QuestionI am very rough on my rings. I have a invisible setting ring and my diamonds fall out. Can you suggest any way from them falling out. Like maybe outlining the edges with some type of glue. something that bond diamonds and white gold, but hopefully invisible to the eye? Thank you Kitt
AnswerHi, Kit. Sorry you are having trouble with stones coming out of your ring. Unfortunately, the invisible settings are not the strongest and we have seen many with loose or lost stones. These may be beautiful but are not the best for tough wearing.
The stones sort of lock together like tiles with tongue and groove edges and when one loosens, often the others do also.
There are two types of cements I would recommend. Both are strong and can be made almost invisible to the eye. The first is UV glass adhesive, however this requires a black light, strong sunlight or a UV lamp to cure the cement. And, some brands are not water clear but have a slight amber look. You can't really tell the cured color until you use the cement.
So, what to use? The easiest might be epoxy, a two part cement. One brand available from some crafts stores and certainly on the net is Epoxy 330 by Hughes. This has proven to be a superior cement for metals and gemstone combinations. The real advantage is this is unlike other epoxy cements and does cure water clear.
Take the epoxy and mix equal parts on a flat surface, like an old piece of plastic baggie or similar. You can use a toothpick or other small item to do the mixing. The 330 gives you time to work.
Heat the ring slightly over a light bulb or with a hair dryer before application of the cement. Heat makes the cement become very runny and it will literally seep into fine edges and almost disappear. Also, once the cement begins to cure, a little heat now and then will speed up the process. With heat it takes about 30 minutes to cure and left alone about 2-3 hours.
Here is how to apply the cement:
First clean the ring very well and rinse in alcohol. Pat dry and allow to dry completely. Mix the cement well and take a fresh pointed end of another toothpick and get a little cement on the point. Heat the ring. Touch the cement along the outside line of the metal and the stones. The cement will flow in pretty well. Do this all around the stones. Quickly take a lint free tissue(it must be lint free!) and gently wipe off any excess cement that might show.
Set the ring aside and leave the original mixing tool in the unused cement. Don't mess with the ring until all is cured hard. Since the unused cement will cure, when the mixing tool is glued hard to the cement you will know the cement in the ring is also hard and all is ready to wear.
Let me know if this helps and if not clear on the answer, please use the follow-up to get back with me. Best wishes.
God Bless and Peace. Thomas. April 1, 2008 8:25pm
