“I’m considering having Brian Gavin Diamonds custom design an engagement ring for me. I have some diamonds that I’ve accumulated over the years and am wondering how much does it cost to have a ring made from my diamonds? My girlfriend really wants a halo setting, and the diamond we’ve selected from Brian Gavin is a 1.65 carat round which is G-color and VS-2 clarity. We’re not certain whether we want an open prong design like the Anita Halo or the Halo setting by Brian Gavin that has more of a closed outer edge. We’re interested in 18k white gold or platinum.”
People frequently ask us what they can do with old diamonds and jewelry that they have accumulated over the years. In the first place, the style of the jewelry might not match with your current preferences or style. For example, it’s quite common for women to have a jewelry box full of jewelry that represents a younger period in their life when they preferred pieces that were lighter and smaller.
Obviously, the simplest approach seems to be something like melting it all down and creating a piece of custom jewelry that reflects your current style. Unfortunately, it’s not quite that easy since all of that old jewelry is likely to be made from different alloys and mixtures. With that in mind, it’s more cost-effective to trade it in for melt credit.Obviously, the simplest approach seems to be something like melting it all down and creating a piece of custom jewelry that reflects your current style. Unfortunately, it’s not quite that easy since all of that old jewelry is likely to be made from different alloys and mixtures. With that in mind, it’s more cost-effective to trade it in for melt credit.
Sometimes people really want to use their old gold for sentimental reasons and we can do that if you really want, however, it’s not really an effective approach because we need to use 50% fresh alloy in order to maintain the structural integrity of the new jewelry item and to reduce the presence of porosity. Under those circumstances, only a portion of the new piece would consist of the old jewelry and it doesn’t really make sense because it reduces the overall quality of the new creation.
Obviously, you might want to use any old diamonds or colored gems that you have lying around in a new piece of custom jewelry. One of the best ways to do that is to select a freeform design that has swirls or sweeping curves in which stones can be set easily regardless of differences in size or shape.
The custom jewelry designers from Brian Gavin Diamonds can help you design a piece of freeform style jewelry that will accommodate the majority or perhaps all of the diamonds and colored gems that you want to include in a piece of jewelry.
We can start with a napkin type sketch of what you have in mind, or provide you with some ideas after a brief consultation.
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While there are some ring designs that Brian Gavin can custom design using your diamonds, a halo setting would not be one of the designs I would recommend, unless the diamonds you have are all calibrated to be the same size, same diameter, and match perfectly for diamond color and clarity. Making a ring out of diamonds that are mixed and matched for size, cut quality, clarity and color is a recipe for disaster, especially when the design is uniform in design. Freeform style rings that consist of combinations of different sized loops and circles are better suited for combining diamonds of different sizes, shapes, and qualities. Trust me when I tell you that we use Brian Gavin Signature Melee cut diamonds for a reason. BGD Signature Melee cut diamonds (pronounced “mell-ee) are cut to the same incredible standards that larger Brian Gavin Signature round diamonds are cut to. Thus we can guarantee that the diamonds in the setting will deliver the same high volume of light return and sparkle factor as larger BGD Signature diamonds. Halo style engagement rings like the Anita Halo by Brian Gavin require extreme precision to create the perfect balance between the size of the accent diamonds and the center stone. We custom make every halo style engagement ring from scratch so that the center stone fits the ring perfectly, with just the right amount of space between the edge of the center stone and the row of accent diamonds. We use calibrated melee cut diamonds to ensure that every Brian Gavin Signature engagement ring looks its absolute best.Understand that we’re happy to try and use your diamonds to make a custom ring, but they probably aren’t suitable for use in a Brian Gavin Signature engagement ring like a halo setting unless they are calibrated in size, and precisely matched for color, clarity , and diamond cut quality. When customers have presented us with diamonds in situations similar to this in the past, their diamond holdings have consisted of small diamonds set in various rings of different designs, all being of different sizes and qualities, and to be perfectly honest, they tend not to be of much use for the level of quality that we produce. However, we are always willing to take whatever diamonds you have on hand into consideration when designing a custom jewelry creation on your behalf. It is your engagement ring after all, Brian Gavin is the custom creator of the dream that you have in mind. Please contact our customer service department for additional details.
A common goal for gold prospectors is to get enough gold to make a ring. Maybe for themselves or for a loved one, but either way, I am often asked what it takes to do this. So, here’s what it takes:
TLDR: You need about 5 grams of pure gold to make one ring. Then you need a goldsmith with the skills to do the job.
The ring I had made for Laura. The flowers are daisies she has doodled for years.First, the gold. You have been collecting gold for a while and have now accumulated 5 grams or more. Is it enough? Maybe and maybe not. It depends on the purity of the gold you have collected. Depending on the source, Colorado gold particles can be anywhere from about 75% gold all the way up to over 95% – your results elsewhere may vary. Your gold may also still be contaminated with a little bit of black sand and other non-gold stuff. Either way, this is best dealt with before handing the gold over to a goldsmith.
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So, second, time to purify some gold. If you have a lot of black sand and such mixed in with your gold, try using my low cost, highly effective cleaning process here. If it’s already pretty cleaned, simply melting the gold with some borax will probably do the job. Adding some silica sand can also help as that will melt into a glassy substance which will absorb most of the impurities in your gold sample but even just borax is often enough. Do not use “Chapman Flux” because the manganese in it can contaminate your gold for jewelry purposes. There are little gold melting furnaces available on Amazon or contact a local prospecting club to see if anyone there will do it with you using their equipment. Most folks with this sort of gear are looking for opportunities to use it!
Finally, the third step, once your gold is melted and purified, weigh it again. If you still have 4-5 grams, its time to stop by your neighborhood jewelry store. Ask to speak with their goldsmith; you will likely have to make an appointment. Bring your ‘button’ of gold with you to the meeting with the goldsmith. (In case you wondered, most goldsmiths will not work with your raw gold dust.) The goldsmith will weigh and test your gold and give you an estimate to make a ring. Expect it to cost $200-300 depending on how fancy you want the ring to be. As you probably know a ring is typically 14K gold. Your button is probably 22K or there about. The goldsmith will add some silver and copper most likely to dilute your gold down to 14K, making it harder and more durable in the process. A pure gold ring would get beat up and bent pretty quick, so you don’t want that. Adding other metals to get to 14K means 5 grams of pure gold ends up about 7 grams of metal which is plenty to cast a ring unless you have huge fingers, then add another gram or two. This is the process I used to get a ring made for my wife back in 2013. Maybe it is obvious, but of course the goldsmith can also make other jewelry of your choice from your gold. Just ask!
There is also an “easy button” if you don’t want to bother with melting your gold dust. David Emslie at Prospector’s Gold and Gems in Fort Collins, Colorado will take your dust and go through the whole process for you. Of course, it will cost a bit more since he is doing the purification, but it’s very easy and Dave does great goldsmithing work, some of it quite complex and unique. The ring my daughter had made for her to give her husband on their wedding day was made by Dave. (Yes, she dug gold for the ring herself!)
The ring my daughter gave her husband at the altar, simple and classic.Two more rings made this way: for my nephew and his new wife, both prospectors no less!Need ideas for how to find enough gold to make a ring? There are quite a few prospecting sites written up on this website, start here. For lots more dig site info across all 18 main mining districts in Colorado, including over 180 dig sites, buy our books here.
But wait there’s more, I’ve published another guidebook with another 270 dig sites! Learn more and buy it here!
Just want a quick way to say thanks? Toss me a couple bucks at Tips for Kevin