Metals and wedding bands: answers from a diamond dealer

Yes, that's possible. But it's trickier than it seems. Remember, a "gold" ring isn't pure gold. 14k gold is 58.5% gold, which makes it 41.5% something else. And jewelers use different combinations of metals for the "something else." So, unless the gold is melted down, the gold is separated, and it's mixed into that jeweler's standard alloy, it won't work.

Jewelers rarely cast one ring at a time - it's done in batches. So it's not as though they will melt OP's ring and reform it by itself. That's just not how it works.

Because knowledge is power! The more you understand about what you're buying, the easier a time you will have deciding what does and doesn't matter to you. Start here:

https://youtu.be/6S9Y2gSxEgM

Try to decide a few things before seriously shopping.

1. What shape of diamond do you want?
2. Do you want a simple setting, or something elaborate?
3. Is it important that a wedding band will be able to sit flush against the ring?

You already know metal color and budget, so you're off to a good start.

I have posted extensively about this stuff. Check my post history!

Unfortunately, not really. I know lots of people there - just not anyone I'd recommend for this kind of thing.

The reason you're being told you can't just melt and re-use metal is because jewelers typically cast gold in large batches, and they will be reluctant to mix your gold (of unknown quality/alloy) with their known supply.

You'd have a much easier time selling your gold for scrap and having new pieces made from scratch. I know that doesn't help on the sentimental side, but its a heck of a lot more practical.

Make sure you are comparing similar rings, not just similar designs! Is the ring hand made, with high purity gold and high quality diamonds, or is it mass produced overseas with low purity, porous gold and low quality diamonds, set by machine, and sent over here? Have the small diamonds in the ring been selected to match your center stone, or are they using the same stones no matter what you choose? Is the ring warrantied against defect? Can it be sized or altered? Can it be customized?

Spoiler alert: if you ask these questions of either Blue Nile or Kay, Zales, etc., you're not going to like the answers!

In that case, you are totally fine with whatever metal you prefer. There's no reason not to use platinum, so if you prefer it, go for it. Or, on the other hand, the stone should be white enough (so long as it has a similar refractive index to diamond - what stone is it?) that even if set in yellow or rose, it will still face up super white.

So, it's purely an aesthetic decision. Go with what you like!

The problem with using your own gold isn't that it will offend anyone - it won't. The problem is that to mix in gold of unknown purity (because it hasn't been assayed) potentially alters the purity of the caster's gold batch, which can be a huge problem. Also if your gold is a different alloy (using slightly different base metals) than the rest of the casting, that's a problem. Bear in mind that castings are typically done in a run of several pieces at a time - they're not "one off" jobs. You'd waste a TON of metal doing that.

So, if you want to use your own gold, the best thing to do is to melt the coin and have it assayed (recognizing that you will be destroying the value of the coin, and retaining just the gold value), and then go to a jeweler with that. You'll likely have better results.

Well, yes and no. In theory, yes, you could use the metal from your band to make a new one, but in practice, no, not really. In order to cast a ring, you need to use enough metal to make the ring itself, plus enough to make the "tree" that fills the casting mold. And no jeweler will mix the melted gold from your ring with theirs, just in case the purity is different (even by a tiny bit). It can really mess with what they do. So, your ring will be melted, and "new" gold will be used to cast the new one. But certainly, you can get credit for the gold in your ring.

Great question! And I have an awesome technique that you can do at home, for free! This one alone is worth the price of admission, folks. Bear in mind this will work for your diamond and gold/platinum jewelry, but DON'T do it for soft/fragile stones, pearls, etc.

1. Get a small pot of water, and add a squirt of dish soap.
2. Boil it.
3. Put your ring in a strainer (so it doesn't touch the bottom of the pot), and put it in the boiling soapy for 5 minutes or so (can be longer or shorter - you won't hurt the ring this way).
4. IMPORTANT: Wait for the ring to COOL DOWN before you touch it!
5. Take it out, rinse it off, scrub it with a small brush (toothbrush, etc.), and dry it.
6. Voila! A nice, clean ring.

Setting a diamond in a solitaire ring isn't too expensive (probably just a few hundred bucks), assuming you want gold (which comes in yellow, white, and rose colors). If you want platinum, it can be a bit more. While it doesn't make sense to "reforge" the gold in your existing ring, it can certainly be sold as scrap, and that money can bring your cost down. Most jewelers will be happy to take your scrap and give you credit for it. As for the small diamonds, they generally aren't worth much. You might get a little credit for them, or you might just keep them until you find another use for them in the future.