Have you ever chipped a diamond?

[MillieLou]

And if so, how?

I'm just trying to get a sense of how common it is and the main culprits for causing damage. Is the the "obvious" like doing DIY and gardening, or is accidentally knocking it on the underside of a table / a door / a drawer in an office environment dangerous too...

I'm fretting a bit about how exposed the edges of my EC are (corners are covered though). It's the lowest it could be set while allowing the ring to be flush with my WB. Maybe should've gone for a bezel...

 

[musicloveranthony]

I've had stones more soft and brittle than diamonds and have never had a girdle chip. Have had plenty of scratched or chipped crowns on gemstones, though.

 

[Rockdiamond]

Jewelers Mutual ....easy peasy.

Although diamonds are the hardest substance, they can get damaged.
But it's so rare.....and easily covered by insurance.
It looks like a lovely ring! Wear and enjoy it!!

PS- stones in bezels can also get damaged....or fall out....

 

[Karl_K]

The sides of an ec with a reasonable girdle % could be used to turn a princess cut into powder. There are many 100+ year old examples around.
Insure and enjoy.

 

[elle_chris]

Jewelers Mutual ....easy peasy.

Although diamonds are the hardest substance, they can get damaged.
But it's so rare.....and easily covered by insurance.
It looks like a lovely ring! Wear and enjoy it!!

PS- stones in bezels can also get damaged....or fall out....

I have Jewelers Mutual.

Under Perils Excluded it lists the following:

8. Wear And Tear – “We” do not pay for loss or
damage caused by wear and tear. However,
"we" will pay for the following which are caused
by normal wear and tear:
a. prong retipping;
b. broken, worn or bent prongs;
c. broken earring posts;
d. clasp replacement;
e. restringing of broken or stretched pearl
strands; and
f. stone tightening

I've been wondering how they determine a chip is wear and tear, or if falls under Perils Covered:
“We” cover direct physical loss or damage to “your” “covered property” unless the loss is caused by a peril that is excluded.

I'm not convinced Jewelers Mutual would cover a chip.

 

[RosieR]

Thankfully never! And I wear a full diamond eternity band and a solitaire (different hands) for the past several years. I only take my rings off to work (healthcare)
I’d second getting insurance. In the uk try Chelsea Insurance or Asset sure who are both underwritten by Lloyds of London.

 

[MillieLou]

Thanks all! I'm in the UK so Jeweler's Mutual isn't an option, but @RosieR will look into your suggestions - I had a few good insurers suggested on my older thread too so will look into them all.

Just checked the GIA certificate, girdle is "thick", so I'm guessing that's good from a not-chipping point of view!

That's interesting to know that bezelled diamonds can also fall out / get damaged. It's often touted as the magic solution to avoid damage. I wonder what the relative risk is?

 

[Rockdiamond]

8. Wear And Tear – “We” do not pay for loss or
damage caused by wear and tear. However,

I can only speak from my own ( limited) experience as a supplier whose clients have used JM for repairs/replacement.
They've never tried to find ways not to pay...as opposed to many other companies that have been more difficult.

I do remember a case where a client was dropped by JM after making a few claims.....so there's that....

 

[elle_chris]

Thanks all! I'm in the UK so Jeweler's Mutual isn't an option, but @RosieR will look into your suggestions - I had a few good insurers suggested on my older thread too so will look into them all.

Just checked the GIA certificate, girdle is "thick", so I'm guessing that's good from a not-chipping point of view!

That's interesting to know that bezelled diamonds can also fall out / get damaged. It's often touted as the magic solution to avoid damage. I wonder what the relative risk is?

I had a semi-bezel for 17 years and never had a problem, nor did my diamond ever chip and I'm clumsy.

Like you, I'm considering a full bezel right now. With me, I know it's only a matter of time before I bang my hand against something.

 

[MillieLou]

I had a semi-bezel for 17 years and never had a problem, nor did my diamond ever chip and I'm clumsy.

Like you, I'm considering a full bezel right now. With me, I know it's only a matter of time before I bang my hand against something.

