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REPLACING A BAGUETTE IN A RING

THE FUN TASK OF REPLACING A BROKEN OR CRACKED BAGUETTE

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Replacing a Baguette Diamond in a Ring

Baguettes are an interesting shape of Diamond. No two are alike!

Baguette comes from the French name meaning “Little Sticks“, and that’s exactly what they look like, little sticks of Diamonds.

Baguettes are all different shapes and sizes. Some are really thin and long, others are short and fat. It really depends upon the design of the ring as to which shape and size is used.

Not only will you find regular Baguettes, which are Straight Baguettes, but you’ll also find Tapered Baguettes that are wider on one end than the other. These are often used in curved Channels or to enhance a Solitaire stone.

Take a look at the image below for examples of both Straight and Tapered Baguettes…

Straight And Tapered Baguette Cut Diamonds

Baguettes are very cool and very elegant and classy. But they don’t sparkle very much. And by not sparkle very much, I really mean to say they don’t sparkle at all. :)

Baguettes generally only reflect light since they only have a couple of facets on the bottom of the stone. They are made to look sleek and smooth, and show off the mounting and center stone more than anything.

The Problem with Baguettes

The problem occurs when you break a Baguette or pop one out of the mounting.

Since Baguettes are long, thin and narrow, breaking them or chipping them is not too hard to do. The thin bodies and flat edges make them pretty vulnerable to damage. You’ll either look down and see the edge cracked, see it broken all the way across the stone, or just find an empty slot where the Baguette used to be. Like so…

Chipped Cracked Baguette Diamond

Broken Baguette Diamond

Missing Baguette Cut Diamond

Now comes the fun part…

Replacing the Baguette

Replacing a Baguette isn’t so easy…

Baguettes come in Diamond Parcels and generally these parcels match well, are the same color and same shape… Sizes and Carat Weights may vary, but they usually go good together.

Selecting a parcel of Baguettes and setting them into a new ring with Channel Set Walls works pretty easily and efficiently.

But now, Weeks, Months and even Years later, when you need to match that stone, it proves quite difficult! The Jeweler won’t have the same parcel, and chances are, the parcels they do have on hand might not match in Color, Clarity or Cut.

I’ve seen Baguettes in rings that have been replaced and they don’t match the rest of the stones around it. The stone may be cut deeper. The stone narrower. The facets could even be wider, they could look darker… The new stone could stand out like a sore thumb. Looking at the ring, the new Baguette just looks odd.

Matching Baguettes is a Talent

You may be stuck with what the Jewelry Store has on hand, and even if they do order in a Baguette to fit, it still may not match properly. There is no way around this task. It’s just the nature of Baguettes.

You may also see gaps around the new stone as well. Finding a Diamond that fits the open hole perfectly is like an impossible puzzle. All you can do as a consumer is to voice your opinion and hope they can find a better replacement.

It takes a little patience and a lot of luck.

Baguette Diamond Prices

The prices of these stones will vary from store to store depending upon the Clarity, Color, and Carat Weight of course. So check around and see what you can find…

One thing you will want to look at once you get your ring back is that there are no visible black spots in your Baguettes. Since these stones have no sparkle, they don’t cover up flaws like other cuts of Diamond do. Black Carbon Spots can be a real eye sore!

Expect to pay at least $100 or up for a Baguette stone. Plus, whatever Labor or work needs to be done to the mounting. Some rings can be quite a chore and quite costly.

Straight Channel Walls

One other thing to keep an eye out for is if your ring has Channel Walls or not. Once the Jeweler resets a stone, they have to secure it with the Channel Wall. Sometimes this makes a horrible mess of the wall and leaves the edges uneven, jagged and ugly. See image below…

Uneven Channel Walls In Ring

The Channels should be nice and smooth like new. They may have to fix these, or build up the wall to make them smooth and straight again.

Insurance Covers Baguettes

Also note that most Insurance Companies will pay to cover the cost of replacing a stone (if you have your ring insured).

Your deducible will be the main obstacle to whether you have it done or not. It doesn’t hurt to call your agent and inquire.

Good luck with the stone, hopefully these pointers will help you through the process.

Just remember to take a closer look at your ring when you pick it up from repair.

It’ll either look great, or not so great…

Let’s hope it’s the first! :)




Recommended Jewelry Supplies:

Ultrasonic Jewelry Cleaner Jewelry Steam Cleaner Complete Jewelry Cleaner Kit Diamond Dazzle Stick
Gold Silver Jewelry Polishing Cloths Jewelry Making Supplies Kit Gold Acid Test Kit Watch Tool Repair Kit
Ring Adjusters EMT Emergency Ring Cutter 10x Jewelers Loupe Jewelers Microscope

Recommended Jewelry Supplies:

Ultrasonic Jewelry Cleaner Jewelry Steam Cleaner
Complete Jewelry Cleaner Kit Diamond Dazzle Stick
Gold Silver Jewelry Polishing Cloths Jewelry Making Supplies Kit
Gold Acid Test Kit Watch Tool Repair Kit
Ring Adjusters EMT Emergency Ring Cutter
10x Jewelers Loupe Jewelers Microscope

2 Comments on REPLACING A BAGUETTE IN A RING

  1. I recently had prongs replaced on a center diamond that has baguettes surrounding it in channel set walls. I wore the ring twice and today found that two of the baguettes are missing. Could it be the fault of something the jeweler did when relacing the prongs on the center diamond.

    • Hi Jean. It could be the Jeweler’s Mistake in that they didn’t Double Check to see if the Baguettes were Loose when working on the Center Stone, but that’s all Speculation. If they were, and they just missed them, that’s not really their Fault. I don’t see of any way for them to Loosen them enough for them to fall out just from Polishing. But, you’ll never know for sure because it’s after the fact and the Ring wasn’t checked before it left the store. And you could have also just hit them on something and knocked them out. We’ll never know what really happened to them. My Recommendation, talk to the jeweler and have them look at the Channel. Maybe it’s just worn, and with the Ring becoming Weaker, maybe it’s a sign of other things to come. A New Ring? Who knows. At least make sure you get your Ring and Diamonds Covered under your Insurance Policy, for they will Replace a Missing Stone in the future. Good luck! -Richard

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