admin - February 16, 2016
Getting your engagement ring repaired after a mishap should not be taken lightly. Its sentimental values and financial worth requires precautions to assure proper mending. Your engagement ring should be ideally repaired by the same jeweler who made it since they are familiar with the ring's metal and design. If this is not possible then choose any renowned jeweler carefully. Ask them random questions about metals, rings and repair before assigning this task to him.
Engagement ring repair types
Engagement rings are delicate and can be subject to damage due to various day to day activities. You need to be extremely cautious while wearing the ring. Some of the repairs
Setting repairs
Setting is the most commonly damaged part of the engagement ring. They are prone to shifting, twisting, or warping which can loosen the stones. The settings can be repositioned to provide secured fit for minor repairs. In major damages it needs to be replaced completely with thicker prongs or platinum which is more durable metal.
Intricate settings are more prone to damage. For example, engagement ring with pave setting commonly loses the small accent stones that coat the band since the setting is not designed for utmost security. Usually antique engagement rings too have missing stones or damaged settings, owing to the craftsmanship difference and durability of metal compared to modern rings.
Stone repairs
In spite of diamonds being among the hardest substances, they are not impervious. Gems softer than diamonds can be damaged too. Most of the damages are fortunately minor and little scratch or chip can be easily repaired. In case of minor flaws, it can be repaired by coating treatments. If this is not possible then the stone must be replaced. You can save the remnants of the original stone and use it to create a ring wrap to upgrade your ring.
Repairing the bands
Every engagement ring’s band suffers minor scratches if worn frequently. These marks don’t necessarily spoil the beauty of the ring and they can be polished easily. In case of deeper marks the ring may be required to be recoated. White gold engagement ring may need recoating periodically with rhodium to safeguard its white luster. Silver engagement rings require regular polishing. In case the band of ring gets stretched or warped, you will have to reshape it. If your ring has warped, get it double checked by the jeweler to ensure none of the stones have loosened during the trauma.
Resizing your engagement ring
This is the most common repair needed for engagement ring. With fluctuation in body weight, the size of your ring should be adjusted too. Intricate rings need to be resized carefully. In case of a loose ring, you may consider adding a spacer first which is a small piece of metal or plastic that attaches directly to the interior of the band and decrease the size without permanent changes. Plain ring bands are simple to resize, it only needs to be stretched by adding a bit of additional metal. If the band is engraved it becomes difficult to preserve the engraving. If you have sentiments attached to the engraving you can consider buying a replacement.
Precautions
Do not attempt to repair the ring yourself as you might end up damaging it more. Once you get your ring repaired, examine it properly for flaws. When you take the engagement ring to jeweler for repairs, provide him, with all the information about the metal, stone etc. If possible provide him with a copy of lab certificate too.
