I'm fine with the fake diamond stone, but the junky band is just too much.
January 6, 2012 11:37 AM   Subscribe

The band on my ebay-purchased $15 CZ ring is looking icky. Is it possible to find a similar ring with a better band?

About two years ago, partly to fend off unwanted attention, I bought a cubic zirconia (CZ) engagement-type ring on ebay. I've worn the ring on-and-off and the band has started to show signs of corrosion or the plating wearing off.

The ebay seller's current products are described as "rhodium over brass" or "rhodium over sterling silver". I wonder if I just got unlucky with a badly-plated band, or if this type of wear is similar for plated rings.

In any event, I'd like to find a similar ring, but with a better band. Macy's in the mall sells a Swarovski crystal ring with a solid, thin white gold band for well over $200, which is a lot more than I want to spend. Other ebay listings that mention solid white gold for similar rings seem to run over $100.

Is rolling the dice with a different ebay seller at the $100 price point my best bet here, or are there other options I've overlooked?
posted by TranSubstantial to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (7 answers total)
 
Can you define icky? Plating will always wear off, especially on rings but it could just be a patina that you can clean off. You could probably get it replated but a sterling silver ring shouldn't cost very much. It will need cleaning regularly though (you can do it yourself for very little expense)
posted by missmagenta at 11:50 AM on January 6, 2012


I doubt you'll find a real gold band even without a stone for much less than $100--that's just what gold costs. I bet you could get a silver ring made for that, though. I had a cheap ring (from a bubblegum machine) re-cast in silver for $85.
posted by MrMoonPie at 11:50 AM on January 6, 2012


You may want to try Stauer, QVC or HSN. Here's one for $40ish.
posted by emkelley at 11:51 AM on January 6, 2012 [1 favorite]


You can get CZ rings set in sterling very inexpensively.
posted by DarlingBri at 11:54 AM on January 6, 2012 [3 favorites]


There are several sterling silver rings on ebay for <$20
posted by missmagenta at 11:57 AM on January 6, 2012


You can polish and rhodium that ring again for about $15.

If you'd rather a new ring, mail me and I can help.
posted by Yellow at 12:20 PM on January 6, 2012


Rhodium needs to get re-plated every 5 - 6 years, typically, at least for a band that you were on a regular basis. It's not necessarily that the ring was poorly plated, it's just a nature of the beast.
posted by asnider at 1:45 PM on January 6, 2012


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