Bezel Setting Advice

[mrscrazylegs]

I fell in love with this setting but the center stone is too dark for my taste. Assuming I’m fine with the jeweller ruining the current stone (sapphire), is replacing it a viable option? Or will it end up costing more than the ring because there’s likely to be damage to the halo? I’m finding a lot of conflicting opinions online and I’d really appreciate some advice before I purchase. Thanks!

 

[Avondale]

You should consult with a jeweller about it, but from what I know, I'd say the plan is unlikely to succeed. I imagine you envision shattering the sapphire in order to pull it out of the bezel without damaging the bezel itself. While that may be possible (and it has to be done in a controlled way in order to not risk collateral damage to the setting), you'll want to put another stone in after that, and that's where you'll hit a snag, I think. I don't know enough about metal work to say whether a jeweller might be able to straighten the bezel and make room for another stone.

It's a very pretty ring, but I'm partial to dark blue sapphires, so...

 

[dk168]

Welcome to PS.

One also needs to take into consideration the depth of the existing setting when CS is concerned, as some CSs are cut deeper than others to bring out the colours and sparkles etc., e.g. Zircons and Sapphires.

Hence it is advisable to find a stone first, then a setting, and not the other way round.

I could be wrong, however, I believe bezel settings are extremely difficult to be reworked for the stone to be replaced by another suitable stone.

Hopefully PSer(s) who are jewellery makers/silver/goldsmith will chime in soon.

DK

 

[Slickk]

When I asked one of PS’ well-known jewelers if he could replace a center stone in a bezel he didn’t want to do it. Sorry. I was disappointed too!

 

[LilAlex]

This looks like an inexpensively-made ring (and a crummy bezel to begin with). I can not imagine it would be worth the cost and hassle to swap that stone out.

 

[Mrs_Strizzle]

Perhaps asking a PS vendor to make a similar ring for you with your preferred stone would be a better option.