A jeweler looked at my wedding set yesterday and said that I have 7 prongs that are broken and my main stone is ready to fall out. Also, the band portion has thinned over the years. I couldn’t get the rings off, so they cut them off.
Once this was done, she added up all the fees for the work that needs to be done. It came to nearly $400, which is only $200 less than we paid for the set!
My options are:
have these costly repairs done on a cheap set.
keep the stones and get a new setting
go ringless for a while and get a whole new set.
I have a diamond I received from an old beau, as well as some bits and pieces (stones and gold) that I can use to offset the cost, but I have no idea what the total worth of these items is.
The set is sentimentally valuable, but I’m not sure repairing a cheap piece is the wisest way to go. We’re not broke by any means, but Mr. K recently retired, so we don’t have the expendable income we had a month ago. If this were your situation, what would you do?
Get all of the doodads and have some artistic friend, I’m sure you have one, make a little sculpture that you can put on the mantelpiece. Or a collage. Or seal the bits in a cheap locket. But don’t waste money at this time on aimless sentimentality, you guys know where you stand with each other and stuff just breaks.
Mind you I should add that I have a very pessimistic view about the future of the US economy.
You don’t have to rush into anything here. Buy a cheap silver ring so that you have something, and give it time until you know what you want to do. Start putting money aside so that when you do know, you’ll have the funds to do so.
Did the jeweler recommend you cut the rings off? Sounds to me like they were fishing for some extra work. I’ve seen dish soap and olive oil work wonders in getting off stuck rings.
I would get a second (and third, or fourth) opinion on the cost of repairs. That sounds a little high to me, for those kinds of repairs.
Wearing valuable rings scares me. I have my mom’s set and it stays in my jewelry box.
It doesn’t sound like you’re too enamored of the original stone. How about earrings? Use your old diamond for one and a new one of the same size for the other. It’s gotta be cheaper to make earrings than a ring.
If you feel naked (or single) without wearing an engagement/wedding set, start looking for a new one. There’ll probably be some good sales after Christmas.
Do you LIKE your old set? My dad upgraded my mom ten years or so ago, and all her friends were aghast - “You’re going to trade in the ring your HUSBAND GAVE YOU?” She thought they were all a pack of morons - “He’s giving me this one too! And this one’s three times as big!”
If you like your set, have it repaired. If you’d like something else better, get something else.
I’m in Australia but the cost sounds correct for here. It’s usually about $25 per prong plus a couple of hundred for a band. I’d get the whole lot redesigned and incorporate some of your other gems if you want. Repairs can be obvious - I’d take a well-made ring over a repaired one.
Turn the stone into a necklace? I have a diamond necklace that was made from a ring (not a wedding ring–a ring my mom dug up from our front yard while planting sunflowers. We never figured out where it came from, but I must say the necklace is much nicer than the ring).
I’m “ok” with it. I definitely chose it based on cost and I’ve received compliments on it. But I would have chose something else if we could have afforded it.
I will be checking the repair costs at the different stores around here, but I’m thinking “keep the stones and do a new setting” might be the way to go. Thanks all for your opinions!!
