I’ve been reading this thread on “fear of stone swapping” for a
while. Although I’ve been a jeweler for a some years now, I solder
only in silver. Most of my market doesn’t justify using gold. When I
use a little it’s only as an accent, so I’m still using silver
solder.
Anyway- about a year and a half ago, I noticed that my wedding ring
was wearing thin at the back from rubbing against my engagement ring.
My rings date back to my pre-jewelry-making days; actually 19 years
ago to be exact. In examining them really carefully, I decided I
really could not wear them anymore without risking losing them. The
shank needs to be thickened and the two rings soldered together. (And
of course, I’ve gained a little weight over the years, so, they might
have to be enlarged a teensy bit) The rings are 14K white gold. (I
wanted platinum, but at that time was told I couldn’t get it unless I
brought in a piece to be melted down) There is one central .43 carat
diamond, with a .07 carat diamond on either side. The other ring is
plain- no stone.(Not very impressive, but all I could afford when I
was a poor scientific illustrator.) Never having soldered white gold,
or having set a diamond for that matter, I decided this job wasn’t
worth the risk for me to attempt it myself. I mentioned to my husband
that I would be looking for a place to have it repaired, whereupon he
started in on the whole diamond-switching business. We argued back
and forth for some time.Of course I don’t personally know any
reputable repair jewelers. I live in an anonymous suburb with
anonymous shops, so no one’s reputation will be ruined by fear of
unethical practice. The net result was that for the last year and a
half, I no longer wear my wedding ring, which seems like a shame. If
I can’t wear it because it’s worn thin, and I can’t fix it without
"losing" the diamond, I guess I can’t wear it. (Although I did tell
him that if anyone switched the diamond, it would probably be an
improvement) So it sits in a drawer, waiting for the cleaning people
to steal it, and friends ask in a concerned voice if we’re still
getting along. Interestingly enough, my mother’s platinum and diamond
rings had the same problem about 6 years back- but hers had worn thin
after 45 years of marriage. Object lesson in wear of platinum versus
wear of white gold. She (who did live in a small town) brought it to
the neighborhood jeweler to have done. (and she had to wait until he
found some platinum) As far as I can tell, it sure looks like the
same stone. Those prongs have a distinctive pattern on the top (four
prongs with a V-shape scallop outline) I don’t see how anyone could
pry those up and burnish them back down without changing them. But my
ring is much less distinctive. Anyway-sorry about the digression- I
remember hearing about something called a stone print, where you
could get some kind of photo-micrograph of your stone. Does anyone
know anything about this? Also, is it expensive? Is this a viable
solution? I thought the nail polish idea was very clever-but it
wouldn’t persuade my husband. When I still used a microscope I
examined my diamond, so I know where the flaws are. If I borrowed a
scope and made a plot of inclusions, would that be one way to tell?
(I’m afraid diamonds under a microscope will all look alike to me).
Thank you for your patience… it’s late, I’ve had a glass of scotch,
so I get wordy…