i would like to have my engagement ring melted down and remade. i am tired of the company who holds its warranty and would like to go with a more reputable one. and the only way i can have my ring and wear it too is to have it remade... so for anyone who has had a ring (with diamonds) melted down and remade into a new ring how much money can i expect this to cost?
ring has lifetime warranty as long as i get it cleaned and inspected every 6 months. if it needs work it is covered but they have done such poor quality work that i am weighing my options and trying to get an idea of cost. there is no jewler in my town that does on site work so i have to drive an hour to the next town for any jewelry decision i make
i want to be informed before i go
Tadpole,
Just go to a reputable jeweler and look at the settings you are interested in.
Ask the jeweler if he/she can melt the metal you already have to help make the new setting or just sell the gold to the jeweler and use that money to make the new setting.
I would guess - depending upon the amount of gold or whatever other metal you are using - and their labor costs to be about $2K. Maybe less...who knows.
The cost depends on the quality of the gold and diamonds in your current ring. Have you had it appraised by someone other than the jeweler you don't like? Start with a good appraisal... about $100.
Then talk to the person you want to do business with to discuss costs based on design you want? Etc.
I'm not familiar with a warranty on jewelry. Are you talking about some sort of insurance through a jewelry company on your ring?
We use a very good jeweler to maintain appraisals for personal and insurance records.
there's just no way to answer this. it depends entirely on whom you choose to do the work, and what you want done. it could be anything from 1 or 2 hundred for something cheap and shoddy, to thousands to have it done and enhanced.
khairete
S.
Lots of people melt down jewelry they don't like and get it remade into another ring, a pendant, some earrings, a pin/broach, etc.
I can think of at least 3 relatives who've done this - not everyone wants to pass a ring down.
The stone from my moms engagement ring had a huge carbon spot flaw in it (my parents got divorced a few years after I was born) and she had it made into a pendant.
How much it will cost will depends on what the ring is made with, what you want it made into and if the jeweler has to add material/stones to complete the design.
Like anything else - take it to several places, tell them what you'd like to do with it and get estimates.
No one in their right mind would have a ring melted down and remade. You have the stones reset and sell the gold. Otherwise you are paying someone to melt it down which takes more away from the amount you would get for the gold. By the way the gold cost nothing compared to the cost of the setting.
My wedding ring is made from all of the stones from my mother's wedding set. She passed away six months before we were married. We paid 3,000 just for the setting and another 1,000 for some new stones.
If you think handing someone a ring will get you a new ring with a few hours pay for work you are sadly mistaken.
I make jewelry. Every single artist/store that does this will charge you differently.
If your ring is under warranty it's possible that you can't do anything to it until it's out of warranty.
In my opinion a ring doesn't usually have it's worth in the metal, it's almost always in the stones.
Go to a designer and show them your ring and see what sorts of settings they have already that your stone would simply move in and sit in. That would still allow the previous metal to be there just in case. But using a precast setting would probably be less expensive than paying them to dismantle your ring, build the mold for the new piece, melt your metal and add to it, then pour your setting. After it's cool they have to file and sand and polish the metal. They have to get it pristine then they add your stone.
It's time consuming and tedious and if it's not exactly what you want you have to pay them to do it over because they've already spent a ton of time and effort towards doing it. It might come out exactly like you want but it might not look what you thought it would look like when it's done. Because you can't see the finished product until it's finished.
You can easily have your ring melted down and reset in any fashion you would like, you can even add more stones. If you can think it, I'm sure they can make it. Also, you do not sell the gold. They use this gold to make the new setting. If your setting is bigger and requires more gold, they will add to it, which of course costs more. Be sure you go to a reputable dealer/jeweler when you do this. I had an entire ring made out of a sapphire pendant, 1 diamond ring and a couple mismatched gold earrings. It was a little under $2,000, 12-15 years ago. It is beautiful and different, which is what I like. Good luck!
Oops, forgot to mention, go to a store where they do the work in the store. You can speak directly to the jeweler who will be doing the work. I went to a family-owned store on 3 different occasions, in 3 different states and had a great experience at each one.
Julie S - why are your comments always so mean? Be nice, this girl just wants some advice. A. {the green piggies :o)}
My brother is a jeweler and I know he would agree with Gamma's post below. Melting down the metal and molding a new setting is not practical or affordable. Most retail jewelers are going to recommend that you get the stones reset using any of the many options they can offer. They'll be able to customize existing settings so the ring looks like you want. But melting down the actual metal of your current ring isn't something most jeweler will want to do. Bear in mind, too, that it wouldn't be just your original metal used if you did get it melted--a jeweler would have to add metal to that, to account for loss in the molding process.
I would just enjoy going to find a new setting.
