Inlay Ring Repair in Ring vs. Garbage Disposal Story
Rings fall in garbage disposals. I know it seems like a death sentence for your ring, but it may not be.
In this blog I focus on Stephanie’s ring because it talks about damaged metal and inlay, a setting style. This project was a real double whammy.
I’ve run into about 25 clients who’ve had rings go down the garbage disposal. So I decided to blog about this success story.
I also have added a couple more examples.
Stephanie’s Story of her Disaster and Lapis Inlay Ring Repair
Stephanie was just wondering where her lapis ring was when she heard the garbage disposal turn on and heard the horrible sound of a spoon or something grinding in it.
This was the story she told me, when I asked if she had any unworking or unwearable jewelry in her jewelry box.
“Turn that off!” she had yelled to her husband.
Like the crazy insane brave guy that he was, he just reached in and started feeling around in the disposal. Hadn’t he ever seen the horror movies with the guy who ends up with a stump for reaching into the possessed garbage disposal?
Evidently not. Out his hand came with one very sorry looking ring. Stephanie now remembered taking off her ring the day before, when scrubbing out her big pasta pot.
“Oh no. I loved that ring.” She rinsed it off and dried it and put it sadly into her jewelry box.
Don’t Give up on Your Garbage Disposal Eaten Inlay Ring
Stephanie thought it was hopeless to consider that it could be fixed.
I really wanted to fix this ring for her.
We added gold to the gouged edges of Stephanie’s ring.
Then I had my Lapidary (stone and gem cutters) cut a new piece of Lapis Lazuli for her newly rebuilt inlay setting.
Miana’s Wide Lovely Ring and the Horrible Ugly Trip Through the Garbage Disposal
I will never question how it happens that someone’s ring falls into a garbage disposal. Rings fall into all kinds of places.
Miana’s wide beauty of a ring just had to join the party on this post to show how a ring that looks, ‘just done’ can live again.
The work we did was: re-rounding, adding gold to deep divots, re-polishing and then adding oxidation.
When someone wears a ring daily, having it get messed up like this is traumatic.
My favorite thing about working on garbage-disposaled rings is how happy people are when it’s fixed.
What Happens to Gemstones in Garbage Disposals?
This Engagement Ring Just Came in
Jason Deshotels a jeweler friend just got this poor ring in. As you can see the metal takes a huge beating. Interestingly the diamond though slightly chipped came through amazingly well. I have seen this more than once, where other colored gemstones will be pulverized and the diamonds bounce around, but don’t get destroyed.
What’s the Takeaway Message Here About Inlay Ring Repair?
Do you have a ring that’s been through a garbage disposal? Now you know who to call for inlay ring repair. Or chewed up ring repair. Like body work on your car after a crash, I do body work for your jewelry!
Peter’s Sorry Wedding Band Reborn
Peter found me online thanks to this blog post.
He writes a great comment and shares his before and after pictures. Here’s an excerpt –
“I emailed you from my home in Maryland and you responded quickly and I ended up sending my bent, mangled and dinged garbage disposalled ring to you.
That ring means a lot to me. My wife and I paid for matching rings with a box of rolled coins we had saved over the years in graduate school. I didn’t want a new ring-I WANTED THAT RING!
I just got it back and you definitely are the garbage-disposalled ring queen! Thank you for making my ring whole again.”
Your “Garbage Disposalled Ring Queen” Jeweler,
Calla Gold
Hello Calla Gold Jewelry, I laughed when I saw this. My ring fell in the garbage disposal five years ago. It’s in my jewelry box with with earrings that I stepped on in my driveway.
Should I ship these hopeless wrecks to you?
I was told in Clarksville that I should buy a new ring, which I did and to give up on the earrings.
Calla, you’ve made me feel like it wasn’t idiotic to hang on to these two pieces of beloved and bedeviled jewelry.
Tracey B.
Clarksville, Tn.
Tracey,
Thanks for laughing and writing to me. It’s so great that you save these ‘hopeless wrecks” because it may not be hopeless.
I’ll email you about shipping information.
Your Personal Jeweler,
Calla Gold
I guess the old saying is “never give up on a ring you love.” Personal jeweler to the rescue-or-should I say-Calla Gold – Super Jeweler Woman?
Good job fixing that inlay ring repair. That ring turned out absolutely gorgeous. Did you have to re-set all the diamonds? It looks perfect. I can’t imagine that the diamonds or the settings were in very good shape.
