can you tell if a diamond is loose in setting?

[lucymartin]

Hi! I take my ring into the jeweler about every six months to make sure the prongs are tight, etc...but, I just wondered... if the stone were to come loose in its setting in between time, would I necessarily know? I have heard some say that you can "feel" the diamond move in its setting w. your finger, or hear the rattling of the stone moving around...is this true? Or, should I just hope that if the diamond were to come loose, it would not fall completely out between "check ups?"

Thanks for your help!!

 

[Daniela]

Yup, you can feel it move if it really is loose. Put your fingers on each side of the stone and give it a very gentle twist--if it moves, you need to have your prongs tightened.

The above has happened to me THREE times in a little over one year, and I''m just about ready to throw my setting out the window! It is supposed to be a good setting (Stuller Solstice with four prong head), so I''m not sure what the deal is.

Another issue you might have is when a prong starts to move a little bit, and if you look closely, in this case you can see that one of the prongs isn''t sitting quite properly on the stone. If you inspect the ring really carefully, you can often detect these problems yourself. So it doesn''t hurt to be vigilant with your own checking. But of course, keep going in to your see your jeweller every six months so that you have a professional set of eyes looking at the ring as well!

 

[cflutist]

Date: 4/3/2005 10:33:40 AM
Author:lucymartin
Hi! I take my ring into the jeweler about every six months to make sure the prongs are tight, etc...but, I just wondered... if the stone were to come loose in its setting in between time, would I necessarily know? I have heard some say that you can ''feel'' the diamond move in its setting w. your finger, or hear the rattling of the stone moving around...is this true? Or, should I just hope that if the diamond were to come loose, it would not fall completely out between ''check ups?''

Thanks for your help!!

You will probably see a stone moving in its setting, before you hear it rattling around as most are not large enough to make much noise (unless you are talking 10+ cts here). And if you do hear it rattling around, that means it must be pretty loose by then.

One technique I use to check the surrounding melee on e-rings, or to check smaller stones on eternity rings is to use a sewing needle/pin to touch the edges of each of the stones. If the stone is loose, your eye will detect movement in its setting. This can be done with/without a loupe. Of course, if you find that any stone is loose on your ring, I would hustle into your jeweler ASAP.

 

[diamondlil]

I occasionally check my stones using two methods:

I use a toothpick and gently press on each stone in several locations on each stone in the setting to see any movement. If you can do this under magnification, even better, especially if you are trying to see very small stones such as pave.

The second method, which would not work with very tiny stones, is to hold my ring up to my ear in a quiet room. Tap the side of the shank with my finger, and I can easily hear the stone "klink" against the prong.

Over years of wear, it''s common to have a stone come loose. I have not lost a stone yet, but I''ve had several stones that needed to be tightened.

Having your rings checked every six months by a professional is also a good recommendation.

DiamondLil

 

[denverappraiser]

The checkups really are worth your trouble. It’s not that it’s all that difficult to do it yourself but it really helps to have done it a few dozen times before and a few of the details are pretty subtle. Here are a couple of things you can do yourself.

1) Hold the ring between your thumb and middle finger. Tap it sharply with your index finger about an inch away from your ear. You should hear a distinct ‘thunk’. If the ring has a loose stone, it will sometimes make a slight rattle when you do this.
2) Look at the piece with a loupe. Look at the prongs and make sure that they haven’t moved. They should be evenly spaced around the stone. Also look at the tips of the prongs from the side. You should see a distinct bit of metal on the crown side of the stone. These tend to wear away with time. Eventually they almost always need to be repaired if you wear the ring constantly.
3) Try to move the stone with your fingernail. Your looking for pretty amounts so this one takes some practice. Hold the stone so you can see a reflection of a ceiling light in the table. Touch the girdle very lightly with your fingernail from the other hand and wiggle it slightly. If the reflection moves, your stone is loose. While your at it, try to turn the stone in the setting. It shouldn’t move at all.

Loose stones are bad bad bad. The problem is that diamonds are very hard and gold is very soft. If the stone is spinning in the mounting, the edge of the stone acts as a saw on the tips of the prongs. It’s a pretty good saw . If you stone get’s lose in the setting and you continue to wear it, the problem will get worse quickly. When the tips are gone, the diamond is gone.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Independent Appraisals in Denver