Resetting opals/jewelry repair

[fredi*frogi]

For some reason the opals in my engagement ring have started to pop up out of their setting. I don't want to give up this ring, but if i can't reset the opals I don't know what else to do! They are lab created, if that makes a difference! 

I'm going to post pics so you guys can hopefully see exactly waht's happening to them!

The phots aren't very good, and I can possibly get better ones if needed. But they are basically trying to slide out of their settings. There are four very small ones, two on each side. I have no idea how or why this would happen and I have no idea how to stop it or put them back in their setting!

Thank you!!!

so you can see what the top looks likethis side isn't as bad as the otheron this side one of them is also cracked.

[fredi*frogi]

They aren't sticking out very far, but I think it will just get worse as time goes on...

I don't wear them if I'm gong to be in water, I take them of to lotion and sleep and shower and pretty much everything, lol. The engagement ring is, however, 7 years old!

[rubiano98]

Opals are fragile and crack easily so if you have them re-set be sure the person doing it understands that. I say this from having a bad experience where a jeweler cracked a large expensive opal resizing my opal & diamond ring.

[rixstuff]

In most cases, when I "repair" opals I end up replacing them because they are too damaged to just pop back in.  As said, they are fragile and accumulate tons of tiny chips, cracks, scratches etc that just wear away at them over time so they are actually SMALLER than when you first got them (even if the shrinkage is too small to detect with the human eye).  Also avoid extreme temperatures (going from hot to cold) or soaking in water that can cause them to crack or even shatter.

There MAY be enough room in the setting to fold it in closer to the stone but most of the time there isnt or at least not enough "wiggle room" to push in closer without making the ring look warped. 

If you are fortunate enough to have some metal overhang on the setting to fold in tighter, be sure to also use some jeweler's cement (a type of epoxy glue) to help keep it in longer (though these epoxys can be loosened and desolved with exposure to chemicals like nail polish remover or gasoline). 

You say it is manmade - is it a lab created REAL opal or an opal simulant (dragon glass?)

[fredi*frogi]

Rixstuff, it's lab created real opal, not glass! (i didn't go all out on my ring, but i kinda went middle road, lol).

To me it just looks like they are flat set in there, not really anything holding them in, which is kind why I thought they were popping out!

[thirry]

fredi, your ring is gorgeous! Lab-created opals are pretty robust, so no major worries about environmental conditions. Basic rule is to not put anything on them you wouldn't put on your own skin.  As far as protecting the current stones I strongly suggest you get a jeweler's evaluation of the setting. Some part of the setting may be wearing unevenly and can maybe be shored up to prevent future loss. Obviously, this would be the time to replace the lost stones so that all of them are protected from here on out. If the idea appeals to you, you may want to check out the possibility of replacing the lab stones with genuine stones. I have a bunch of loose opals that weren't too costly when I bought them. If memory serves, I bought them on ebay.

A.

[fredi*frogi]

Thank you, thirry! I wanted unique this time around and I got it! HAHA

One of them just fell out. Well ok, I was twisting it, like I do all.the.time and the stone broke in half and popped out.

Sigh.

I'll be taking it to the jewelers here soon! I was hoping they could be re-set, but it's basically crumbled, so no re-setting!

[thirry]

Fredi, if I was approaching this situation I'd figure out what size the stones are -- ask the jeweler if necessary. Then ask what the price of replacement stones would be for solid white opals or black opals. Black opals are usually made from a black slab of glass or onyx topped with a thin slice of well-colored black opal, and then topped with a crystal layer. The ones with two layers are 'doublets' and the three-layer ones are 'triplets' -- natch. White opals should be examined carefully to make sure they have reasonable play of color. With black ones it's usually obvious right away.

I've bought solid white opals online for a very reasonable price -- truly not expensive. My treasury tends to chronically run on empty, so I surely wasn't spending any major dollars. It's been a while but I think some of them were from ebay sellers and maybe some others were from one of the dedicated opal sellers.

