Restoration of emerald entourage ring

14 hours ago

Restoration of an emerald entourage ring in 18-karat gold

Sometimes a piece of jewelry comes in and you can immediately see that it is a beautiful ring, but also that it is not technically well constructed. That was exactly the case with this 18-karat yellow gold emerald entourage ring.

The owner of this ring came specially from Lisse to my studio in Werkendam because she was looking for someone with extensive experience in restoring fragile jewelry. The ring had a beautiful appearance but was in poor technical condition. It was clear that this restoration would be a challenge.

Worn settings and loose entourage

Upon inspection, it appeared that all of the diamond settings were completely worn out. The prongs of the chatons had become so thin that the stones were barely holding on. This meant that the only correct approach was to first remove all of the diamonds from the ring. However, this was no easy task...

The diamonds themselves were of low quality, with many inclusions and internal fractures. This makes removing and re-setting the stones particularly risky, as they are more likely to break during the process.

In addition, it appeared that the entourage (the part in which the diamonds and emerald are set) was also loose. This part therefore first had to be securely reattached to the shank of the ring, precisely between the shoulders that connect the ring band to the setting. Only then could the actual restoration work begin.

New legs for the diamonds

Because the original settings could not be saved, I made new prongs for the chatons. This is precision work: the new settings must be sturdy enough to hold the stones securely, but also subtle enough to preserve the original character of the ring.

After the new prongs had been made, the diamonds could be carefully reset one by one.

Restoration of the emerald

The biggest challenge of this restoration was undoubtedly the emerald. The stone was heavily worn and originally had facets, but these were not cut according to a standard pattern. The facets were placed more or less randomly, making the stone appear optically skewed.

The table facets were also cut irregularly, causing the table of the stone (the flat top) to appear visually off-center.

In addition, there was the obstacle that the emerald had hardly any pavilion at the bottom. There was no sign of the facets that normally taper off in a beautiful point (always slightly convex in emeralds). The bottom of the stone was a mixture of randomly applied flat surfaces and was cut almost flat. This causes two major problems:

* a "blind spot" occurs when you look at the stone from above

* the stone becomes extra vulnerable because it is structurally less thick

On top of that, the emerald was also full of internal fractures, which makes polishing and re-setting it extra risky.

Repolishing the stone

Despite these limitations, I repolished the emerald as best I could. The goal was not to completely re-cut the stone, as there was simply not enough material for that, but to make it look cleaner and more vibrant. This meant carefully correcting the existing facets and making the table as straight as possible without further weakening the stone. After that, the emerald could be carefully set back into the ring.

A challenging restoration with a beautiful result

This type of restoration requires a great deal of patience, experience, and a thorough understanding of both gemstones and setting techniques. Each step had to be carried out with great care, as both the diamonds and the emerald were fragile. Ultimately, we succeeded in structurally repairing the ring and greatly improving its appearance, while preserving the original character of the piece. The ring is now safe to wear and can be enjoyed for many years to come.