Estate Settings and Semi-Mounts

[velouriaL]

Another user, Laurenthepartier, put together a GORGEOUS right hand ring with an estate mounting she got a great deal for on e-bay and a pretty sapphire her b&m jeweler sourced. (Thread Here)

Which got me to thinking... I''ve seen some pretty estate/vintage/antique/(whatever!) settings and semi-mounts on ebay but have always been afraid (like with most things on ebay) to bid.

Does anyone know what to look for in an older setting? How do I know it''s ready-to-set with a center stone or if a benchman would have to do major reconstructive surgery to make it functional? Any other suggestions? Any first-hand experiences?

 

[glitterata]

I''ve done that. It''s tricky, since genuine antique settings are likely to need repair, which can add up. However, it won''t necessarily add up to anything like as much as a new setting, and the workmanship in some of the old settings can be much nicer than the average mass-produced stuff you find today.

My strategy is to avoid all new, reproduction settings on ebay, since they''re likely to be low quality, and go for genuine old settings that are well photographed (or extremely cheap--so cheap you don''t mind throwing them out if they turn out not to be any good). You''ll sometimes find a private person selling off the setting from Great-Aunt Phyllis''s ring, after removing the diamond to reset. Or maybe an antique dealer who doesn''t do much jewelry will happen to have one. Look carefully for damage, especially to the prongs from removing the stone, and overall wear if it''s made of gold.

Platinum will be more expensive, and more expensive to repair. But it will also hold up better over time--some old gold settings get rubbed and worn pretty badly.

I ended up with a quite nice platinum and diamond setting that I used for a tsavorite. The setting itself cost in the $200 range, and I had to have the head cut out and replaced with a whole new platinum head for another $200. The result looks very good and cost much less than a new setting that wouldn''t have been as carefully detailed.