This is really embarrassing but it seems a lot of things I post lately are.

I had to have surgery over the summer and was told I couldn't wear any jewelry (never had surgery before). I hadn't taken my wedding rings off for a good 6 years and wondered what I was going to do.

I ended up ordering a tool off of Amazon and actually cut my rings off by myself. Didn't even wait for my DH to come home, it was like once I could get them off I just had to!

So now I am left with a mangled gorgeous mess. I don't live anywhere near my old jeweler so I will have to find a new one in my area.

Does anyone have any tips on what I should be asking for when I drop my rings off as far as a write-up description of my rings? My rings aren't certified diamonds or anything but still worth money plus sentimental value. I always get paranoid after seeing tv specials where stones get swapped, etc.

I am almost at the point that I'd rather just keep my mangled mess rather than risking something happening to it. I do believe that 99.9% of jewelers would probably be honest and helpful but that .1% would be my luck.

Thanks for any advice you can give.

Take pictures, good quality pictures from all angles. Write up everything you can, stone type, quality of gold or silver. Ask friends who they deal with.

If you're worried just make sure you go to a reputable jeweler. It will cost a little more but I find that it's worth it.
I've gotten a lot of expensive jewelry re-sized/fixed. I take it to the same guy (worry free) that my family has dealt with for many many many years.

Another reason to go to a reputable jeweler:
A friend of mine got her engagement ring and wedding band from a chain jewelry store. The rings were very beautiful. She ended up taking it back to the same chain to get them fused. After I saw them fused they looked awful! It was such a sloppy job and you could see the bits of metal used to fuse them between the rings because they were way off center. The bands of the rings weren't even close to lining up. It's definitely worth it to pay a little more and make sure whoever works on your jewelry really knows what they're doing and has lots of experience.

Well the honest truth is that the average stones really aren't that valuable ... the work needed to fix the band is worth more than the stone.

On the other hand I think the gorgeous mess itself might be more valuable as it is... think about it in relation to your weight loss journey and the fact that you were so big you had to cut those rings off. I think maybe just softening the sharp edges and turning it into a pendent might be nice too. (course I don't know what it looks like)

Do not go to a chain jewelry store! Go to a local jeweler where they actually do the work there and not send it off somewhere. At a real jeweler you can talk to the actual person who will be fixing your rings.

Take pictures from all angles, preferably in good light, where you might be able to pick up small flaws, like inclusions. You could also get your ring appraised now, even mangled. The appraisal will write all the ring and gem details down, take pictures for you, etc.

Definitely get personal recommendations - preferably from someone who has a long standing relationship with a jeweler, and not just "oh, I went to X once and he was good." You could also try contacting the jeweler where you used to live and see if they have a recommendation - they will understand that you want to use someone local to where you are now.

Thank you all so much! I never even thought of the things you all said, except to not go to a chain store (I did know that but thank you!).

I definitely have to get my ring fixed so I can wear it again and show off the beautiful ring my husband bought me so many years ago. The center stone is 1.25 marquise (I got a marquise as they look longer and bigger lol) and then the band and wedding band have smaller diamonds so it's not just a token ring to look back on. It would be too expensive to try and replace it with a new one without trading this in.

It was one of the most humiliating moments of my whole life and I was alone. But I am glad I got to do it and not the hospital staff.

I agree with the advice you have already been given. When you get an appraisal it will identify the diamonds. Take your own photos, too. And find a local jeweler who comes highly recommended. Look for someone who has been around for a long time and who specializes in repair and restoration. I might refrain from telling the appraiser that I was going to have the rings repaired until after the appraisal was done. If they were dishonest, they could classify your stone as less valuable than it really is, setting themselves up for making the switch when they do the repair. I hate it when the skeptic in me comes out, but just be careful. And good luck.

Lin

I'm so sorry that this was hard for you, Elvis. We are always here for you for moral support!

Talking about rings, I got my wedding band sized up two months before I started losing weight - after not being able to wear them for years and years. I had gotten another ring to wear in hopes I would eventually be able to wear my size 7 band ( was up to a 9).

I gave in in Oct. 2011 as I felt so horrible and just gave up the idea of ever dropping ring sizes. Then the world crashed around me and I got my butt in gear.

So... I haven't been able to wear ANY rings for months and months and months. My finger is now a size 6.5 (smallest it's ever been), but I have been afraid to take my wedding band it to get it resized as what if my fingers get bigger? or my knuckles do (right now it's the fleshy part that is the widest part).

My weight has yo-yoed a bit the last few months 165-195, but I think my finger has stayed the same size. I had bought a cheapo ring to wear for awhile, but it is a size 7 and I need to wear it on the middle finger - which I am right now. But it's also winter and my fingers are smaller in winter than summer, so I'm still afraid to get it sized.

I haven't worn a ring on my wedding ring finger for over a year - nearly two! I'm sure i confuse people when I mention my husband and they see no ring (if they are new people).

But I don't want to fix the ring just to have to REDO it again. Stretching is easier than shrinking, but still...