On Jan 22, 9:59=A0pm, Ted Frater wrote:
wrote:
On Jan 21, 9:59 pm, "Peter W.. Rowe,"
wrote:

Thank you for such a detailed reply!!!
Your explanations made perfect sense. With the information you
provided, I will
know what to look for so I can educate myself further. I will also
look for the right place
to have the restoration job done.

I had no idea what I was getting into when I decided to do something
about that ring.
It's really not a small job, is it?
Thanks again!

O.

Ive had a look at the images you posted of this ring.
=A0 Im not a jeweller but a silversmith, so couldnt do the repairs needed.=

However I do know whats good and this ring is in this caqtegory.
=A0 The shank , the gold part that goes around your finger appears not to
be worn, thats in its favour.
=A0 Also the design is quite charming .
=A0 so its well worth restoring. in my view.
=A0 The stones are like Peter has written . most probably =A0set with silv=
er
and the way they are set is called a rub over setting.
In view of its age and theway you would like to wear it, Id say all the
settings need to be replaced, so that it will have another 120 years or
so of useful life.

Now the real question is who is competent to do this overhaul and supply
suitable replacement stones?

Ted Frater
=A0 Dorset UK
Silversmith and minter.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Hello,

Here's a thought, you have nice ring that can be reworked with new
stones all around. The stones in the ring now look dead and have no
life. Many people are suprised to find out that in fact synthetic
stones have been around for hundreds of years. Now I'm not saying
you're stones are man made, but to find stones to match is only one of
the considerations you have to look at. The stones are set in white
gold bezels, and most likley will be worn to a point where they need
replacing to set a new stone. Here in lies the problem, once the ring
is heated to remove the old bezels is when you'll find out what the
stones are. I would even suspect the center stone could be man made,
as I see alot of wear on the facets. I know the ring is very old and
most likely it's just wear and tear. The ring will have to be heated
to release the worn gold so at this point be prepared to be turned
down by alot of jewelers who won't take the chance of having to
replace stones without you knowing the possibility of them popping. I
suggest you go to ebay after you have someone with a millimeter gage
take measurements of the stones, and go with Moissanite. They'er
beautiful and take heat like a diamond, also their very hard and will
resist scratching for years. You'd be supprised at how many people
wearing two carat or more diamonds are really Moissanite. In any
event, these are just suggestions. I have repaired many rings like
this, and you just don't know what to expect until you start working.
Good luck,
Mark