Setting questions

[My Diamond Girl]

Hi! So I have a question... My hubby and I purchased a diamond garland band and have had issues with it since. The larger diamonds in the setting are being held in with one prong on each side, but not shared prongs between the larger diamonds. The prongs for the larger diamonds are holding in smaller diamonds lower down the prongs (so it is larger diamond, smaller diamonds lower in the setting, larger diamonds, etc). Immediately after purchasing I noticed 5 loose diamonds, so the place we purchased it through sent to their jeweler. It came back with some of the prongs disfigured and the same loose diamonds. So it was sent out again to another jeweler through place of purchase. After receiving it back, they retipped the prongs (uneven, craters, some sharp) four of the same five diamonds still loose. They are now telling me the diamonds in this setting type are supposed to be loose. I was told by a couple of private jewelers they are not supposed to rock in the setting as they will destroy the prongs. I am trying to figure out if this type of setting can be a constant problem and if it is normal that diamonds can be slightly loose in this type of setting without issue? My thoughts are what they are telling me is untrue and diamonds should be tight in the setting. Also, if I insist they remake the ring (same setting style), could this solve the issue with the loose diamonds? They offered to send it to the jeweler for the third time, but I'm not sure if anything they do besides remaking the ring will fix the issue? Thank you so much for any insight you can give me!

 

[adlgel]

Can you post a picture(s) of the ring? I think people will be better able to provide advice when they see exactly what the ring looks like.

 

[tyty333]

Ditto... Pictures really are necessary. It's hard to give advice when you can't really see the problem.

 

[My Diamond Girl]

Thank you both so much! Here is a photo from the internet of the exact ring I have. The larger diamonds sit up higher than the smaller ones.

 

[My Diamond Girl]

The smaller diamonds are all tight in the setting, but the larger diamonds are the ones giving me issues.

 

[bludiva]

pretty sure diamonds shouldn't ever be loose in a setting unless you are buying something like this

 

[adlgel]

I find it unusual that the larger stones are only held in with 2 prongs each. That seems fundamentally insecure unless there is some other aspect of the setting that is not visible which is helping to secure them. Can you post a profile pic of the ring?

 

[distracts]

Hi! So I have a question... My hubby and I purchased a diamond garland band and have had issues with it since. The larger diamonds in the setting are being held in with one prong on each side, but not shared prongs between the larger diamonds. The prongs for the larger diamonds are holding in smaller diamonds lower down the prongs (so it is larger diamond, smaller diamonds lower in the setting, larger diamonds, etc). Immediately after purchasing I noticed 5 loose diamonds, so the place we purchased it through sent to their jeweler. It came back with some of the prongs disfigured and the same loose diamonds. So it was sent out again to another jeweler through place of purchase. After receiving it back, they retipped the prongs (uneven, craters, some sharp) four of the same five diamonds still loose. They are now telling me the diamonds in this setting type are supposed to be loose. I was told by a couple of private jewelers they are not supposed to rock in the setting as they will destroy the prongs. I am trying to figure out if this type of setting can be a constant problem and if it is normal that diamonds can be slightly loose in this type of setting without issue? My thoughts are what they are telling me is untrue and diamonds should be tight in the setting. Also, if I insist they remake the ring (same setting style), could this solve the issue with the loose diamonds? They offered to send it to the jeweler for the third time, but I'm not sure if anything they do besides remaking the ring will fix the issue? Thank you so much for any insight you can give me!

The diamonds are not supposed to be loose. With bands where the same prongs are holding in multiple diamonds, it is often the case that once a structural integrity issue has been introduced, it spirals and is difficult to fix. Completely remaking the setting is more likely to solve the problem - if they use a competent jeweler. If they will not completely remake the setting, or it comes back again with loose diamonds, then see if you can return for a refund.

The other jewelers who said that diamonds cannot be loose or they will chew through the prongs are correct.

Quite frankly, if the jeweler you bought the ring from is telling you the diamonds are supposed to be loose, I would do your absolute best to return the ring and then never do business with this jeweler again as they have proven they either know nothing or are fine lying to you.

I find it unusual that the larger stones are only held in with 2 prongs each. That seems fundamentally insecure unless there is some other aspect of the setting that is not visible which is helping to secure them. Can you post a profile pic of the ring?

This is normal for garland bands. Check out Blue Nile's as an example.

