Vintage Diamond Engagement Ring Advice

by Becky
(United Kingdom)

Hi Engagement Experts,

I'm not sure if you can help me but I was wondering if you could offer me some advice please regarding a vintage diamond engagement ring?

I have a vintage diamond ring that is a family heirloom. It has 3 diamonds and the lady in one of the jewellers said she could have it re-made and re-set into exactly the same setting, in 9ct white gold.

I'm a little concerned though as, compared to other jewellers, the quote is considerably low. She seemed very nice and was very helpful and thorough, but I'm not sure if alarm bells are ringing because the price is so low compared to everyone else I've spoken to.

I'm also wary that I know nothing about my ring as to what clarity, colour etc. the diamonds are as I have no certificate because it's so old.

Do you advise a lab report/mapping of diamonds before handing over to jewellers to be reset? I asked about this as I've heard warnings about jewellers swapping diamonds of engagement rings, but the lady said she has larger diamonds in her shop but told me they could be assessed in her possession.

I've also seen a review on this jewellers that was poor and from feeling confident that I had found the right jeweller I'm now unsure.

Please advise if you are able. Many thanks.

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Vintage Diamond Engagement Ring Advice

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Trust Your 'Engagement Ring' Instincts
by: The Engagement Experts Team

Hi Becky,

Your instincts are telling you something and you need to trust them. Before you take an heirloom diamond engagement ring (or any piece of heirloom jewelry)anywhere and discuss the possibilities for it we urge you to get an independent appraisal from a certified appraiser in your area/city/country.

Since you are in the UK, we would recommend you contact the GIA in London and ask them for an appraiser that is conveniently located in your area (http://www.gialondon.co.uk/).

As for the specific jeweler and your engagement ring, the only advice we can give you is that if you have gotten 4 or more estimates from various jewelers and they have all come within a similar price range for re-working your ring and this one jeweler is coming in significantly lower in price we can't help but wonder why.

The old adage of... "if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is" holds a lot of wisdom.

Please get your vintage engagement ring appraised and do it prior to taking any type of action so that you can rest easy with any decision you make.

Good luck to you and we would love to see the before and after pictures of your engagement ring if you'd care to share.

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