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Engagement ring saved my finger, I am heartbroken! Repair SOS!!!

P

PastryGirl

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Oct 29, 2012
Messages
416
So I was closing the trunk of my car about 15 minutes ago when my hand (mostly right ring finger) got slammed in it. I screamed because it hurt like hell. I look down at my finger to see my ring warped. Small cut on my swollen finger.

My heart is broken because this ring means the absolute world to me. My husband bought it while he was in school and we were pretty broke. He told me that love saved my finger to try and make me feel better.

The jeweler who made it also made other rings for us. He is great and I enjoy buying from him. Repairs are a different story though, I am not sure I trust him to do a good job. I know this from experience, it is not him it is the person he outsources the work to. I already have one ring that looks black on the shoulder from where it was cut in the wrong place and then sloppily put back together.

Any advice? I am literally crying right now. I know PS would feel my pain.

Thank you. :cry2::cry2::cry2::cry2::cry2::cry2::cry2:

IMG_7796.jpegIMG_7792.jpegFullSizeRender.jpegFullSizeRender 4.jpegFullSizeRender 3.jpegFullSizeRender 2.jpeg
 
Last edited:
MrsBlue said:
(((hugs)))

I'm so sorry this happened but I'm impressed that the main stone looks unscathed and melee all seem to be in place.
Click to expand...

Thank you, I definitely need a hug right now. <3

One stone from the melee fell out, you can see it in the last picture where the cathedral meets the halo. It looks ripped. :cry2:

It is a very durable ring! I just don't know what to do.
 
You poor thing. Thank goodness your finger was protected.
Oh my, that’s a significant squish. I’m astounded that all your shoulder melee stayed in their prongs!
I don’t know if the actual ring is salvageable. The shoulder diamonds will have to be removed if the ring shank is to be “beaten back to shape”. I’m not sure how much setting is then left to recreate new prongs for the shoulder diamonds. You need a good competent bench to do that.
Who made your ring? Can it go back to them for repair?
Failing that, my suggestion would be to use the centre mount on a new setting and salvage the shoulder rings and have an eternity ring made with them to signify their eternal protection and love.
 
I’m so sorry about your ring, I know that is a terrible feeling to have something so awful happen to a precious treasure.

I don’t have any advice but I just wanted to tell you that even all mashed up it is a very lovely ring and hardly looks like a “bought when we didn’t have money” ring. Maybe the head can be salvaged, it looks in remarkable shape considering.
 
Bron357 said:
You poor thing. Thank goodness your finger was protected.
Oh my, that’s a significant squish. I’m astounded that all your shoulder melee stayed in their prongs!
I don’t know if the actual ring is salvageable. The shoulder diamonds will have to be removed if the ring shank is to be “beaten back to shape”. I’m not sure how much setting is then left to recreate new prongs for the shoulder diamonds. You need a good competent bench to do that.
Who made your ring? Can it go back to them for repair?
Failing that, my suggestion would be to use the centre mount on a new setting and salvage the shoulder rings and have an eternity ring made with them to signify their eternal protection and love.
Click to expand...

What a beautiful idea re: the melee/eternity band. It made me smile, thank you.

The ring is just so sentimental to me and I think you're right about not much metal being left for prongs. I feel crushed that it was destroyed like this. It will never be the same.

If you have any suggestions for a good competent bench please let me know. I think the jeweler who made it outsources repairs to someone else down the block that I don't trust. I did not have a great experience one time and I do not want to take that risk again.
 
Diamond Girl 21 said:
I'm so sorry that happened to you, but happy your finger and most of your diamonds aren't damaged.

I really think the safest thing would be to have your setting recreated.
Click to expand...
Thank you. I'm trying to think of where I could have that done using the same gold. I wonder if this is even possible.

YadaYadaYada said:
I’m so sorry about your ring, I know that is a terrible feeling to have something so awful happen to a precious treasure.

I don’t have any advice but I just wanted to tell you that even all mashed up it is a very lovely ring and hardly looks like a “bought when we didn’t have money” ring. Maybe the head can be salvaged, it looks in remarkable shape considering.
Click to expand...

Thank you. I appreciate what you said. We really were broke, I just spent so much time lurking on PS that I taught him well enough to know what to do with a limited budget. :P2
 
ProfessorBling said:
Thank you. I'm trying to think of where I could have that done using the same gold. I wonder if this is even possible.



Thank you. I appreciate what you said. We really were broke, I just spent so much time lurking on PS that I taught him well enough to know what to do with a limited budget. :P2
Click to expand...

Well you both did a great job! I hope you can find some way of remaking or rehabbing it.
 
Glad your finger is OK, I know it's heartbreaking and very sentimental, but your ring can be fixed or remade! Check out David Klass, maybe he can help repair or remake? Your ring is gorgeous BTW!
 
I'm so sorry that happened to you. Just awful!:cry2:
+1 on DK!
Many people have been talking about Daniel M's work, might be worth a shot there as well.
 
