Where would I start if I wanted to "redesign" a ring?

[Wildflower]

I now own my mother's jewelry including her favorite diamond ring. She had it made about 15 years ago and took a 2.5 carat diamond from an antique setting and had it put into a new ring and surrounded it with other diamonds. My mother loved this ring -- and I do not. Part of me wants to keep it exactly the way it is because my mother had it made that way -- and yet I will NEVER wear the ring this way. (I have always thought that the setting didn't do the diamond justice either...)

So... am considering doing something different with the diamonds and ring. But I don't even know what I'd like.

I'm just kinda lost as to where to even begin... has anybody else done something like this and where did you get your inspiration?

 

[mcmahan706]

We have a really great jewelry store here that does its own manufacturing. There was a setting for a ring that I liked on display in the store. It was a 3 stone ring with each of the main stones surrounded by diamonds. The center stone was missing, so you could pick your own center. Since I already had the 3 main diamonds, they created the ring for me in my size, scaled to work with my own stones.

Look for a jeweler who can do their own casting.

 

[atsnowflake]

I designed my own wedding ring, defenetly not the regular type of ring, but I also included 13 large diamond from 2 of my mothers bands.... I know how you feel... that you don't want to ruin your mothers jewllery... I have been there.... my mother died almost 4 years agom I was only 19, so very close to my mothers jewlery... but think of it this way... would your mother really want you to 'have' her rings... but not wear them? locked away in your jewlery box or safe... what use are they? that's the way I thought about it, and my mother would have two.
I took two of her bands, one all diamonds, and one diamonds and sapphires... I used only the diamonds, and saved the sapphires, for future pendants for any granddaughters....

I found it really hard to do as well... but in the end... you use them or not... which would your mother prefer. it's okay not to have the same taste in jewllery as your mother, I never really did.

How to go about it.... draw up idea's that you have, do to a good local jewllery store, and ask if they work with a desiger, and if you could have an apppointment with him/her to make a custom piece. That's what I did... and I LOVE the end result.

Personally I think that you mother would prefer if you wore her jewles... in the same band on or, on a regular bases... just' my thoughts though.

What I would do though... get the rings ect.. appraised... a) so you have very good pictures of the rings, for future generations, it that's important to you b) so you can have the extact weight ect of each stone oen staken apart, also so you can trace the stones....
that's what I did, but I am a historian, thus thing like that are important to me, though not all people.

just my two cents.
whatever you choose to do, I hope you are happy, and enjoy wearing your mothers jewllery, whether in the original form or not... I am sure she is : )
.at

 

[atsnowflake]

for inspirations.... look at rings on the internet, and imagine what your perfect ring would be... don't let your imagination be reigned in, many things are possible, and begin to sketch away.

 

[Wildflower]

Thank you for the replies and encouragement! It's a tough decision...

I did look online for inspiration and it seemed like most diamond rings end up looking like an engagement ring. IMO, anyway.

I'm thinking I may just leave the ring as is and have it enlarged to fit me.

This is what it looks like -- the center diamond is 2.89 carats. I have all the papers on the ring -- it was interesting to read through them. My mom put a LOT of though into creating it, which makes me think I should leave it alone...

Not a great photo -- I took it at night:

 

[Compass Rose]

You know what......I'd leave it the way it was, if it were me. Only because there are so many diamonds there with such a big wonderful focal diamond, that if you decided to designs something else, it just might look very close to just what you have there. You might want to break up some of those stones and put them into another ring or a pendant, and then you could most likely get a totally different look. That ring is so gorgeous! And another thing, I'd definitely go to a jeweler that does his or her own castings and not some boiler plate big box jewelry store that has settings already made up. That's just me. Good luck!!

 

[Wildflower]

I contacted the jeweler that I normally go to and he does do his own castings. I got the feeling that of all the things he does, making something new would be his favorite.

I considered taking some of the emeralds from other rings my mom had and replacing the surrounding diamonds with them. Also considered replacing the main diamond with an emerald but it looked more like an eye.

Just an idea of how it would look if I put emeralds in it (you have to squint a bit to imagine it I think):

 

[jewelie jewels]

xxx