How A Misshapen 1930s Ring Is Professionally Restored | Refurbished

Laura and Amanda Hornberger are graduate gemologists who run an Etsy store, Maejean Vintage. They restore and sell vintage jewelry. One of their jewelers, Macy, shows us how she restores a gold art deco ring from the 1930s. This includes removing the old stone, hammering the misshapen ring back into shape, removing scratches on it, and inserting a new stone into the ring.
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How A Misshapen 1930s Ring Is Professionally Restored | Refurbished

[@ryb3198]

I wish they kept it a green gemstone. So much more beautiful and fitting to that era.

[@DragonSlayer850]

But would sell for way less than diamond

[@Doopidap]

Yes

[@emmanuelacosta9273]

@@DragonSlayer850 what if it was a green diamond 💎 tho? 🤔

[@DragonSlayer850]

@@emmanuelacosta9273 then it will cost even more for the jeweller which in turns will have the cost past onto consumers.

[@emmanuelacosta9273]

@@DragonSlayer850 but what if it’s a lab grown diamond, it wouldn’t be as expensive as a natural one and would be also affordable for the customer 🌝

[@Masood1810]

Beautifully restored. However poor choice of stone - an emerald would have been an ideal match, second to that would be a ruby. The use of diamond makes it look like a commercial restoration than to actually save the ring.

[@joshharris3040]

It pretty much was a commercial restoration. It was remade specifically to be resold. A diamond was probably the most likely to sell, and for the most profit. It is what it is 🤷‍♂️.

[@Doopidap]

Yes i agree

[@skippymagrue]

I was thinking Sapphire.

[@annmlatina6842]

Ruby wudv been the best!!

[@awesomegames114]

I agree an emerald or even a ruby would have looked so much better than a diamond.

[@tessiepinkman]

Everything looked perfect until she said she's gonna use a diamond. That completely ruined the ring, in my opinion. I hoped she was gonna use an Emerald. Anything but a diamond.

[@peiithos]

diamonds can look good, but it ruined the color contrast. it's still a pretty ring, but it could've been prettier. it would look great with something red, green or blue. preferably a rich shade.

[@nards1341]

Tasteless

[@robertledesma9163]

I really liked the uniqueness of the first stone

[@maejeanvintagejewelry]

It was a pretty color, but unfortunately damaged beyond repair!

[@tiffanyjohnson3336]

I’m with you. I liked the colored. I wish she would have found a colored stone that would have fit in it

[@samuraiboi2735]

Tbh the green colour stone really makes it unique but i kinda prefer the ring itself than the gem

[@tiffanyjohnson3336]

@@samuraiboi2735 the green made the whole ring pop! The clear just blends in, making it difficult to see the neat details.

[@19gregske55]

It was a man-made synthetic spinel! One could probably buy another one for less than €75.⁰⁰! And, it was broken. Adios.

[@Mariciella]

"This ring might probably only be worth maybe 100$ and when we're finished, this ring might sell for about 4000 to 5000$." Well... replacing a broken stone with a huge diamond helps with increasing the value :D

[@matthewwatts4946]

Here in the USA, we put the “$” sign before the number.

[@mkay2925]

@@matthewwatts4946 your point? this isn’t ‘murica. This here is the World Wide Web.

[@AlexeyAstashkov]

​@@matthewwatts4946 you do many stupid things in US ))

[@paper4040]

@@matthewwatts4946 So?

[@silklavender]

@@matthewwatts4946 Oh really? Well guess what genius THIS ISNT FREAKING AMERICA. I’m sorry not everyone isn’t perfectly customizing their words to fit your fragile American ego

[@carolinaroveroni8101]

I think a new green stone would have looked much better, like a emerald. Or even a ruby, a diamond looks too common. Edit: why did this become the only comment in which anyone ever gave me any attention?

[@mr.sinister2029]

Gotta over inflate the price somehow. That diamond is why she can charge 5k. Ridiculous.

[@3D_therian]

I agree

[@spiceyboogerspiceybooger6437]

A peridot stone would have looked nice i think

[@ximenakelley]

It might have been a family heirloom and the customer wanted a diamond

[@battlekitten4188]

Well what do you expect from this genius

[@danibee]

Wow that's beautiful! What an amazing restoration. I am kind of sad, though, that the broken stone wasn't replaced with another green one. The green gave it so much character

[@cordeliacullen2621]

I really agree with the comments saying she should have kept a green gemstone. I have a sapphire gemstone in my ring and I love it, its so much more unique and beautiful to me than a diamond. An emerald would be much more fitting to the art deco ring and more beautiful to see.