ItsMainelyYou said:
I'm so sorry that happened to you. Just awful!:cry2:
+1 on DK!
Many people have been talking about Daniel M's work, might be worth a shot there as well.
Click to expand...

Oh, who is that?! :mrgreen2: I'll check him out, thanks!
 
There are some threads on here. He's on Etsy.

Show me your Daniel M goodies!

Goodness knows I have my fair share, but I know he's become really popular around these parts and I want to see what PSers have been keeping him busy with! I'll post my treasures later, I have to go make dinner...
www.pricescope.com
 
ItsMainelyYou said:
There are some threads on here. He's on Etsy.

Show me your Daniel M goodies!

Goodness knows I have my fair share, but I know he's become really popular around these parts and I want to see what PSers have been keeping him busy with! I'll post my treasures later, I have to go make dinner...
www.pricescope.com
Click to expand...

Yes, you are the best! Most appreciated.
 
ProfessorBling said:
So I was closing the trunk of my car about 15 minutes ago when my hand (mostly right ring finger) got slammed in it. I screamed because it hurt like hell. I look down at my finger to see my ring warped. Small cut on my swollen finger.

My heart is broken because this ring means the absolute world to me. My husband bought it while he was in school and we were pretty broke. He told me that love saved my finger to try and make me feel better.

The jeweler who made it also made other rings for us. He is great and I enjoy buying from him. Repairs are a different story though, I am not sure I trust him to do a good job. I know this from experience, it is not him it is the person he outsources the work to. I already have one ring that looks black on the shoulder from where it was cut in the wrong place and then sloppily put back together.

Any advice? I am literally crying right now. I know PS would feel my pain.

Thank you. :cry2::cry2::cry2::cry2::cry2::cry2::cry2:

IMG_7796.jpegIMG_7792.jpegFullSizeRender.jpegFullSizeRender 4.jpegFullSizeRender 3.jpegFullSizeRender 2.jpeg
Click to expand...

I’m soooo sorry this happened to you! I would email David Klass with the photos..He‘s amazing…If it’s not salvageable maybe he could melt down your gold so it could be used for the new setting. If you have good photos he could recreate it with the gold. Big hugs! :(2
 
MamaBee said:
I’m soooo sorry this happened to you! I would email David Klass with the photos..He‘s amazing…I think he could fix it without a problem. Big hugs! :(2
Click to expand...

Thank you for the hugs! <3
Another for DK huh, this guy must be magic!

The more I look at it the more I see how sentimental I am. I don't want it to lose its "essence."

I think my first stop will have to be the jeweler it came from. And I'll bring the other ring that got messed up a bit to express my concerns. Maybe he can cast a new one with the same gold. *shrugs*
 
I'm glad your finger is ok!
Love did save your finger.

While it could with a great bench-person maybe be put back into some semblance of its former self the odds of other problems popping up are very high and it would never be the same.
I am not a fan of trying to fix rings with this level of damage because even with a very good bench-person there is only so much they can do.
Just for example bending an area back, it may look fine but have a bunch of micro-cracks and cracks on the inside that make it very unstable.
 
What a gut and heart-wrenching experience! :eek-2:

Do you live/work in or near NYC; I think maybe you do because you've mentioned a Diamond District vendor. If so, may I suggest that you make an appointment to confer with Greenwich St. Jewelers in lower Manhattan:
www.greenwichjewelers.com

Services | Greenwich St. Jewelers

Services | Greenwich St. Jewelers
www.greenwichjewelers.com www.greenwichjewelers.com
www.greenwichjewelers.com

Luxury Jewelers | NYC Jewelry Store | Greenwich St. Jewelers

Discover Greenwich St. Jewelers, your premier NYC jewelry store. Shop online for exquisite jewelry pieces from top designers.
www.greenwichjewelers.com www.greenwichjewelers.com

They have their own, in-house bench (so won't be sending out the ring to have the work done elsewhere) with years of experience with laser welding (eliminates having to use a torch), restorations, and repairs. And they do design and fabricate jewelry pieces as well.

I've only had them do more minor work (re-sizings and mounting a colored gem into a vintage setting I found on eBay), but I was there when another customer picked up an antique ring she had had them repair and restore & they'd done a wonderful job (she showed me the before pics she had taken). Plus, imo they are a terrific brick-and-mortar jewelry store where it's fun to simply browse because of the eclectic nature of their merchandise & non-pushy sales staff.

I would not use DanielM for this kind of project. Leaving aside my own feelings about how he left a number of PSers "in the lurch" 4-5 years ago, if you take a look at his etsy ring inventory, you'll see nothing there that resembles your e-ring:
www.etsy.com

View r i n g s by danielmjewelry on Etsy

Shop Daniel M by danielmjewelry located in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Top shop for gifts. Buyers bought gifts from this shop and gave them 5-star reviews!
www.etsy.com www.etsy.com
He may be capable of handling the work you'd want him to do, but because his etsy listings do not demonstrate that this kind of work is "in his wheelhouse," I would eliminate him from consideration were I in your shoes.
 
