Post # 1
Member
6 posts
Newbee
Hi everyone! I absolutely love my engagement ring, my only complaint is that there’s a significant (to me, at least) airline around the center stone that makes it clear the stone does not perfectly fit the setting. It bothers me a lot because it looks like a dark border around my stone and my ring doesn’t look great from side angles because of it.
Is this completely normal for “custom” engagement rings where you pick a premade setting and your own stone? I asked the jewelry store if something could be done about it and they just looked at me like they had no idea what to do and just started showing me other premade settings which would have the same exact problem. I don’t know if I should try to talk to someone else, but I would’ve thought the setting could be altered to fit my exact stone since they call it a “custom” ring
(Sorry for the bad picture. My ring’s currently being resized and the pictures I have I tried to hide the gap around the stone. I can try to post better pictures once I get my ring back, but hopefully you can see the dark border around the center)
Post # 2
Member
4873 posts
Honey bee
Did you have it custom made or did you just pick a setting and a diamond, then they combined them?
There isn’t any way to “fix” and airline, it just means the size of the diamond and the setting are off. To reduce the gap you would need a who new setting.
The picture is really low quality but it doesn’t look like a big gap to me.
Post # 3
Member
6 posts
Newbee
zzar45 : My fiance was actually the one that had the ring made but it seems he just picked the setting and the diamond but they’re calling it custom. If it was truly custom I would’ve thought they could reshape the halo around the diamond, but I guess it’s not.
I should be getting my ring back soon and can post a picture from the side. I’m thinking maybe the setting could maybe even be too big for the stone? I’d rather have it overlap the setting than have the airline.
Post # 4
Member
4873 posts
Honey bee
teamnala : Even if it was a custom job, your fiance would have signed off on the design and then it would have been produced. The time for amendments to the design are only while it is in the CAD stage, not when the ring has been made.
The change you want isn’t a small tweak, the only way to have it look different is to replace the setting. I’m sure it isn’t even that noticeable and maybe when you get your ring back you won’t focus on that one detail!
Post # 5
Member
4137 posts
Honey bee
That isn’t custom in the sense of building a ring around your stone. That would involve working with a designer and having CADs drawn up, etc. Your average store that advertises “custom” means you can pick your own diamond or other stone and put it into one of a number of prefabricated settings that will usually accommodate a range of diamond shapes and sizes, but they aren’t modifying the setting to accommodate your diamond. So they consider it “custom” in the sense that you aren’t picking out a completely pre-fabricated ring from a department store jewelry counter where you have zero say in the specs of the center stone and walking home with it that minute. For a truly custom made ring built around your specific stone, you likely are going to have to look beyond your average jewelry store/chain.
Post # 6
Member
5958 posts
Bee Keeper
I’m not sure you or your jeweller understand what custom means.
“pick a premade setting and your own stone” =/= custom. This means your Fiance chose a setting that doesn’t fit with your diamond. Your jeweller should have probably instructed him better if you didn’t want an airline, but maybe he didn’t notice and/or liked the look? Either way, the only way to fix this is a new setting or a new stone.
Post # 7
Member
2364 posts
Buzzing bee
I don’t think this was truly custom in the sense of bespoke. I think your fiance picked a diamond and then picked a stock setting (which might have been ordered) that could fit the diamond. If that’s the case, I’d say your results are expected. I don’t think your ring was custom designed around the diamond but is simply a setting that your diamond could fit into and the jewler fit it into the existing setting.
You could ask the jeweler for a quote to try and make modification but that could get costly and might not be possible with the setting. Hard to say without seeing more photos.
Post # 8
Member
328 posts
Helper bee
That’s not custom made. A custom setting will be built from scratch by a custom jeweler, and it will be made to fit your stone exactly. The average jewelery store doesn’t offer that service; you’d have better luck going online and searching for a custom jeweler who can design the setting you want.
Post # 9
Member
6 posts
Newbee
cypresstree85 : Ok thank you. Since I wasn’t apart of the ring process I was really confused why the jeweler and my fiance were saying it was a “custom” ring when all they kept showing me were premade settings. I guess they like to use the word “custom” loosely.
Thanks for all your help, ladies. We’ve decided we’ll just have the diamond placed in a truly custom setting from another jeweler, years down the line instead of ever getting an upgrade ring because I do really love it besides the gap
Post # 10
Member
1070 posts
Bumble bee
I wonder if a good jeweller could just ring the center in a bezel?
Post # 11
Member
328 posts
Helper bee
teamnala : This is why I helped my fiance pick out the ring. God knows what I would have ended up with if he’d been left to his own devices! (Your guy actually did a pretty good job on his own; it’s not his fault the jeweler misled him on the term “custom”)
Post # 12
Member
96 posts
Worker bee
What your describing is called semi-mount, not custom. That means all the diamonds in the ring are already set except the center stone. Shane Co does mostly semi-mount, for example. Pick a stone, pop it in, voila. I can’t really tell from your picture since it’s blurry but it doesn’t appear to be a large gap. What does it look like from the side? I have seen some halos where the gap is giant and I don’t like that either, so I totally get it. I went totally custom- CAD, wax mold, then cast and they wouldn’t make a wax mold of my ring until we picked the center stone so they could make it to the exact dimensions of the stone. That is normal for custom. If you’re really picky about the gap and are considering a new setting, try finding a “seamless halo.” They are beautiful!! Good luck!
Post # 13
Member
24 posts
Newbee
I just add a custom Hao to my ring and specifically asked the Jewler to avoid any gap in between. When you are ready to reset make sure you make that clear to the jewler.
Post # 14
Member
27 posts
Newbee
To echo what others have said, yes the jeweler just popped it in and called it a day. The jeweler did not care, and your fiance did not notice the gap (not his fault, some people are just not going to notice or find an issue with stuff like that). Maybe some people like that gap, but most halo designs do not have an air gap. If the jeweler or chain store will not fix it for you, what you need to do is find a local jeweler who can take the setting, design a seamless halo, remove all the stones, maybe use the metal from your ring, recast the ring and reset all the stones. I would target about $120 or less for CAD design, and ~$150-$200 for the re-cast and setting, depending on if they can re-use all your gold. Good luck!
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