Alison, Thanks for asking. I did have to re-set diamonds. Some were gone and some were hanging on by a thread. You’re reminding me that I felt like a Jewelry miracle worker after that jewelry repair job. The amazing thing about that ring was how the diamonds weren’t chipped up, it’s like they bounced away from the garbage disposal blades but weren’t damaged by them. The gold ring and settings were carved up, dinged, gouged and bent, but the remaining diamonds were in perfect sparkly shape. It gave me new respect for the resilience of diamonds. Do you think I… Read more »
The amazing thing is how beautiful that ring is!! How sad it would have been had Stephanie never connected with you! I hope that many others are inspired to pull out their damaged jewels and send them your way for some magic!
Appreciatively,
Lynn
Dr. Lynn K. Jones, Certified Personal and Executive Coach
http://www.lynnkjones.com
Lynn,
Stephanie was pleased enough that a number of her friends have become clients. It’s just such a great story. She gets to tell it at least once every time she wears her inlay ring.
I anxiously await the next beleaguered ring, to restore, to revitalize and re-beautify!
Calla Gold
Calla Gold, I’m really impressed with your writing talents and also with the layout for your blog. Is this a paid for blog or did you customize it your self? I love the jewelry into the garbage disposal since I’m in garbage disposal reviewing. Anyway keep up the excellent quality writing, it’s rare to see a great weblog like this one today..
Dear reviewer,
This is a custom made blog, not a template.
I’m glad you enjoyed the garbage disposal angle on this jewelry blog post.
Calla Gold
I knew when I heard the noise coming from the garbage disposal that my wife had “found” my wedding ring. It was mangled and likley beyond repair. As an after thought I Googled “fixing a garbage disposalled ring” and you came up first with this blog post. I read it and realized that Lord Google was saying that you are the “garbage-disposalled ring queen!” I emailed you from my home in Maryland and you responded quickly and I ended up sending my bent, mangled and dinged garbage disposalled ring to you. That ring means a lot to me. My wife… Read more »
Dear Husband in Need!
I’m so delighted to be a part of getting your very special matching rings to match again. I’m going to put an update on the blog post with the before and afters of your ring so people can see the wonderful difference.
Your Garbage Disposalled Ring Queen,
Calla Gold
I’m in Texas and was wondering what was shipping costs and costs to fix my wedding ring that went i to the disposal. Two diamonds are missing and would have to buy new ones.
Hello Kalo, I’m so sorry to hear about your wedding ring. Attached to an email I just sent you, you’ll find the mailing instructions for mailing your ring to me. I’ll figure out the size, color, clarity and cut of your two diamonds when I receive your wedding ring, and let you know the cost to replace those two diamonds as well as the restoration work. If you’d send me pictures of your ring that’d be helpful. Here are the views I like to see: https://www.callagold.com/education/how-to-send-ring-pictures-to-your-jeweler-effectively/ I prioritize working on wedding jewelry and want to get you wearing your wedding… Read more »
Wow, it looks good as new – maybe even better than it looked before it got all chewed up! If I had a ring that looked like that I would’ve thought it was a lost cause. You guys are basically miracle workers!
Hi Ryan,
I see that you are in the garbage disposal business, so your words make my heart sing.
Your Personal Jeweler,
Calla
My wedding ring just went down the garbage disposal . Ring came out but not diamonds . Do I need a plumber now or is morning ok
Hi Debbie,
I am so sorry your ring went into the disposal. Morning is fine. If the diamonds are still in the house’s kitchen out go pipe, they’re still there. But diamonds can be swooshed along down the pipe by water. If they are gone that’s it. But if they are in the pipe under your sink and no water is running, they should stay there.
I hope diamond recovery happens.
Your Personal Jeweler,
Calla
Back in the mid 1980’s I was working at the American Diamond Center in Waukesha Wisconsin. A nurse from the local hospital brought in her wide herring bone bracelet that she had taken off to do the dishes. Not knowing that the herringbone had slipped into the dishwater she was surprised by the sound her disposal made when she flip the switch on. Surprisingly, and disturbingly for an “educated nurse” she felt that the bracelet should have “held up” to the garbage disposal and “we must have been selling defective gold!” When told that stainless steel spoons don’t “hold up”… Read more »
Wow Todd,
That is a funny story. The periodic chart of elements is the determiner of metal and chemical properties not price. I wonder if two cars crashed head on if she’d expect the most expensive one to sustain the least damaged. I’m thinking Volvo vs Mazerati. Hmmm. Probably a terrible example, but you got me thinking.
When has expense ever changed the way the natural world and its parts behave?
Thank you for my chuckle of the day.
Your Jeweler Friend,
Calla