Gold and Opal Inlay Ring Repair
This client came to me with a 18k gold and opal inlay ring he purchased from another inlay artist. He didn’t have the opportunity to wear it much before the opals started cracking, crazing, and falling out.
It ended up sitting in is drawer for many years until he decided to try to get it fixed up.
After discussing a few ideas, he decided to choose stones that would be more durable in an inlaid ring. He thought he may like turquoise, lapis lazuli, or sugilite in the ring. Using the picture he sent me, I made a few design renditions for the inlay repair. He ended up choosing the design that has turquoise in the zig-zag section with the triangles in a denim lapis lazuli.
Once I received his ring in the mail, I got to work right away by removing all of the original opals, all of which ended up breaking up into even tinier pieces.
(Pictured are all the little pieces from the inlay. The opal wasn’t actually black opal, but opal with a dark backing to bring out the color. This is a common procedure.)
From there, I thoroughly cleaned out the 18k inlay channels so they would be ready to start fitting the new stones.
Because there were so many pieces to cut for this inlay, and some stones required to be set one at a time, it took a while to slowly build on the inlay design until it ended up like this. I always tell my clients that it looks a bit wild right now but you just have to trust the process:
This is the 18k gold inlay ring repair before I cut the stones down flush with the gold setting.
I use a high-quality epoxy in my inlays and once it cures, I can cut and polish the surfaces of the stone until everything is left with a high polish. Here’s what my client had to say about it when he first saw it finished:
“Wow - I couldn’t have imagined these results (or the turnaround)! You’ve really surpassed any expectations I had. It’s a work of art!”
Are you looking for someone reliable for your inlay jewelry repair needs?
You can find out more about my inlay repair process by clicking the link below, or you can fill out the form below to get a quote today.