You'll have to make your own comparison as to the price of imitation stones (Gilsons perhaps?) versus genuine stones.

Making a change of stones sounds like a fresh start regardless of your choice of materials.

A.

[fredi*frogi]

Well I had to run to the town where my jeweler is last nite...and guess which weekday they close early? All of them except Monday.

Sigh.

I get off work at 4:30, takes about 20 to 25 mins to get to jewelers and they close at 5, excpet on Mondays when they close at 6.

I thought they were open till 6 every nite...oops...so next monday I'll have to remember to head over there right after work to see about getting this fixed!

I do like the idea of replacing with real opal, and if I can get them to tell me how big I might be able to purchase the stones myself and take them over there...just not sure.

I also considered replacing the opal with another set of the three clear stones...but that sort of makes it more ordinary. I wanted a moonstone & amethyst ring, but settled for opal and amethyst cuz I couldn't find a moonstone/amethyst I liked. Hubby's b'day is June so his birthstone is either pearl (ah, no, not in a ring I wear almost everyday) or moonstone. My b'day is in February.

FTR I did search amethyst opal rings and I found one I really like. But I probably will not replace it with something else, unless jeweler tells me it's impossible to fix...

[kpamber]

If it is sterling silver and the jeweler sends it out for repair,  plus the opal cost, it might be less costly to replace the ring.  Of course, sentimental value is worth a lot!

[fredi*frogi]

K, i think my jeweler does all repairs in house, but I"m not sure.

I'm leaving next week for vacation, and I won't be able to get it to him until after that. I'll post pics of it fixed if/when I get it fixed 🙂

I'm wondering if mother of pearl wouldn't hold up to daily wear better than opal....hmmm...something to think about. of course I'd really love them to be replaced with moonstone, but I'm not sure that could be done either!

[rixstuff]

While MOP is a little bit stronger, you would also have to avoid extreme temperature changes, anything acid, and can still be just as problematic with chips, cracks, etc over time.

[thirry]

Fredi, moonstone could be a reasonable choice. It's reasonably tough stuff, and harder than opal. Here are the Mohs hardness scale properties of a few things you're considering, as well as a few types of stones further up the hardness scale. Moonstone and opal are readily available as cut gemstones because they're frequently used in jewelry.  Same with tourmaline and topaz. Anyway, food for thought!

Talc = 1

Gypsum = 2

Calcite = 3

(Copper penny surface hardness ~~ 3.5)

Fluorite = 4 (various colors; banded or two-tone stones ava; may scratch or chip due to low hardness and perfect crystal structure. Most fluorite is tumble-polished and not faceted.)

Mother of Pearl is about 2.5 to 4.5 on the Mohs scale -- surely too brittle to be used for every-day purposes.

Apatite = 5 (available in various colors, for some reason often found on shopping channels!)

(Knife/Glass = 5.5)

Opal is about 5.5 to 6 on the Mohs scale (genuine opal may be somewhat harder than glass)

Moonstone is orthoclase feldspar  = 6 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale (moonstone, andularia, sanidine)

Quartz = 7 (amethyst; citrine; smoky; rutilated; rose; rock crystal; agate would be a VERY interesting choice!)

Tourmaline = 7 to 7.5 (comes in MANY colors -- most well known are greens, green shading to pink, or green to white then pink.  Green+Pink and Green+White+Pink are often called 'Watermelon' tourmaline.) Stones with multiple shadings are usually more expensive, natch.

Spinel = 7.5 to 8 (comes in a wide variety of colors, often man-made. Can be used to imitate almost anything. Not sure how widely it's available because I've never looked for it.)

Topaz = 8 ('Imperial'=golden orangey-yellow; virtually always irradiated and heat-treated blue; and various other colors).  Pretty durable against chemicals but might chip easily because of crystal structure

Corundum (ruby/sapphire) = 9

Diamond = 10

A.