Garland Diamond Eternity Ring in Platinum (2.5 ct. tw.) | Blue Nile

Delicate in design, elegant in form, this masterfully crafted diamond eternity ring features brilliant round diamonds fashioned into a contemporary garland design. To prevent harsh damage to the exposed diamonds, we recommend wearing this ring alone.

www.bluenile.com

Same thing with the Brian Gavin Aurora band, it looks like:

#JOTW - Dreamer's new (to me) Aurora band!

To briefly bring the bling story up to the present 8) , I decided to sell my solitaire engagement ring for a small profit to benefit my family, among other reasons. Thank you rising diamond prices! But I am not so selfless as to go blingless. So I hunted, and pondered, and looked into my...

www.pricescope.com

 

[My Diamond Girl]

Bludiva... Lol! That is what I thought.

Thank you both again!
The larger diamonds sit where the holes are cut into the setting to let light in from the back, but are only held in the holes by the two prongs on the top. The place I purchased it from are trying to tell me it is normal for the diamonds to be loose and it was sent out to two different jewelers and came back both times with the same loose diamonds. I really like the ring and got a good deal on it, but this has been an ongoing frustration. They offered to send it out again, but I am pretty hesitant. I hope I attached the correct profile shot?

 

[distracts]

I should also add that this IS a ring style that will require some amount of babying - no lifting heavy things with the hand wearing the ring etc. So if you wore it for a while before the diamonds became loose, it could very well be that you caused the issue. I'm not expert enough to know why they can't repair it other than knowing that a lot of jewelers aren't very good at more complex repairs and it's harder to repair things like this.

 

[My Diamond Girl]

Thank you, Distracts! You confirmed what I was thinking! I am at a crossroad, so I figured I would get an opinions from others who know jewelry. I got a good deal on the ring, but I do not want to not wear it for fear of losing diamonds. I have a few different options right now... Return the ring, send it to their jeweler again, or pay to have it fully remade with more prongs. I received a quote from David Klass upon reading threads here and looking at his work (beautiful!), but the ring is brand new. To purchase just the diamonds would cost more than I purchased the ring for (same clarity/color), so I have been torn. So I appreciate all of the help!

 

[My Diamond Girl]

Unfortunately, I have never been able to wear the ring. We bought it back in November of 2020 and since it has been to two jewelers (place of purchase sent it to) first to fix the 5 loose stones (but they just destroyed the prongs, same stones were still loose) and the second time to fix what the first jeweler did and tighten the stones (just retipped and same 4 out of the 5 original loose stones when I picked it up). It's been an extremely frustrating process!

 

[Lookinagain]

I think you should return it. It does you no good to have a ring you are afraid to wear for fear of losing diamonds. And having it sent for repairs a third time doesn’t sound promising. I know you think that you got a good deal but it’s not one if the ring isn’t made well.

 

[distracts]

Thank you, Distracts! You confirmed what I was thinking! I am at a crossroad, so I figured I would get an opinions from others who know jewelry. I got a good deal on the ring, but I do not want to not wear it for fear of losing diamonds. I have a few different options right now... Return the ring, send it to their jeweler again, or pay to have it fully remade with more prongs. I received a quote from David Klass upon reading threads here and looking at his work (beautiful!), but the ring is brand new. To purchase just the diamonds would cost more than I purchased the ring for (same clarity/color), so I have been torn. So I appreciate all of the help!

I would just return it. You're not wearing it. You don't know for sure that the people this jeweler is sending it to can even remake it to not have problems, if they haven't been able to repair it in multiple attempts. As lookinagain said, it does you no good to have a ring you can't wear, and it's not a good deal if you can't wear it.

 

[denverappraiser]

Good advice from @distracts.

This 'jeweler' is either a liar or a fool. Possibly both. Loose diamonds are a very bad thing. The movement of the stone eats up the prongs, which makes it looser, and this continues until it falls out, which may not be that long. They're wrong about the holes behind the stones too. No light is coming from the back anyway. Your finger is in the way. Those are there to facilitate cleaning (which is a good reason, by the way. You want these holes, that's just not the reason).

Just for techy education, the way these are supposed to work is the two prongs work in opposition to the seating ring, which is the little wire circle under the stone. It's the edge of that hole you see. The ring holds the stone up, and the prongs hold it down. Setting them properly is tricky but, if done well, it isn't fundamentally a problem. If done poorly it's almost guaranteed to fail. Retipping does nothing because worn tips isn't the problem.

 

[My Diamond Girl]

Lookin again and Distracts... Yes, you both are so right... It isn't a good deal if I can't wear it... Thank you so much!!

Denverappraiser.... Thank you and thank you so much for the education and explaining everything to me! I am learning so much and I really appreciate it!