Sizing rings with sodter stones like opal or turquoise

[innerkitten]

How does a jeweler size a ring that has a soft stone in it without the heat cracking the stone?

 

[innerkitten]

I hope you all know I meant softer

 

[Richard M.]

Heat-sensitive stones (that includes nearly everything but diamond) must be removed before soldering. Some rubies and sapphires can take the heat but with new treatments (including glass-filling of diamonds) it's always a risk to solder near a stone.

Rings with opal and turquoise inlay usually can't be resized. Bear that in mind when buying such items.

 

[yowahking]

Heat sensitive stones do not have to always be removed. It is good to be cautious but not always the answer. Taking a ring to someone who actually makes the type of jewelry that you have is key. They know what is the best way to size that type of ring. There are heat resistant materials that is sometimes used to pack around a stone. There is a skill to sizing a ring while the top portion is in water. There are many other tricks used and passed on from one jeweler to another. Risk management is the key. Sometimes it is more risk to remove a stone than to size it. Sometimes the sizing of a ring changes the curvature and therefore makes the inlay pop out, having nothing to do with heat. Sometimes the heat from sizing is nothing compared to the thermal shock of the pickle pot, steamer, or expansiveness of different types of inlay materials next to another. Sometimes the glue holing a stone in causes a problem. Sometimes even the best jewelers have to pass on a job where it is bought in a size 6 and the customer wants it a size 3, not possible in many designs. Occasionally, even the best jeweler takes all the right care and something still happens. Even more reason to find a good jeweler so that they have a way to solve the problem. Some stores are famous for handing a ring back and just saying, sorry, something happened, and we are not charging you for messing it up.
We put lists of stones at the Utrasonic so the jewelers don't forget which ones not to put in. Also at the steamer. Every jeweler has a horror story about trying to help a customer with a ring bought somewhere else and thinking it was a simple job that turned into a nightmare.

 

[innerkitten]

I asked this question because I had a turquoise ring I wanted sized. I brought it to a jeweler who said he could protect the turquoise when he sized it. Got it back today and there are no cracks or fractues that I can see which is good. But there is something very strange, and I can't tell if I'm imagining it or not. The color of the stone looks slightly different. This ring is raw unstabilized turquoise, could what ever he put the ring in have affected the color? It still looks very pretty to me just a bit different thats all.

 

[yowahking]

If the stones are not treated, and they are typical American stones, they will change color eventually. They become more green over time. Heat and chemicals can add to this, but if the stones stayed in the setting, most likely they are very similar or same as you brought them in. With out seeing the ring either before or after, only a guess.