Also clumsy here! I am careful with my things and don't lose stuff, or wear it for "high risk" activities, yet I always seem to be banging / scraping my hands in everyday life

<-- like that, but hands not head

 

[Rockdiamond]

Interesting...ironic(???) side note....
I can not count the number of times we've had a client call and let us know the ring bent/broke/etc.....but they NEVER EVER hit the ring against anything.....only wore it to Church on Sunday

But we've learned, after many years and thousands of rings that the hands take an inordinate amount of stress....and impacts that we don't even notice.
I know I find bruises I can't remember earning sometimes

 

[tkyasx78]

Yes, a 1.5 ct marquise that was set in 6 prongs with the top and bottom ones had a V-shape to protect the tips. The stone is by the nature of the cut - shallow- and the girdle is more exposed.
To this day I have no idea how the girdle got chipped. My jeweler noticed it when I brought it in for a cleaning.
It was insured, but that only covered what the insurance company was willing to offer as a replacement cost based on the appraisal. I was beyond disappointed to learn that insurance is helpful to a point, but if you want to be able to pick a stone that is as close to a match as you had before, be prepared that they may offer a dollar figure that they think is fair and you are responsible for the difference if you want it to be as nice as your original.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I have Jewelers Mutual.

Under Perils Excluded it lists the following:

8. Wear And Tear – “We” do not pay for loss or
damage caused by wear and tear. However,
"we" will pay for the following which are caused
by normal wear and tear:
a. prong retipping;
b. broken, worn or bent prongs;
c. broken earring posts;
d. clasp replacement;
e. restringing of broken or stretched pearl
strands; and
f. stone tightening

I've been wondering how they determine a chip is wear and tear, or if falls under Perils Covered:
“We” cover direct physical loss or damage to “your” “covered property” unless the loss is caused by a peril that is excluded.

I'm not convinced Jewelers Mutual would cover a chip.

wow
i thought the need for pearl restringing was a given not something any insurence would cover

 

[elle_chris]

wow
i thought the need for pearl restringing was a given not something any insurence would cover

Yep, they'll cover it.

I wish "damage to gemstones" was included there as well. Nice they cover prong repair though.

 

[yssie]

Yes, actually - I have!

I have an SI2 (GIA) with grade-making feathers. At some point over the past decade the stone chipped in exactly the place one of the feathers used to be.

I figure that’s what I get for buying an SI2 with feathers as the primary inclusion! I wouldn’t ever buy or recommend that combo for an important stone.

 

[MillieLou]

Yes, actually - I have!

I have an SI2 (GIA) with grade-making feathers. At some point over the past decade the stone chipped in exactly the place one of the feathers used to be.

I figure that’s what I get for buying an SI2 with feathers as the primary inclusion! I wouldn’t ever buy or recommend that combo for an important stone.

Sorry to hear this Yssie (my "Like" seems inappropriate - read it as an expression of sympathy!) Do you think the setting or wear patterns contributed to the chip at all?

Same @tkyasx78

 

[yssie]

Sorry to hear this Yssie (my "Like" seems inappropriate - read it as an expression of sympathy!) Do you think the setting or wear patterns contributed to the chip at all?

No worries! I’m not fussed about it - stone still works fine

It was in a ring for many years. I know the three month period in which it must have chipped, but I don’t know if that timeframe contains the entirety of the trauma or whether the chip was the eventual result of prolonged stresses. Honestly though, I knew it was a liability when I purchased it. Your stone has no such worries!!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Yep, they'll cover it.

I wish "damage to gemstones" was included there as well. Nice they cover prong repair though.

all the nice easy little things covered
its like car insurence, but if your car is totaled they won't pay out

 

[Rockdiamond]

I wouldn’t ever buy or recommend that combo for an important stone

Not to lessen your experience one bit......but ( you knew there was a but

It's really important to point out that any diamond in a ring has been
1) ground on an abrasive wheel spinning super fast
2) boiled in acid
3) banged on with a hammer to seat the prongs.

IOW, they're already been through more possible stress than a person could possibly expose them to while wearing them.
Of course, we know some still get damaged.......