[@oompaloompa8077]

The green stone made it look like it came from a period drama's leading lady jewelry, now it looks like one of those rings on real estate business owner

[@paulodeoliveira3368]

The yellow diamond wasn't a poor choice but an emerald or other green coloured stone would be great.

[@Sunshine-Dragon]

To be honest IMO the original ring had so much h more character and history, than the new ring! I feel really sad, the original stone got replaced by an boring diamond. Diamonds are so so efing boring!

[@charcoalanderson8010]

DeBeers wants to know your location for...... reasons. (I agree with you! An emerald with that gorgeous coppery look that the band originally had would look gorgeous)

[@smileyhelen16]

I feel that a lot of uniqueness of the ring was lost. I understand why it had to be reshaped and have the resize removed, but from then on it seems like you might as well have made a new ring.

[@Doopidap]

They should have choose a coloured stone to make it stand out from other rings the diamond doesnt look good with it as it makes it look like a plain ring

[@peiithos]

it's still pretty, but the green had character and the color contrast looked beautiful.

[@maejeanvintagejewelry]

Thank you so much for the feature, Insider! We loved bringing this piece back to life and it is now available for sale in our shop :)

[@iamtricia2387]

Hi! I just wanted to say that you carry a lot of incredible art in your hands. Congratulations for such a beautiful work! ❤️

[@ImARealHumanPerson]

Amazing work. It looks incredible

[@maejeanvintagejewelry]

@@iamtricia2387 Thank you so much - that means a lot to us :)

[@maejeanvintagejewelry]

@@ImARealHumanPerson Thank you!!

[@saltedwounds]

Amazing work. I love vintage pieces, it turned out incredible!

[@Lis422]

I was so satisfied until the moment you showed a new stone. Me neither had a solution for the damaged stone, but your tender work earns a tender finish.

[@nathaliediaz6189]

This is amazing! I especially appreciate this because my engagement ring is an antique and I was previously informed in had been restored once . Seeing how they brought that ring back to life makes me really happy I got an antique!

[@solstar4778]

Due to the polishing a lot of sharp details are lost on the filigree, would you latter on engrave in some sharpness?

[@BigHenFor]

To make it look fresh as the day it was made would entail taking more material out of the ring, potentially weakening its structure, and would be less authentic. If she's selling it as antique, you don't want it looking too crisp anyway because it would look like a reproduction.

[@BuildingPersephone]

@@BigHenFor It would take hardly anything out of the material to lightly rework the engraved filigree. The heavy polishing she applied took too much surface material out and made what was originally a hand-engraved piece look like a poor casting.

[@carolinapistone6516]

@@BuildingPersephone Exactly! So much fine details was lost and left it looking so cheap

[@AlwayZash]

BEAUTIFUL restoration! Although I reallyyyyyyy loved the emerald 💚

[@siddjontydey7673]

I have a diamond 0.5 caret ring around 140 years old wearing in my right hand pinky wearing it over 20 years thought it is worn out but it's a peice of history for sure ..

[@christinemurphy8862]

Fun to watch and see. I feel a green stone would be nicer, I feel like it stands out more

[@archeewaters]

I think you've done a fabulous job with everything! I am guessing your choice of stone had to include popular purpose like engagent ring, and also resale value. The diamond is indeed fantastic and makes for a classic finish.

[@sticustom]

A stunning restoration with a beautifully narrated, step by step, lesson about the processes used to rebuild this classic. I enjoyed watching

[@joshharris3040]

I don't mind the use of a diamond, despite many comments preferring the original green stone. The diamond was clearly an antique itself, being an Old European cut. I think that was fitting. My choice for a green stone alternative would be a demantoid garnet. That would have matched the original green spinel well, imo.

[@maejeanvintagejewelry]

You are correct! We sourced an era appropriate diamond :)

[@philippebouchard-bourdeau5100]

Guys, she has to sell it at some point. I understand a more colorful gem could have been nicer, but if she feels it is a good fit for a weeding ring, then I'm sure she knows what she is doing. My takeaway from the video is that is she is a skilled craftswoman.

