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There may come a time when you might want to use the diamond on your ring for other jewelry types. How do you remove a stone from its setting? Depending on the design, you can DIY the process or have it professionally taken care of by a jeweler.
Unlike other precious stones, the diamond (being the hardest known mineral in nature) can withstand friction and resist scratches unless deliberately pounded on with extreme force.
How do you remove precious stones from jewelry?
Only professional jewelers have the dexterity and precision tools for it. Otherwise, you run the risk of chipping your dainty opal or emerald if you attempt to remove it yourself.
Here’s a run-down describing how you can remove diamonds from their original settings.
Two Ways To Remove Diamonds From Their Setting
Thankfully, the diamond is easier and less risky to remove from your ring thanks to its hardness. Removing diamonds from a setting can be done in two ways — mechanically and chemically.
The mechanical method relies on tools like jewelry pliers, a hammer, or scalpel to mechanically remove the stone.
To do it chemically, you can utilize a chemical mixture of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid to dissolve the metal band while leaving the diamond intact.
Before you try and pluck the diamond out of your ring, check the metal first. Sterling 92.5 silver, 14k gold, and other soft metals are malleable enough to bend, allowing you to remove the diamond more easily with simple tools.
How To Remove a Diamond From a Prong Setting
The prong setting is the easiest to DIY because it’s simpler to deal with. A four to six-prong setting will only require jewelry pliers and a close look at the prongs and diamond’s edges to get the job done.
- Use jewelry pliers to carefully bend each of the prongs outwards.
- Once the prongs are bent, they will lose their grip on the diamond and you can simply take the stone out.
- Bend the prongs back to keep it from damage, especially if you still want to use the band in the future with another center stone.
How To Remove a Diamond From a Bezel Setting
Bezel is a type of setting that encases the diamond with a metal rim. It’s trickier to work on because its structure usually requires cutting and hammering. You might want to ask a jeweler to remove your diamond from your ring if you don’t feel confident enough to do it yourself. Otherwise, you can try the following steps:
- Check the bezel setting closely and see if there is a gap between the metal and the diamond. If there is, you can insert a thin blade or scalpel into it.
- Once the blade is in, carefully push the bezel metal away from the diamond until there’s enough room for the next step.
- Now that you have some room to work with, use a polished bezel lifter. Place it between the metal and the diamond with the lifter’s flat side against the stone and the domed side against the bezel metal. Move it around and gently push the diamond out.
Another way to do this is by cutting a part of the bezel metal and hammering the diamond out.
- Use a blade to cut a portion of the bezel metal.
- Once cut, use jewelry pliers to peel back part of the metal.
- Use a metal hammer and a protruding material with the same circumference as the diamond to tap the diamond until it pops out of the bezel metal.
How To Remove a Diamond From a Channel Setting
The channel setting is more complicated if you want to remove a diamond from it because the stones are pressed between walls of metal like a valley or furrow.
Because of this, special tools are necessary to cut the metal part and make the diamond pop out. Chemically removing the diamond is also another option but only if you’re willing to ruin the band.
Why Choose Othergems?
Othergems offers an extensive line of diamond jewelry crafted by experts. We are trusted by retail and commercial buyers worldwide. You can choose from our range of lab-grown diamonds and naturally mined diamonds with gold and silver settings to celebrate life’s milestones and special occasions.
Our diamond engagement rings are some of New York’s finest pieces with designs ranging from classic to trendy. We also create engagement rings based on your own design. You can send us your design and we’ll create a mock-up for your approval before crafting your jewelry.
Contact us for your bespoke jewelry needs. With over thirty years of expertise, you can count on us for expert craftsmanship, high-quality diamonds, and timeless pieces that inspire and delight.
