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Antique Ring Restoration

shannoncw12shannoncw12 member
First Comment
in Just Engaged and Proposals
Just got engaged on November 6th and my fiancé proposed with his great grandmother's 1920's diamond ring with sapphire accents. We dropped the ring off at the jewelers today to get it restored and resized. I can't wait to see the finished product and be able to wear it (it currently fits my pinky).

Has anyone else had an antique ring restored? Show me your pictures!
Here's my before restoration pic!


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Re: Antique Ring Restoration

  • Knottie2a2f3bdfecc93f1fKnottie2a2f3bdfecc93f1f member
    First Comment
    Congrats! I'm in the same boat and terrified that the ring cannot be sized up as much as needed (from 5ish to 8ish). Would love some reassurance from others who have had antique rings sized or restored, etc. 
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  • CMGragainCMGragain member
    10000 Comments 500 Love Its Fourth Anniversary 25 Answers
    edited December 2016
    What do you mean by "restored"?  The jeweler can polish off some scratches, but that is about all.  The interesting mount cannot be easily changed except for size.  What is the metal used in the mount?  Platinum?  10K white gold?  This all makes a difference.  A white gold ring can be redipped in rhodium.  (There is no such thing as real "white gold".  Gold is naturally yellow.
    I have had rings sized from 6 to 9.  The age makes no difference, but the larger the size, the more metal is needed, and you don't want the band to be too thin.  Sometimes a whole new shank is required, which is expensive, and tricky with a ring that has a lot of detail around the band.  Some rings that have engraving all around are impossible to resize without losing some of the design in the back. 
    Always talk to the jeweler who will actually do the work.  Do not use mall sales stores like Kay's, Zales, etc,. for this kind of work.  They send their repairs out to a local jeweler who does the work for them.  They do not have in-house jewelers.
    Congratulations!
    httpiimgurcomTCCjW0wjpg
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  • missJeanLouisemissJeanLouise member
    Eighth Anniversary 2500 Comments 500 Love Its First Answer
    My engagement ring was DH's grandmother's. The band was worn very thin from decades of wear and the jewelers recreated the entire band since it had to be resized as well. Good luck. :)
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  • SaintPaulGalSaintPaulGal member
    500 Love Its 500 Comments First Anniversary First Answer
    My ring is also an antique, although not an heirloom--we bought it because we love vintage things.  I had mine restored by a fantastic local jeweler that deals exclusively with antique rings.  They did a full restoration that included resizing, repairing a couple of the prongs, redoing a couple of spots where the pattern had been lost over the years, and re-dipping it.  (I would have preferred to keep the slightly more "weathered" buttery silver patina the antique white gold had had, but this was the only way to make the new and old bits match.)
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