Estate Diamond Ring?

TPF may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others

M

Muncie

New Member
May 15, 2007
1
0
#1
Hello all. I'm a long time occasional lurker and have never posted due to the lack of anything very fabulous to report. However, I recently received what seems to be a very nice diamond ring :tup: with no background on it :tdown:, and I have a few questions. First of all the ring. I think it's estate, but I really don't know. It has a total of 17 diamonds of varying carat weight. It appears to be a main stone of .5, surrounded by four .25 stones, surrounded by twelve teeny tiny stones.

So, my questions are many, and I really appreciate in advance any ideas or answers you may have - it's set in 10k white gold. Is this normal? Does this have any relation to the quality of the diamonds?

I want to get it appraised, but don't know if I should go to a chain or try to find a small shop. Is there a difference in appraisals? How much should I expect to pay for one?

It's sized large - it fits my index finger well. If I were to re-size it, should I do it before or after I get it appraised? Would it affect the value?

Gah! I am sorry for all the silly questions. I'm such a serious dork at this. Thanks all!
 
#2
I would get it appraised at a small shop and I'm not sure how much it would cost, I know some jewelers do it for free, the grade of gold has nothing to do with the diamonds per se, but usually if they use a cheaper gold than they might use cheaper quality diamonds as well, may not be the case but it might be too. I would get it appraised first and then resized if that's what you want to do, but be aware that if you want it sized down, they probably will have to cut into the band.
 
#4
Deiitely have it appraised! Make sure the stones are real, or at least diamonds. The 10kt gold would make me nervous but it does not mean anythigng for sure. You can size it wheneer you want, size really only matters on an eternity band that can't be sized, as far as value. I would have it appraised BEFORE it is bought. You can expect to pay anywhere from $25 to $100 (in our area). A private jeweler will probably get it done more quickly. They should be able to tell you if the dias are real, which I would ask before paying for the appraisal. Good luck!
 
#5
it's hard to imagine high quality diamonds set with 10k white gold. you can get it appraised in a local jeweler, however be honest with you, you can't tell the quality of the diamonds if they are set in the ring. read this article about how to compare diamonds. however if it's just CZ, jewelers usually can tell.

since the resizing should not touch the diamonds, won't make much difference to appraise it first or not. talk to the jeweler, he will probably do both for you.
 
#6
Since there are two things you want to do you can get both done at the same shop.

First find a shop using the yellow pages or referral that says they do custom jewlery/jewelry repair, and appraisals. Next, go there and say you would like to have this ring sized but before they do can they tell you if the stones are real. They can test the dias on the spot in 2 seconds - once the dias have passed the basic test you can ask the shop to size and appraise the ring at the same time.

I am having 4 pieces of jewelry appraised this Friday it is costing me: $75 first piece, $65 2nd, and $55 each addl piece.

Good luck and please do post pics when you get the chance.

Oh - and lastly - my father (a certified gemologist) used to own Pawn Shops in Baltimore and deal with estate jewelry often - my mother has many rings with precious gemstones set in 10K gold - I don't know why they used 10K - but they did, these pieces were old (50+ years), and the value of the pieces was in the gems used and the overall weight of the pieces. I guess what I am saying is don't let the 10K status of the setting deter you from finding out what you have.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top