[@BlackBerryTrees]

Wow simply stunning! An emerald stone would have been much more beautiful and true to the original but I’m sure it found a perfect owner somewhere who prefers a diamond

[@coolestson7547]

Bet it did, pretty mount.

[@sandracastillo3317]

Teal sapphire or green paraiba tourmaline would have been a better choice. Value would have been there too. Great job restoring it.

[@aperson0298]

i’m my opinion, it’s not really that the diamond doesn’t match the ring, but it’s just that a colored gem would look much more unique and special.

[@sheriwilson7747]

Just BEAUTY..such talent- But i must say, that setting was screaming out for an Emerald-

[@morgueinduarte1977]

I wish you would've stick with a emerald or any green stone

[@safaa9654]

Polishing was my fav part

[@angelakelly3679]

I loved the new version. Absolutely stunning. If this was passed down to a younger generation I can see why they wanted the stone changed. Great job, very talented ❤

[@loverofmyths]

Definitely should have kept the green, not all engagement rings have diamonds and the green looks better, I would have also kept a matte finish to make it look more vintage. Very interesting process tho and the rest of the ring looks good

[@marcdavis4509]

Amazing transformation

[@wintermist180791]

The restored band looks so beautiful!! But imo, restoring a 1930's gemstone would've been better than restoring a 1930's band...

[@sheafamily3]

diamonds are boring... this ring needs VAVOOM!!!

[@gangisspawn1]

Agreed, a natural colorful gemstone would look better. Aquamarine, amethyst etc.

[@melissarains1017]

So calming. Nice to see new life for this ring.

[@maejeanvintagejewelry]

Thank you for the kind words!

[@vanesaloveshogwarts9871]

Eow the end result was marvelous

[@esteebee]

the reveal is so gorgeous!!

[@sooz9433]

Very dramatic change and quite beautiful. Thank you for showing us how it was achieved.

[@michcansher7878]

This video caused me SO much anxiety. At the beginning I was I thinking "omg HOW is THAT going to make thing ring look amazing again and finished with "holy crap, she's a freaking genius". Excellent work. Sooooo much technique and skill. Bravo.

[@elkiwi357]

I will agree that polishing the ring and placing a new stone was nice BUT the loss of detail in the side profile and leaves is pretty hard to pass up

[@peiithos]

plus, the stones color.alot of color contrast and character was lost

[@rachellearcaro1984]

Wow, beautiful job. The diamond is stunning, but I loved the uniqueness of a coloured gem instead. I think a sapphire would have looked stunning in this ring.

[@belledobson2007]

Absolutely beautiful work, I love the diamond.

[@misaelj.alvarado6689]

I'm crying, why is it so beautiful 😭

[@7evYT]

Makes me want to find an old family run jeweler here in town and beg him for an apprenticeship where I'm in the trenches for 5-10 years soaking up all the knowledge that he can give me.

[@violagarcia7656]

Omg. Very well done. Beautiful. It is a beautiful setting. You could not see that before.

[@lucakroon8868]

I love how all the comments prefer the green stone (me too).

[@Syzygyzzz]

Beautiful technical work.❤❤❤

[@TheDivasoprano]

Agreed that the restoration was lovely….but would have been lovelier with a green stone. A garnet!

[@jacobtanessasmith9928]

Demantoid garnet would have been sweet.

[@shortmeister4321]

What a skill to be able to do that! Bravo!

[@RedLya]

She was amazing!! The ring looked so amazing! 😊💜

[@adhc8560]

I really liked the green stone too (Peridot?) but it's for resale and that very large diamond made it much more profitable.

[@yehezkiel444]

the first one is more interesting

[@kamrankazemi]

Really beautiful.... Interesting video.... Thanks.... 👌👌👌👌👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@abishekashok1352]

Beautiful work , you did the ring justice.

[@maejeanvintagejewelry]

Thank you friend!

[@Twisties34]

wish she had kept it as a green gemstone, the diamond looks so common.

[@RestorationAustralia]

Super interesting to watch, looks beautiful.

[@sumisap7444]

Her hands are the medals of honor

[@masaharumorimoto4761]

Very cool!!!! Thanks!

[@justilepastile]

I love Chopin as the background music.

[@courtneym2247]

Wow well done...the ring turned out beautiful!

