explain that the nickel in the white gold under the
stones is preventing your effective cleaning and repolishing- or
repolishing to your standards and that you recommend the resetting
and in that the risks are “x” and if they want it done correctly the
customer will agree to take on the known risks and pay for the
necessary additional services and if necessary, stones. You should
then have a customer that trusts your services more so than someione
that does a half-hearted job. Just remember to replace the diamonds
with those of an equal quality unless the client wants to upgrade to
stones that are perhaps better than the originals- or what you have
on hand !. (that defers to your judgement or the length of time you
will have the piece over the original promise date- or the
availability of something other than a standard calibrated round
brilliant or whatever may be installed)… Do the operation that you
believe will be the most effective, even if it not what you had
originally quoted or told the customer. - if less than the max you
quote great ! if just at what you prepare the customer for, then it
was considered correctly ( all 5 stones needing replacemnt, and
perhaps retipping too as the worst possible scenario) Cover all
possible scenarios in the renegotiation of the repair costs to avoid
additional contacts with the client. Be upfront about what needs
doing and it will be appreciated…rer