QuestionGood Morning! I hope you are doing well! I have a platinum engagement ring and for my 20th wedding anniversary would like to have the platinum melted down and remake the ring adding two sapphires, one on each side. I live in Fairfield CT and from your past responses found you can refer me to a reputable dealer who is qualified to melt platinum or to a professional who can make the new ring from the old. Thank you so much in advance for your time and expertise. Regards, Donna
AnswerHello Donna,
I wonder if your ring should be melted down at all..It is always better If I can see the piece but as you are in Ct that is virtually impossible. If it is a band style ring then modifying it may be an easy task. If it is a solitaire style ring then adding sapphires in a prong settting would be the easiest possible solution, though stylisticly may not be at all to your taste. A good jeweler would make a wax model based on what you want and work the design to your satisfaction of a pre-made mounting is not available. One option is to request the jeweler take the value of the platinum ( you can find the daily market quote at www.kitco.com on all precious metals and should go into any jewelr armed with that knowledge as it shows you know the business and are not an uninformed consumer- and gives you that little bit of leverage that makes all the difference in a pricing negotiation over just saying yes to whatever cost they offer) and apply it to your design.
You can view some ring mountings on RioGrande.com, Eastern Findings.com, Hoover and Strong.com, Handy and Harman, D.H.Fell.com,CGM Findings, or any number of sites to get an idea of the wholesale cost to the jewelr and the styles readily available. I would definitely do some research to see if anything is as you imagine your re-creation to be if so then I can recommend a jewelr that would be willing to work with you on the project. I always warn visitors to this site to avoid chain jewelry stores as they rarely have a bench jeweler on staff and sub contract all their repair or design work out..Independant jewelers are infinitely more versatile and creative and much more affordable, in general offer you a lifetime warranty on the workmanship and stones and most offer an annual rechecking of the settings or prong work to insure the stones are secure.those are all things you want to clarify and get in writing when dealing with any jeweler- particularly in re-making situations.
the Platinum Guild of the US also has a registry of jewelers that work in platinum group metals almost exclusively and from there you may be able to find someone on your own or someone that a friend or colleague has used before to get an idea of their proffesssionality.
Platinum requires higher temperatures to melt, and often a plating of rhodium over the metal is recommnded as it is extremely soft in its higher karat forms. Palladium however is a Platinum group metal that is brighter in colour than Pt and is far cheaper and stronger and requires no additional plating. A good strategy would be to take the value of the platinum in your ring ( based on the weight) and apply it to a Palladium setting if all you want is the white metal ( I always advise people NOT to invest in white gold as it is part nickel and in lower karats , 14 and below you are paying for nickel instead of gold- however,in 18 karat or above it is more reasonable an investment) that will stand up to time and maximize the colour of the saphires you wish to use.
If you own the stones already then you are in a great a position to negotiate on the price of the design , casting ( if no pre-cast mount suits your desires), and stone setting method, finishing and plating if necessary. You can find nice gemstones on online auction sites and direct from gemstone sellers ,most often far below what any jeweler would charge as they have to make some profit!
In your case if you have the stones, the metal, a design in mind, or a band (that is as wide and as deep as the stones are plus a couple of extra mm's of metal for working room and aesthetics- enough to flush set stones if that's what you were thinking of, you are more than half way there as far as raw materials go. it is then a matter of design finalization, agreeing on a method of fabrication ( casting a unique design vs. buying a mount in which the stones are simply dropped in and prongs fitted to the specific gems, tightened or burnished as in a bezel type setting ,or making a direct casting in delft clay, cuttlebone mould made directly from the ring to capture any details of your piece that you want reflected in the modification or re-make , and a labour fee you are done. If the jeweler won't agree to applying the value of the weight of the metal to the project fee, then you may want to sell the metal ( after removing the stones yourself 9 easy with a pait of regualar fingernail clippers!) and using the proceeds to pay the bill.
If the metal is of sentimental value that is an entirely different matter as most refiners that would ordinarily buy the metal after assaying it will not return the exact lot you submitted ( that is if you had a small quantity of a single metal and wanted to sell it for a return much like the "cash 4gold " adds on TV) whereas a small jewelry store that actually does their own bench work will be able to melt it pour it either into a mould for sheet or rod or use it in the lost wax casting or injection processto create the new piece.
You should measure the stones you want to use with a caliper to know exactly what you have, what you need and to be informed and articulate in general as that will perhaps affect the bottom line costs. An informed consumer is a good consumer even in dealing with luxury goods, and particular in dealing and collaborating on a designers vision compared to what you want.If they perhaps suggest just adding some prong settings to the band and then setting the sapphires you are talking about a job that shouldn't take an hour if you already have the stones and the artisan has the correct size setting(s) in stock or can easily cut a seat into the band as it is and drop in the sapphires and finishthe piece again it is a quick processand not that expensive. In fact flush setting stones into a band type ring is actually cheaper and you have the right to ask for the removed metal back though it will be powder or ask to deduct that value from your costs .I do that when appropriate, some do not ever return metals to the customer and some charge you for each cut they make- it depends entirely on the jewelry artisans ethics or one's bosses policies!
Nonetheless, I hope from this you have gleaned what information you need. If you need me to clarify anything or explain things further don't hesitate to contact me again!. I wish I had a photo of wht you want to modify- that would help immensely so if you so write again,describe the band you have and the settings so I can be more definitive.I will also contact a few colleagues near Fairfield and inquire in your behalfregarding their experience with platinum group metals and whether or not they use a laser to nake the joins or a torch.Also on this site you can make this a private conversation, please do that if you are sending any details as security is always a good measure when discussing objects of value..
Best Regards, Ari
