Sapphire Engagement Ring - Lack of Symmetry?

[brody24]

If it's going to keep you awake at night, by all means get another opinion as to whether anything can be done. But before you spend a lot of money, I still suggest giving it to your fiancee first to be sure whether it bothers her. It may not even occur to her, and if it does, she might be so crazed for the color of the sapphire & beauty of the ring in general that she won't care. Everybody's different. Fix it if she does care.

Thing is, you are currently concentrating on this one imperfection to the exclusion of all else. If you put up an immaculate stone on this forum of jewel nuts, you would still get opinions on why it isn't perfect because we are kind of...um...obsessed. What drives some of us crazy isn't even apparent to most normal people. It may bother her. It may not. She has to wear it. I'll guarantee that in a short time, you won't notice the asymmetry because 1. you're a guy, and 2. jewels aren't your thing & you won't spend your time staring at her hand.

This does illustrate the complications inherent in doing business with friends -- if it doesn't work out, it can be sticky. Hope it all works out -- and I really really want to hear how she reacts when you give it to her, please!!!

--- Laurie

I hear you. And I had a feeling that discussing this topic on a site dedicated to jewelry (with people who are very into the subject), would likely provide me with a view not necessarily reflective of what I would find out there in everyday life. But at the same time, its because the folks on here are so knowlegable that I value their perspective on this, as an objective matter.

I put in an email to my friend, just to see what if anything could be done to straighten it out. If he reiterates that its simply the cut of the stone, then I will have a choice to make.

 

[pregcurious]

And if the problem is simply the shape of the stone? Then I guess the only option would be to try and see if he can have it returned, and to start fresh, picking out a new one

Gosh, no! That is not your only option. Please reread my post. I suggested you go back to the original vendor with the pics. If he will not assist, find another vendor who will. If you give us your general location, we can recommend a vendor.

We cannot tell you exactly why your ring is that way. We've never seen the stone or the ring. That's why people asked you for a picture of the stone unset. We are guessing that that stone itself is crooked in the pavilion (bottom part) and it may be difficult to set straight. I don't know if that means it should be impossible to set it straight.

Also, while we are gem connoisseurs (mostly amateur), I for one do not pretend to be a jewelry construction expert. Maybe one of our vendors will come and give an opinion.

 

[Marlow]

Could be a problem to return the stone. The stone was set - would a trade person accept a return?
The stone is - sorry - used!

 

[Michael_E]

This stone is typical for non-precision cut stones and there are two things which contribute to the look of it being out of square. The first thing is that the dimensions from corner to corner do not look like thy are the same. If the stone is longer across one diagonal than the other, then both sets of sides are going to be different lengths. The best that you can do without re-cutting the stone is to line up one set of opposing sides. Since you have traps which have straight lines against the curved lines of the cushion, you need to have the sides of the center stone lined up as much as possible with the traps, avoiding the comparison between stones.

Tweaking the stone clockwise a little will help, BUT if the stone has rounded corners, the single prongs, no matter how wide will probably not keep the stone square for long. I'm guessing that the stone does have rounded corners and that it just twisted a bit through transport and slight use, contributing to the out of square look.

 

[lambskin]

My jeweler warned me about buying stones that were not cut to certain specifications. He said I might be saving $ on the stone but any irregular stone would need a custom mount and head and that would be an added expense. Now I see what he meant.

 

[lknvrb4]

The stone looks crooked to me in the pictures and it would bother me for sure. I do love the color of the stone though!

 

[iLander]

I call BS on the setter of this stone. Wonky stones happen to all setters and there is some art to the process.

I had the same thing told to me about a ruby. "it's the stone." yeah, bull. Considering it was cut by one of our precision cutters I knew it was a lie. Took it to IDJ and it came out great (thread coming soon )

If it were me, I would send it to ID Jewelry in NYC and ask them to do it again. They have the resources of the entire NY diamond district at their disposal and they will find a way to fix it. Perhaps prongs on the sides and ends or split the difference on the asymmetry. Whatever. It bothers you or you wouldn't have posted it. At least send them a link to this thread and ask Yuketiel what he thinks.

 

[junebug17]

For the heck of it I made the pic smaller just to get an idea of how it would appear IRL - the crookedness isn't as obvious IMO - that said, I can't help but think it's possible to straighten that stone out a bit more, and it does seem to be bothering you so I would pursue having it fixed.

 

[brody24]

I got in touch with my friend real fast, and he said he will come by to NYC to get the ring, and take it back to the setter to see if anything can be done. Fingers crossed that the setter can do something positive with it.

Though this family friend of mine really cares that I not be left unhappy through all this, so I feel like he will find a way to make this right.

