Has anyone broken their princess?

I don''t know too much about princess stones, but I''ll try to help with what knowledge I do possess.

A stone breaking is always a risk when you have it reset. But then, that''s what insurance is for. There are several cleavage points on a diamond, I believe, and when pressure is applied just right to those points, the stone can definitely break.

A very thin girdle on a princess or round makes it more prone to chipping because it''s so thin. The trade off is usually more spread for the same carat weight. I personally think it is a bit more risky on the princess cut because of the sharp corners. If you do get a reset, I would seek too protect the corners as much as possible, as I''ve read that those areas are most prone to chipping.

Other experts will chime in soon, most likely, but I hope my little knowledge helps.

Date: 8/2/2006 1:38:16 PM
Author:Beacon
I have a 1.29 princess and it has a ''ex thin to very thin'' girdle. I have worn it almost everyday for 6 years. Since reading n this forum I have learned that this type of girdle can break easily. But in all this time it never did break. Now I am trying to figure out what to do with the stone since I upgraded. I am even afraid to reset it, cause I fear it will break.

So, my question is: has anyone broken their princess stone due to thin girdle? Will my stone be likely to break if I reset it?

I would suggest seeing a gemologist in your area, and consulting him. It may just make sense to have the girdle cut a little more to thicken it.

Even though grading reports do sometimes say ex thin or very thin, I have found in some cases, that this is really not factual at all.

Reporting girdle thickness by a term such as thin or thick, is not as accurate as reporting it by measurement. A competent gemologist can measure the girdle and advise you as to how to best proceed with getting it reset, and possibly made less of a risk due to the girdle thickness (if in fact it is true, and an issue).

Rockdoc

This is a great idea and I bet I would learn a lot at the same time.  Does anyone have any San Francisco Bay area gemologist recommendations?

Nancy Stacy is very popular.