WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH YOUR OLD DIAMONDS?

You know all those old rings you have in your jewelry box that you don’t wear anymore?

They have diamonds set in their mountings and they’re just sitting there.

Some are mixed with gemstones.

Some of the diamonds are big, some are really small. Their color and clarity vary.

Some of those diamonds are set in pendants, rings, earrings, or bracelets…

The point is…

Almost all jewelry has some amount of small diamonds in them.

Needless to say, you have tons of diamonds laying around and you don’t know what to do with them.

Trade-ins:

You could always trade them in, but jewelers never give you any real money for them (actually no one really does).

You could sell them out right, but you’d only get a couple of bucks for them. Plus, any money you’d get is probably just for the gold, not the stones. And who wants to lose those?

So, what can you do with all those extra diamonds collecting dust in your jewelry chest?

Custom design:

That’s right, custom design a diamond band or pendant (see before and after picture) with all your used diamonds.

Bands are very cool and hip. Pendants are practical and stunning. And the styles are endless. You really can have a lot of fun with them.

Ask the jeweler to see some fashion remount jewelry or just look at some jewelry catalogs for ideas and ordering.

The two biggest things people put small diamonds into, are plain gold bands, and freeform pendants.

Lots of people wear plain gold bands to begin with….

So have the Diamonds set into the Band. Stagger them around the Ring to make a very Attractive Piece.

Cost beans:

The cool thing about designing diamond bands or pendants is that it won’t cost you much. I mean, you’ve already paid for the most expensive part…the diamonds!

So here’s what you do:

Take all of your old rings and diamonds to the local jewelry store. Pick out a nice plain gold band or solid gold pendant (one that’s thick enough to hold your stones). Have the jeweler remove your diamonds from your mountings. They can lay them out over the band, pendant, or catalog if you’re looking in one for ideas. Once you find one you like, have it made.

Size doesn’t matter

It doesn’t really matter what size of diamonds you have, but believe it or not, the more varied the sizes, the better it looks.

Have the jeweler gypsy-set them into the mounting (that’s setting the diamonds flush in the mounting. Some jewelers also call this flush setting, some call it burnished).

Show them pictures so they know what you mean.

Round diamonds work best

While it’s true that round diamonds work the best, you can use any diamond shape: princess cuts, pears, trillions, they all create neat looks as well.

Use as many diamonds as you want

Fit them in. Have fun with them. The whole key to making this work is “randomness“. Random diamonds staggered around the mounting look great.

Set the stones around the band, some close, some staggered, alternating sizes, widths and alignments (see pictures for examples).

Protection

Having the diamonds set down into the mounting is very cool because it leaves no prongs.

There’s nothing to get caught or snagged.

It’s smooth, clean, and very modern looking. No prongs, no heads, no beads or baskets, just flush with the mounting.

You’re going to love it.

It really is the perfect jewelry to wear.

Diamonds snap into place:

Gypsy setting is the process of drilling a hole into the mounting or ring, and setting the diamond all the way in. The diamond will actually “snap” into place. The snapping is caused by grooves in the sides of the hole that the jeweler carved out. It’s a very protective way to mount stones and you won’t have to worry about them coming loose or falling out.

Pretty much any mounting can work for gypsy setting, as long as the mounting is heavy enough and there’s enough width and flat area to drill holes in. Pendants and earrings work just as well.

It’s a great way to use up those old diamonds and a great way to display them.

Staggered, random diamond sizes are awesome.

You may never look at another mounting the same again.

Enjoy your diamonds and have fun being random.

Cheers! :)