But before he comes, I plan to take the ring to a reputable place in NYC so that a pro can at least take a look and share his opinion on what, if anything, can be done. I want an unbiased opinion in person (and not just having my friend visiting the setter himself, without me present). Someone mentioned ID Jewelry in NYC. Is that a good place to visit to get this kind of advice/opinion?

 

[missy]

I got in touch with my friend real fast, and he said he will come by to NYC to get the ring, and take it back to the setter to see if anything can be done. Fingers crossed that the setter can do something positive with it.

Though this family friend of mine really cares that I not be left unhappy through all this, so I feel like he will find a way to make this right.

That's good news. I am sure it will all work out and your FI will be thrilled with the final ring. Good luck and congratulations.

 

[brody24]

Thank you. I am confident that this will all turn out fine in the end because I am luckily dealing with someone who isn't here to screw me over or leave me hanging.

 

[digdeep]

Good for you that your friend is responding so promptly! And also good that you are going to someone independent to get an assessment of what's going on and what the fixes may be. I am not from NYC nor have I dealt with IDJ but you can do a search on Pricescope for IDJ and there are a lot of threads that come up. Now if only ilander would 'spill the beans' about her good experience.......in a new thread of course!
Those who were buying jewelry from IDJ mentioned being members of Pricescope.......not sure that would help you if you visit them for an assessment and repairs, but it wouldn't hurt to mention the association. Good luck.......please let us know how this turns out for you.

 

[Michael_E]

Thank you. I am confident that this will all turn out fine in the end because I am luckily dealing with someone who isn't here to screw me over or leave me hanging.

I doubt if anyone wants to leave you hanging, BUT this will probably be an ongoing problem, unless your fiance is very careful no to bump into anything. In looking back at your three image set it is obvious that the stone has polished, curved corners. Trying to hold on to this stone with four prongs is somewhat like trying to grab a watermelon seed with tweezers. You might be able to do it for a moment, but the least little bump and squirt, off it goes. Curved corners on cushion cuts absolutely NEED to be restrained from twisting and this is very hard to impossible to do with four prongs. I would advise you to make sure to discuss this with the setter and ask if you can come back, (should this happen again), and have those four prongs replaced with two prongs per corner. Better yet, see if they will do that right up front and avoid the problem all together.

 

[brody24]

I took the ring to Diamond District in NYC and had a few place a take a look. Every single one said it just looks like a poor job of setting the stone, and said it looks like something that can be fixed if the setter does it properly. So thats a bit of a relief since it sounds like its something that can be cured.

I will ask about possible additional prongs given the rounded corners.

 

[brody24]

As for stone symmetry, they looked perplexed when I even suggested that maybe its the shape/cut of the stone that is forcing it to sit like that in the setting. Everyone said thats almost certainly not the case.

And I guess I can sort of understand since, looking down at the stone, it simply looks like it needs to be rotated a tiny bit clockwise. Hopefully this can be done.

 

[digdeep]

I'm inserting my opinion here, and the concern I would have is if the bench that did the original work was 'okay' sending it out this way, then will they do a better job the second time around? Or, If the stone 'slipped' as Michael E explained......then a double prong on each corner would provide more safety for the stone/setting--provided it is set correctly. But you know this........see how educated you've become in this process?! You know this setting well and your eye's did not deceive you in what you saw; no matter what we learn it always seems to come back to "trust your gut/instincts"............

 

[brody24]

I'm inserting my opinion here, and the concern I would have is if the bench that did the original work was 'okay' sending it out this way, then will they do a better job the second time around? Or, If the stone 'slipped' as Michael E explained......then a double prong on each corner would provide more safety for the stone/setting--provided it is set correctly. But you know this........see how educated you've become in this process?! You know this setting well and your eye's did not deceive you in what you saw; no matter what we learn it always seems to come back to "trust your gut/instincts"............

No doubt. My first thought when I saw the ring was "wow, it looks great...but why does it look crooked?" I shoudln't have let him brush it off so easily, especially since I want this to be perfect, or as close to perfect as possible.

I will try and find out more about the particular setter my friend is working with, since I understand the concern that, if he did shoddy work the first time around, there is no guarantee he will be skillful enough to get it right the second time. And I will definitely mention to my friend (who is the middleman between wholesalers, setters, etc. and customers like me) that perhaps a double prong in each corner may be best, to at least hear his thoughts.

 

[chrono]

Good to hear that you brought the ring to other shops where they are able to better assess the problem better with the stone/ring in hand. I hope that you'll be able to straighten the stone (no pun intended) and that the original shop is willing and able to do it right this time, especially given their excuse that it was due to the stone, not their skill.

 

[brody24]

Good to hear that you brought the ring to other shops where they are able to better assess the problem better with the stone/ring in hand. I hope that you'll be able to straighten the stone (no pun intended) and that the original shop is willing and able to do it right this time, especially given their excuse that it was due to the stone, not their skill.

