Diamond Resetting in Los Angeles
Keep the diamond. Change everything around it.
Most of the resetting work I do starts the same way: a stone someone loves in a setting they don't. Prongs worn thin. A style that was right in 1998. A ring inherited from someone whose taste wasn't yours. The diamond is the expensive, irreplaceable part, and it's fine. It just needs a new home.
Book a free consultation
In person in Santa Monica, or virtual from anywhere. No commitment.
What resetting is (and isn't)
Resetting means taking your diamond out of its current mounting and setting it into a new one. The stone itself isn't cut, polished, or altered. Everything else can change: the metal, the style, the band, whether it's a ring at all.
It's different from a repair (new prongs, same style), a recut (actually reshaping the diamond, which I rarely recommend), and a full heirloom redesign, where we're usually combining several pieces into something new. If you're not sure which you need, that's what the consultation is for.
What it costs in Los Angeles
These are my studio's real ranges. You'll get a firm written quote after we've looked at your stone together, and the quote is the price.
| What you're having done | Typical range | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Reset into a classic solitaire, 14k gold | $1,500 – $2,500 | 3–5 weeks |
| Reset into a more detailed setting, 18k gold or platinum | $2,500 – $5,000 | 4–6 weeks |
| Full custom design around your stone (halo, pavé, three-stone) | $5,000 – $10,000+ | 6–10 weeks |
| Transfer into one of my existing designs | $800 – $1,500 | 2–4 weeks |
What moves the number: the setting style (a solitaire uses the least metal and the least bench time; a halo or pavé band adds both), the metal (platinum costs meaningfully more than gold, and 14k white gold looks nearly identical to it), any side stones you add, and whether your old setting has anything worth reusing. Usually it doesn't, and we start fresh. If you'd like the long version, I wrote it up: how much does it cost to reset a diamond ring.
Worth it, or should I buy new?
A one-carat diamond costs $4,000 to $8,000 to buy today. Yours is already in a drawer. Resetting it into a modern solitaire runs $1,500 to $3,000, and you keep the exact stone that was chosen for you, with its history intact. You're paying for the setting once, not for the diamond twice. That math is why most of my resetting clients come back for a second piece.
When I'll tell you not to reset
Sometimes the setting is the heirloom: a hand-engraved platinum mount from the 1920s, a signed piece, a filigree you can't reproduce at any price. I'll say so. And occasionally an old stone has chips at the girdle that limit which setting styles are safe. I look at every diamond under the loupe before I quote anything, and I tell you what I see, including when it isn't what you hoped.
How it works
1. We talk. Bring the ring to the studio in Santa Monica, or send photos and we do it over video. Tell me what you'd actually wear.
2. You see it first. I sketch two or three directions, then build the one you choose in CAD so you approve the exact ring before any metal is cut.
3. Your diamond moves in. The stone is set, checked under the loupe, and finished. Most solitaire resets take three to five weeks.
4. You wear it. Pick it up in Santa Monica or receive it fully insured anywhere in the U.S. Every piece carries a 60-day craftsmanship warranty.
Not in Los Angeles? Here's how the mail-in process works. Roughly four in ten of my clients never set foot in the studio.
Questions people ask
Will resetting damage my diamond?
No. Diamonds are the hardest thing in the room. The risk in resetting is to a badly worn setting, not to the stone, and I inspect the girdle and any inclusions before we begin.
Can you reuse the gold from my old setting?
Yes. It can be melted into the new piece or credited against the cost by weight. More on reusing old gold here.
Do you reset diamonds you didn't sell?
Almost everything I reset was bought somewhere else, often decades ago. Inherited stones, ex-engagement rings, a pair of studs that lost its match. All welcome.
Can it become a necklace or earrings instead of a ring?
Yes, and it's often the right answer for a ring you'd never put on. Turning a ring into a necklace is one of my most common projects.
Do I need an appraisal first?
Not for the work itself. I'll want an appraisal or an updated one for insurance once the new piece is finished, and I can arrange that.
How long does it take?
Two to five weeks for most resets, six to ten for fully custom settings. If you have a date, tell me at the consultation and I'll tell you honestly whether it's realistic.
See a few
Real client projects, before and after, are in the gallery.
Ready?
Kate Rose Fine Jewelry · Santa Monica, CA · Serving Los Angeles in person and the U.S. by mail