[@ElijsDima]

Soo the band extension was taken out, the resulting seam was soldered.. so now the ring will be too small to wear?

[@ryb3198]

Obviously they will list the new size for sale. Most jewelers can have it sized to fit the new buyers finger if it’s too small or too large

[@AkopianDIY]

great video! this is just my favorite topic.

[@nicolasadams2204]

Excellent work. It looks beautiful!

[@emeraldsea28]

They don’t make jewelry like they used to. I love it!

[@MayorUGW]

Nice video, I appreciate their work 🥰

[@maejeanvintagejewelry]

Thanks so much :)

[@MayorUGW]

@@maejeanvintagejewelry we need to thank you guys for showing an amazing piece of art🥰

[@dasmejr6004]

I’m my opinion, an emerald would have fit the ring so much better, but they did a beautiful restoration nonetheless

[@lancemillward1912]

Well done. Very well explained work.

[@princesslisamarie7860]

A colored stone would’ve stood out in contrast to the gold filigree so much better

[@deborah2063]

What a stunning ring! I'd love to own a beautiful diamond ring 💜

[@zeedavis5300]

Beautiful work.... however, Spinel can NOT be created. So it's a different type of stone.

[@elizabethrouland4772]

Beautiful ring made by a master artisan!

[@somewhereupthere785]

My engagement ring is actually an Emerald, in an antique styled ring. It's beautiful and meant so much more than a diamond.

[@Tracy_R]

Wow! Well done on you!! Applause. Is it for sale? Thanks for sharing the process.

[@patalexander3702]

Pretty piece of work! You’ve learned your trade well too!

[@Ptitnain2]

An Emerald would have looked so much better.

[@leapark6303]

Beautiful, great job. Diamond looks fantastic in that setting. 👏🏻👏🏻

[@AndreDMalan1966]

I actually love the diamond. It marries the art deco period with modern-day fashion. We don't have to be purists about everything. ❤

[@Mns_87]

I would have kept the gorgeous rich antique patina.

[@Hemikun]

That's a very beautiful work.

[@brucewayne5724]

8:00 You can really appreciate the loss of detail.

[@fizzysh4rk]

it was so fascinating watching this process!!!

[@namelessgrace6319]

This is my dream job! I love jewelry and gemstones! 💚

[@shedlight369]

Very nice work. Beautiful ring.

[@paulcarlachapman628]

It's lovely. I did like the green, too.

[@janiecemohler8944]

Hello, I just watched your video while you were restoring this lovely antique ring and was wondering if you take consignment. I have a beautiful antique cross that belongs to my grandmother. It is now my daughters and I'd like to give it back to her for her 40th birthday. But it is breaking down. Like I said it's antique and it's gotten very thin in spots. It needs to be built back up. Can you please help me?

[@zerokichi78]

HOW can her nails be that good looking, I'm a jeweller and let me tell you my hands are grey and full of cuts and my nails are so shorts... I am jealous 😭

[@bestycheung7532]

Beautiful job!

[@ShellyCline]

Beautiful. Absolutely stunning!!!

[@archishmand2475]

yes, I really read that title as "miss happen ring" at first

[@marionjohnson9976]

Why didn’t you fuse the joint and prongs? I watched this several times and it looks like at best you used medium solder. What led you to repair it this way? I’m sure you had reasons, I’m just not seeing them.

[@JasperPierce5398]

An amazing process but it just made me a bit sad at the end that it seems like all the charm and character of the ring was lost and the stone now blends into the band instead of complimenting it

[@neilsamuel5268]

"This ring is worth $100 and when w are finished it might sell for $4-5k." Me: Wow what a great value! *proceeds to add a 4-5k diamond on it.*

[@TheJewelleryTube]

Nice work

[@sapphiresapphire9702]

I think I liked the emerald as there was more of a contrast and the before look of the gold was kind of nicer as it was more golden and looked like it’s age.

[@NVTIVE247]

Astounding 💫

[@maejeanvintagejewelry]

Thank you!

[@courtneyhowe8832]

How beautiful!!!

[@BigHenFor]

Coloured stones aren't in as much demand as clear diamonds. As an engagement ring she will sell it faster and make more profit.

[@ghosthunter5100]

wow beautiful job

[@noahbrooks-donais9130]

The gold in the ring alone is worth more than $100 in Canada.