Introduction:
According to diamond expert, William Goldberg, the keyword when considering buying a diamond ring is “buyer beware.” He warns that it’s easy to get fooled into thinking you are getting more for your money when really there isn’t any more in the ring. The way your ring will look after retipping is determined by a few key factors such as how much metal is being removed, and how thin the band becomes after setting stones and jewelry repair store dings. This is because of what’s called ‘reflection,’ which means how much light reflects off the diamonds – or if it all bounces off them – before it hits your eye.
If the stone is set too high, you will get a diamond with shine and brilliance. If the stone is set too low, then the light reflects off it before hitting your eye. Your fingers might get all wrinkled up, but if you have a ring that shines and sparkles, you never really notice such a minor inconvenience.
Ring Thickness:
The thickness of your ring determines what happens to it after retipping. A normal gold band ranges from 2mm to 3mm in width. Add another 0.5 mm for the width of your diamond setting, and you’re already approaching four millimeters – where thin gets tricky in terms of maintaining ring integrity. If you cut the ring down to 3.5 mm or 2.5 mm, and then retip, the ring will look like it’s going to be dented or cracked after a while.
So what can you do?
Find a gold band that is sturdy enough to protect your setting during retipping. The trick is that with rings where the band is thicker – 2mm to 3mm wide – this is difficult because you have more metal on the shank of your ring before the diamonds are set in it. Because of this, there’s always an area on top of the stone where light reflects when you look at it from different angles. If you cut down your ring only .
Keep the ring’s band thicker and wider. If you’re buying a 2mm wide band, then why not get it for 3mm?
Stone Thickness:
The thickness of your stone is also important when it comes to retipping. If you cut down a diamond that is set in a thick ring, such as 1 mm or 1.5 mm, this will look like the ring has been chipped open after you retip because the stone covers up part of your finger during each bounce off your eye. The only way around this is to have an extremely thin stone so that the light will reflect off the ring’s surface before it reaches your eye. If a thinner ring or stone is what you need, then have 2mm of metal removed before retipping so the stone will be set higher on your finger.
If you’re buying a thin stone such as 0.8mm or 0.9mm, then retip the ring to 2 mm and make the ring 3mm in width. Thin stones are hard to find, but get it done and avoid problems with retipping later.
Width of your Original Band:
What happens when a thin band is retipped? First, if you have a thin gold band on your original ring and retip it to 1 mm wide, then this is like taking a skinny person and giving them an extra 24 inches of height. They’ll find it difficult to walk and will likely look like a giant in comparison with everyone else.
The same goes for people with thin gold bands. There are not too many options when retipping a thin band because there isn’t much metal that you can cut from the ring shank before damaging the diamond.
If your original ring has thin gold bands, then you’re best off going with the 2mm wide option because you might have to cut it down to 1.5mm or 2mm if you want to make your retipped ring thicker. If you do this, then you’ll have to compensate by fixing your band to the stone, adding padding and avoiding metal chipping.
If you can’t find a 2mm wide band that fits your ring, then cut it down to 1.5mm before retipping. This will make the ring 4mm in width and still be sturdy enough with a thickness of 3.5 mm or 2.5 mm under the stone.
Conclusion:
Retipping is a standard procedure and has been for many years. There is no surefire way to guarantee the appearance of your ring after retipping, but using the tips discussed above will help you make an educated decision on how to proceed with thin rings, wide rings, thin stones, and wide stones.