It's quite possible that whatever damage occurred to your stone ( so sorry) would have happened to an Internally Flawless stone.
A feather is NOT a crack.

And there are going to be times that an SI2 with grade setting feathers is a perfect choice for a buyer.

 

[Tubbsmalone]

Yep. Chipped my RB 2.52 on the girdle. I noticed it when I ran my finger along it. It was small but I called my insurance and they gave me my full appraisal value. I replaced it with a gorgeous 4.2 radiant light yellow with two trillions. Sadly a year later I knocked that one into my running dish disposal . It chipped some of the points on both trillions and there was a slight “cleave” where an inclusion was in the main stone. I thought for sure there was no way they were going to cover this debacle since I had basically just replaced my last one. They did give us the full appraisal amount for the dish disposal ring but obviously said they would no longer cover us for separate rider items. Lol. That was over three years ago and I’ve been so terrified to buy another ring because I was convinced I was cursed! Im finally I’m the process of getting my 3 rd engagement ring and I think we will go with jewelers mutual. Hopefully I’ll never have to deal with a damaged ring again!!!!!

 

[Bron357]

My mother has destroyed two diamonds accidentally.
The first one she did shutting her hand in a drawer, luckily didn’t break any bones but the ring was bent out of shape and the girdle chipped. That diamond went into a bezel setting that my sister wears as a pendant.
The second one she damaged was by tripping and falling into a sandstone wall (a garden wall). She broke her wrist that time but the “wail” was from seeing what had happened to her diamond rather than the actual injury.
I have that diamond, it’s still in its setting albeit wrecked.
And no, my mother did not have insurance for either ring.

 

[MillieLou]

Sorry to hear all your tales of diamond mishaps I must say I'm not fancying my chances with daily wear. @Bron357 I think I'm a lot like your mother! At least I don't have a sink waste disposal @Tubbsmalone

I have a nagging fear about insurance not paying out if it was needed, or the stress of trying to make a claim.

I wonder if it would be possible to have my existing ring converted to a bezel, without remaking the whole thing...?

 

[yssie]

@Rockdiamond I was expecting you to be the one to call me out

No absolutes. You’re right. I don’t think
the location of the chip is happenstance, but I agree I could have done the same to an IF. I don’t even know what I did! For me - an SI with feathers isn’t mind clean, has never been. Not true for everyone

 

[musicloveranthony]

Wow. I just looked at Jeweler's Mutual. Had no idea insurance was that inexpensive. I deeefinitely need to do that! Would have been nice to have when I lost two of my diamond rings -_-

 

[ecf8503]

My great-grandmother's ring sure did see some wear and tear! Check out the girdle - ouch!

 

[canuk-gal]

My great-grandmother's ring sure did see some wear and tear! Check out the girdle - ouch!

What a beautiful ring!

 

[YadaYadaYada]

I chipped all four corners on my original princess cut engagement ring. Literally wore it day and night for ten years so no real surprise. It is safely tucked away in my jewelry box but yeah, that was before I knew how to treat jewelry. PS is to thank for that.

 

[MillieLou]

My great-grandmother's ring sure did see some wear and tear! Check out the girdle - ouch!

OK so THIS is what I fear will happen if I wear my ring regularly. Although, it's still a beautiful ring and I guess the girdle would probably clean up nicely?

@YadaYadaYada I'm sorry to hear about your original princess! In what way do you treat your jewellery differently now, and has anything happened since?

 

[YadaYadaYada]

@MillieLou, it’s a world different now in how I treat my rings especially. They come off for cleaning and dishes, showers, bedtime and strenuous activities for the hands like gardening etc. When I say I never took that princess cut solitaire off, I mean I literally did home improvement projects with it on. It just never occurred to me to take it off!

I haven’t (knock on wood) had any damage to a diamond or gemstone since I became more aware and started treating all jewelry more gently.

 

[Rockdiamond]

I chipped all four corners

That blows!!!
But remember....it's just physics....corners are more delicate on Princess....pears or marquises for that matter