ProfessorBling said:
Thank you for the hugs! <3
Another for DK huh, this guy must be magic!

The more I look at it the more I see how sentimental I am. I don't want it to lose its "essence."

I think my first stop will have to be the jeweler it came from. And I'll bring the other ring that got messed up a bit to express my concerns. Maybe he can cast a new one with the same gold. *shrugs*
Click to expand...

He is magic…Years ago I had an inexpensive moissanite ring that had a terrible bezel. It was cheap but I wanted to keep it. It was going to be my travel ring…I emailed him to see if he could fix the bezel on the 10k ring. He didn’t make me feel that it was below him to fix this ring. I named the ring “Wonky” because it was wonky..haha When he finished fixing the bezel..he renamed it “Miss Wow”. It looked so much better…I was very impressed that he would treat me like someone who sent him a very expensive ring to repair. He has a customer for life. Since that time I have spent many thousands of dollars for absolutely beautiful settings made by him. I only recently had contact with his business partner, Amy..They are not only talented but equally nice..which is very important to me.
 
P.S. Don't be surprised if the idea of reusing the gold meets with resistance or outright refusal. The ring can't be simply melted down (after removing the stones) and the gold used without further ado. There will be, e.g., impurities because of the solder. Here's one of the PS threads with greater discussion of the problems:

Which jeweler will melt and reuse metals?

Hi! I have some settings that I no longer wear anymore and am wondering which jewelers will reuse the metal? Any advice would be appreciated!
www.pricescope.com

Also, the sad reality is that there are some less-than-candid jewelers who say they will reuse the gold, but they actually send the stone-less piece, along with their other scrap metal, bench sweepings, etc. to a refiner such as Hoover & Strong for cash or a credit -- and don't tell the trusting customer that the new ring does not in fact contain any of the old ring's gold/platinum.

I'm not saying there's no way that it can be done. But wanted to let you know that it's more problematic than many people realize.
 
Thank you MamaBee. I had DanielM put two crappy moissy's into a cuff ring with gold bezels. The price was very fair and he did lovely work.. Thank you for your update!
 
ProfessorBling said:
Any advice? I am literally crying right now. I know PS would feel my pain.
Click to expand...

Lovely ring -- and a stroke of good luck, not bad, imo.

Spouse's plain-vanilla e-ring saved her finger from getting crushed by a filing cabinet she was moving. It was out of round for years.

But I hear what you are saying. May need to start from scratch again. Should be a world easier to hand it to someone with a "make me another" request than to describe an as-yet-unmade ring with a hundred back-and-forth iterations like a lots of threads...
 
an option is have the center stone removed and keep the setting for a keepsake then have a new ring made for the center stone..
 
I follow Calla Gold's blog
she is in Santa Barbara
This has her written all over it
if you arnt in a hurry take a look at her web site to get some ideas just incase the ring can't be repaired to exactly as it was before

im sad this happened but im more happy you still have a finger
 
@ProfessorBling - Congratulations on still having all your digits! Good job, little ring!

But massive commiserations on the state of your lovely ring. I'm so sorry!

I would *heartily* suggest David Klass Jewelry to fix this - mostly because I just had a repair done on my wedding ring - made in 1910. It looks *so* much better than it ever did! It's just a slim row of 6 point diamonds, but one was shattered and cloudy, the prongs had worn right down, it had a weird, different colored, insert where some jeweler had done a resize and used a different alloy gold, and the whole thing just looked dull and the worse for wear. DKJ swithced out a couple of diamonds for me, rhodium plated THREE times, retipped a bunch of prongs, and just worked a little magic. And yes, they WILL use your gold, if you request that.

Whoever reworks it, make sure you get someone with the skills to do it first go. The more times someone works it over, the more difficult it will be for the next person to fix it, if the person before didn't do it correctly. You need someone who a) has the skills to repair it and b) will treat the project with the respect and effort you'd like to see.

One last thing that just came to mind - I started using DKJ for my very first project because of a thread I read on this board about a remake/repair/rehab somebody did with them - on an eternity band, as I remember. I wish I could find it and I'm sorry I can't. It was a very old ring, and the before and afters were just incredible.

Good luck with this - and, again - well done, little ring!
 
ItsMainelyYou said:
I'm so sorry that happened to you. Just awful!:cry2:
+1 on DK!
Many people have been talking about Daniel M's work, might be worth a shot there as well.
Click to expand...

I was going to say David Klass too
I'm amazed that you were able to remove it from your finger given how crushed the ring is
 
OMG, I'm very happy your finger is okay.

This kind of thing happened to two people I know: My mom, it was crushed in a window, before I was born, she had it maybe a year by then. And my best friend, in a car accident, shortly after she became engaged.

Both rings were taken back to the original jewelers and had to be remade. Both ladies chose to have an exact copy of the original setting. I know that's not your EXACT ring, but it would be made in the spirit of your original.

Whatever you decide, that's one lucky ring, or rather, it brought good luck to you.
 
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