Platinum

Has anyone any experience of platinum? A friend called today - she wants her engagement ring resized. Shes been told that tension set rings cant be resized which I get, but she wants the platinum reused to make just a plain band. Theyve told her that you cant reuse platinum because it pits and does not rework very well. Is this true - surely not?

Platinum is particularly hard to rework, and it's rarely done. The usual route would be to scrap and repurchase, I'm afraid, so it's recycled rather than reused. It is possible to make a plain band, but it would probably still need new material added, and not many jewellers would take the job on as there are always worries about the alloy and porosity. If it needs to be resized downwards, a sizer band or balls would be the best option, but if it needs enlarging, I struggle to think of any options with a tension setting.

The alternative, which I think would be possible, might be to have a new, slightly larger, basket or bezel setting welded into the gap (after stretching to size) and have the stone set into this.

Thanks George, knew youd have the answer x

Ah that's interesting as I have my gran's sapphire engagement ring which is platinum and snapped. I always wondered if it could be soldered back together.
Lisa x