# jewelry question/secure stone settings



## Amon-Rukh (Dec 3, 2011)

This summer I got my (now) fiancee a ring which was set with a (loose) ruby to make a solitaire. And it was very pretty and classy and wonderful and good. 
With maybe one small exception. She's always been afraid that the stone is set too high/too exposed and that she would do something clumsy and the ring would somehow be ruined as a result. Over the last few months this didn't seem like it would actually turn out to be a real danger, but then last night she bumped her finger against the spigot very incidentally (I was standing right next to her and wouldn't have noticed that she'd even touched anything if I hadn't heard the "clink" a second later) and the ruby popped right out. 
The result was that our dinner plans were delayed as I put my highly amateur (but apparently sufficient) plumbing skills to the test, and the stone was saved. Then there were tacos. (Which were wonderful and good, albeit not particularly classy.)

So now my questions for people who hopefully have more experience with jewelry than we do: was this a freak coincidence and not something to get super stressed about? Would it be a bad idea to try to have the stone re-set into the same ring or should we try to find a more secure setting instead? Or is it possible to keep the band but replace the current 4-prong setup with something more secure? The band is otherwise plain but cathedral-setting-esque so it has those little arms that kind of come up on the sides and the stone is round cut but slightly asymmetrical on the underside; I'm not sure if either of those things limits possibilities. :scratchhead:
Any advice is much appreciated!


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## Eamon Burke (Dec 3, 2011)

Spike? Spiiiiike?


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## SpikeC (Dec 3, 2011)

It should be able to be reset lower in the same crown, but I would have to see it to tell for sure. I used to be very into horses, and made rings for people who lived in their stables. I usually made rings for them with bezel settings that completely encircled the stone. 
I hesitate to criticize anothers work without seeing it, but setting an asymmetrical stone in a prong setting is a very tricky endeavor. Setting it high in the crown is not advisable.


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## swarfrat (Dec 3, 2011)

Amon-Rukh said:


> .... Then there were tacos. ...


I love a happy ending.


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## Amon-Rukh (Dec 4, 2011)

@ Spike: Thanks for the reply! I think the stone being too high is probably exactly what the issue is. 

@ Swarfrat: Yeah, any night is a good night when it's taco night!


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## sachem allison (Dec 5, 2011)

ummmmm tacos!!!!!!


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## sachem allison (Dec 5, 2011)

swarfrat said:


> I love a happy ending.



me too!


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## Lucretia (Dec 5, 2011)

From a wench's point of view...

Sounds like you're describing a Tiffany setting. If you love the setting, it can also be done with 6 prongs instead of 4. The stone is more securely held and it has the effect of making it look more round, whereas the 4-prong setting makes the stone look more square.

My engagement ring has a 6-prong Tiffany setting, and I rarely wear it in part because the darn thing DOES catch on everything. Not only is the stone at risk, it doesn't feel to good when it happens. I have a ring with a different setting that I wear almost all the time. The band has decorative pieces that come up to the stone--kind of like the side view here: http://www.bluenile.com/platinum-solitaire-engagement-ring_4504 (I don't have this ring and don't know anything about this company--just wanted a photo to show what I'm talking about.) Look at the side view, and see how the ring flows up toward the top of the stone? It rarely catches on anything, since it doesn't have abrupt changes in the shape of the ring.

I like bezel settings a lot, too, but one thing to consider--if you use one and set it down into solid gold (or whatever metal) the stone won't get any light from underneath and you'll lose a lot of sparkle. 

All that said, it's a good idea to ANY ring off when you're working in the kitchen, and especially around moving equipment. Rings can trap bateria and other nasties. And before you swear never to take off that ring, google "degloving" to see what can happen when you wear one where it can catch on something. My mother hen rant for the day.


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