This is the main drawback to having my family friend being the middleman: I don't actually know what setter he is using, or who has worked on the ring. So I haven't been able to go directly to X individual with the ring and ask questions. Rather, my friend is going to pick it up from me this week, take it back to the setter, and see what the setter can do.

The people I spoke with weren't pro appraisers or anything. Rather, it was just people behind the counter at a few of the Diamond District stores. But I figure they see tons of rings each and every day, and they would have a feel for whether the issue is one of setting, or simply one of stone shape.

 

[LD]

I'm with Indigoblue on this one. I have a "thing" about symmetry! In fact my friends delight in sending me photos of houses with walls a bit sloped and things like that! Charming!

Anyway, to me, this stone needs to be rotated a tiny weenie weenie bit to the left. It doesn't help because the setter hasn't aligned the prongs well either (ie prongs pulled over the stone at the same angle - or as near as can be achieved).

If the stone has cut issues as well (and it looks like it may be bulkier on one side than the other - under the stone) then this often occurs with coloured gemstones as cutters sometimes try to preserve weight and sacrifice the cut. This can be remedied but I would get it re-set first and leave the cut alone!

 

[brody24]

I'm with Indigoblue on this one. I have a "thing" about symmetry! In fact my friends delight in sending me photos of houses with walls a bit sloped and things like that! Charming!

Anyway, to me, this stone needs to be rotated a tiny weenie weenie bit to the left. It doesn't help because the setter hasn't aligned the prongs well either (ie prongs pulled over the stone at the same angle - or as near as can be achieved).

If the stone has cut issues as well (and it looks like it may be bulkier on one side than the other - under the stone) then this often occurs with coloured gemstones as cutters sometimes try to preserve weight and sacrifice the cut. This can be remedied but I would get it re-set first and leave the cut alone!

I am hoping just a tiny rotation can fix the issue. And yes, I noticed that the prongs seem to be imprecise. Some are higher than others (notice how the stone slopes downward in the side shot and isn't entirely flat?) Someone mentioned that, with cushion cut and rounded corners, 4 prongs aren't always enough to hold it tight and secure, so I will ask about possibly having double prong on each corner.

 

[chrono]

I am hoping just a tiny rotation can fix the issue. And yes, I noticed that the prongs seem to be imprecise. Some are higher than others (notice how the stone slopes downward in the side shot and isn't entirely flat?) Someone mentioned that, with cushion cut and rounded corners, 4 prongs aren't always enough to hold it tight and secure, so I will ask about possibly having double prong on each corner.

I noticed one side being higher than the other side too but cannot tell whether the setter is trying to compensate for an uneven girdle or something else.

 

[brody24]

I am hoping just a tiny rotation can fix the issue. And yes, I noticed that the prongs seem to be imprecise. Some are higher than others (notice how the stone slopes downward in the side shot and isn't entirely flat?) Someone mentioned that, with cushion cut and rounded corners, 4 prongs aren't always enough to hold it tight and secure, so I will ask about possibly having double prong on each corner.

I noticed one side being higher than the other side too but cannot tell whether the setter is trying to compensate for an uneven girdle or something else.

Will know soon. My friend comes back to NY on friday to pick up the ring, and bring it back to the setter. He said he won't leave me in a situation where I am unhappy with the ring, so its encouraging to at least have a reliable person, especially when not everything goes entirely smoothly.

 

[GliderPoss]

I think the colour & setting are beautiful! Agreed the cut of the stone is the likely culprit as to why is seems slightly crooked - personally I might have never noticed unless specifically pointed out...

As Michael E says - a delicate pointed double-claw setting may be more secure and I suspect also give the illusion of being straight by "filling out" the corners a little where it is rounded - know what I mean? Best of luck.

 

[brody24]

Friend came to pick up the ring, and take it back to setter. Much happier with it now. As you can see, for all intents and purpose, it is now straight. You would have to bring the ring seriously close to your face, and in bright lighting, to notice the slightest bit of asymmetry now (see the super close up pic, which is unrealistically close, since no one would ever have their face an inch from the ring)

 

[Marlow]

As I told you - it is not the stone!!!

So everything is fine !

 

[digdeep]

So glad it worked out to your satisfaction! Congrats! Now you owe us a pic with the ring on her hand after you propose.......that's a tradition here too!! CONGRATS!!!

 

[junebug17]

Oh my, what a difference! So glad it worked out!

 

[brody24]

UPDATE: She said yes, and absolutely loved the ring! Pics will be posted soon!

 

[missy]

She said yes, and absolutely loved the ring! Pics will be posted soon!

Congratulations on your engagement and the ring!!! WOOHOO!
Looking forward to seeing your pics.