Heirloom diamond

[vink]

My mom just told me recently that she wants to give me a diamond ring that my dad gave to her. This diamond ring used to belong to my grandma so it has a history. She said the ring itself is so small now and she expect me to come up with the design and setting for it.
(I'm already given many of her "meaningful" jewelry, except this one, and all of them, i keep them as is. So, I think she really expect me to wear it. My mom's finger and build is much smaller than mine.)

What do you usually do with this kind of jewelry? Do you wear them daily? Or do you keep it for special occasion? The diamond itself is a 2.xx carat round diamond. That's all I know. I already have both special occasion pieces and daily pieces. So, either design will be good for me. And I think I want to keep it a ring.


Any opinion or even design suggestion will be greatly appreciate.


I even started going through the engagement ring thread looking for ideas, but couple with the fever I'm having for the last 2 days, all the blings get me dizzy fast. Everyone here has beautiful e-ring and many of them just take my breath away. Even though I have no clue about the setting and all the technical term, I still learn a lot within the last couple of days. You girls are so knowledgeable in the subject I feel like I've been living under a rock.


So, please feel free to share your opinion. I really have no clue here.

 

[NYC Chicky]

I've gotten similar rings from my family / in laws, I've had a new ring made but replicated the setting in my size. Another I just sized it to my finger. Another i am also still deciding what to do, but am leaning towards making a fun setting that can be worn like a cocktail ring.
I love the Art Deco look and settings like that but ones which are more minimal.
You may also want to get the stone checked with a jeweler or gemologist because if it has some chips in it etc (if it's old it may because I have one like that) so I kept it in more of a protected setting all around it.
Good luck and have fun. You mom wants you to wear it so you remember them - you may want to pick her brain for ideas too

 

[Minty Tea]

It would depends on several factors. Since your mom wants you to wear this heirloom, does she mean as a daily occurrence or just once in a while? Do you want to keep it as a ring? Or are you open to having it reset into a pendant?
If you want to wear it as a ring, then you could just resize it if you like the current setting. Or you can just get a new setting. If you think you would get more wear if it is a pendant then you can reset into a pendant.

I have inherit several items from my grandmother, mom and MIL and depending on the size and quality of the stones, I had it reset accordingly. The high quality ones were set into a pendant and ring and the others (smaller & lower quality) were set into a diamond bangle (I had to purchase more stones of similar size to make it look nice.) There are few other items that I left as is as I'm not totally in love with the designs and it would cost too much to design/reset them. My children can deal with that when they inherit them.
Go to a jeweler and browse through the designs. Try on and see which style you like. GL

 

[cdtracing]

Could you post a picture of the ring? Sometimes, the antique or vintage setting suits the stone. It really depends on if you like the style. If you do & want to keep it as original as possible, you could have the setting replicated. I have family pieces that have been given to me & I usually leave them original. I've had shanks replaced to fit my finger as the original shanks tend to be thin due to wear & age.

And like Minty Tea has said, the stone could be reset into a pendant. If you plan to wear the piece regularly, it's a good idea to have it checked out by a jeweler to have any repairs made, prongs replaced, ect to keep the setting secure.

 

[vink]

Thank you for everyone's kind suggestions. I already talked with my mom. She said she wants it to be a special occasion ring.

The old setting is a classic Tiffany style (?) in silver/platinum. (My jewelry knowledge is very little to none. Let alone the English term.) I like the tone of the metal, but I don't like the style. I'll see what the local jeweler can do.

Thank you very much.

And this is the ring's photo. It's so small on my super fat finger. (I wear size 8.5. My ring is even bigger than DH.)

 

[goldengirl123]

My mom took her mother's engagement ring and had it made into a beautiful necklace so she could wear it every day. I know you mentioned possibly keeping it as a ring, but if you already have special occasion and daily pieces and are looking for a way to wear this daily, a necklace might be a good way to go. I think your stone would look stunning set as a bezel-style necklace.

 

[Peppi1975]

Thank you for everyone's kind suggestions. I already talked with my mom. She said she wants it to be a special occasion ring.

The old setting is a classic Tiffany style (?) in silver/platinum. (My jewelry knowledge is very little to none. Let alone the English term.) I like the tone of the metal, but I don't like the style. I'll see what the local jeweler can do.

Thank you very much.

And this is the ring's photo. It's so small on my super fat finger. (I wear size 8.5. My ring is even bigger than DH.)

View attachment 3162879

Vink, do you have a budget in mind for the reset?

 

[vink]

Vink, do you have a budget in mind for the reset?

Not really. I only have the intention to use my mom's ring as the main stone. And I'm sure I won't go for the slim delicate band. I look better with the thicker band. And the metal color must be in silver array. I'm thinking about using gold then coat it with platinum. I'm sure I want to add some more smaller diamond to the design. I still have to find the best way to put the idea together though.

 

[Peppi1975]

Not really. I only have the intention to use my mom's ring as the main stone. And I'm sure I won't go for the slim delicate band. I look better with the thicker band. And the metal color must be in silver array. I'm thinking about using gold then coat it with platinum. I'm sure I want to add some more smaller diamond to the design. I still have to find the best way to put the idea together though.

Also, can you clarify if you intend to wear the redesigned ring as an engagement or right hand or cocktail ring. I collect pics of rings I like for when I get a chance to source or reset a stone. I would love to share some of them, but it would be helpful to understand which direction you would like to go or what type of designs appeal to you. For example, what do you think about something like this: