How to avoid diamond switching??

[Kate23]

Hey guys, my boyfriend and I fell in love with LM's work, but we are worried about one thing: we plan to use a family heirloom stone, and we are afraid that it might get switched. How can we make sure this doesn't happen? Thank you
- Kate

 

[Stone-cold11]

Re: How to avoid diamond switching?? LEON MEGE

If you make that comment to LM, you can definitely forget about working with him. That is a very insulting comment to make of a jeweler. They frequently deal with stones in the 10k-100k range, probably holds much more stones of work in process and in this case, customize you setting to your stone. Not likely to ever be tempted to switch your diamond for something else and mistake is unlikely to happen because of the customize setting to your stone size.

Just do an independent appraisal before and after the setting to verify the stone is your stone. Learn how to identify your stone by it's inclusion, where and what kind it is. These are like fingerprints, every stone is unique. That is what appraisers, gemologists used to identify a stone and match it to a grading report.

 

[Kate23]

Re: How to avoid diamond switching?? LEON MEGE

Obviously I'm not going to say that to him, but I want to be prepared beforehand.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Re: How to avoid diamond switching?? LEON MEGE

The thought would not occur to me that Leon Mege would ever switch a stone. I'd be far more worried about some random local jeweler. You should have this stone insured no matter what before anyone sets it. I realize it has sentimental value, but I assume you would still want to replace it if it was somehow lost or damaged.

 

[oldminer]

Re: How to avoid diamond switching?? LEON MEGE

If you do have it fully examined and appraised before handing your stone to any jeweler, you simply supply a copy of the report with the diamond at the time of delivery and let the jeweler agree that the diamond on the report is the one received and in the condition stated on the report. That clears up the issue without insulting anyone and actually serves to protect not only you, but the jeweler, too.
No one wants to be accused of switching a diamond. Being careful is not an insult when it is done in a business-like manner.

 

[kenny]

Re: How to avoid diamond switching?? LEON MEGE

If this is a concern I'd contract with a respected, professional, independent appraiser who does not even have the potential for the appearance of a conflict of interest of buying and selling diamonds.
I'd have the appraiser be the one to send the diamond to the jeweler and instruct the jeweler to ship it directly back to the same appraiser.

This also protects the jeweler from a slimeball customer who would fraudulently accuse the jeweler of swapping when it was the customer who swapped.
I think swapping by either is extremely rare and insulting to suggest either would swap, but using an appraiser as a middlewoman makes the chance of this happening approach zero.

I agree that LM, or any other pro, simply isn't going to do this and if you mention it to him you're likely to have a nuclear bomb dropped on your hometown.
(That was a joke)

 

[denverappraiser]

Re: How to avoid diamond switching?? LEON MEGE

I think your risk with Leon is extremely low but, if you're concerned, get it appraised in advance and buy an insurance policy. It's not that this changes the risks any, but it makes it someone else's problem. With many jewlers, including Leon, it's possible to get it appraised in advance and have the appraiser ship directly to him. He then ships back to the appraiser for final inspection before you get the work. This puts both him and you on notice that the entire process is being inspected and documented by a pro. Some setters actually insist on this before they will accept work from a client that they haven't done business with before. His risks and worries are at least as great as yours.

 

[Laughinggravy0]

Re: How to avoid diamond switching?? LEON MEGE

Frankly Kate I think you should edit the title of this thread.
You want to know a general principle which has nothing to do with the vendor/craftsman you mention. I think it is irresponsible of you to add in a person's name. I have never worked with the guy and have no connection with him whatsoever, but I think, as a plain matter of fairness, you should edit this title or ask the mods to. And think more carefully when you post in such a huge and influential forum.

 

[swingirl]

Re: How to avoid diamond switching?? LEON MEGE

gasp

 

[Rockdiamond]

Re: How to avoid diamond switching?? LEON MEGE

+1 to Laughinggravy- it's a totally reasonable question in general, but I think that attaching it to any vendor's name is a problem.
In terms of Leon, he's been accused of many things, but never something like stone switching- which is an incredibly serious offense.

 

[Gypsy]

Re: How to avoid diamond switching?? LEON MEGE

I think your risk with Leon is extremely low but, if you're concerned, get it appraised in advance and buy an insurance policy. It's not that this changes the risks any, but it makes it someone else's problem. With many jewlers, including Leon, it's possible to get it appraised in advance and have the appraiser ship directly to him. He then ships back to the appraiser for final inspection before you get the work. This puts both him and you on notice that the entire process is being inspected and documented by a pro. Some setters actually insist on this before they will accept work from a client that they haven't done business with before. His risks and worries are at least as great as yours.

This is exactly what I am doing (and I Neil is the appraiser I am working with). For me it has nothing at ALL to do with theft and everything to do with the fact that my appraisal needed updating for my new insurance policy to be effective and I would not send in my engagement diamond uninsured for resetting to anyone. And then on the way back it is going to Neil again because I want him to update the appraisal (so I can re-submit to the insurance company) to reflect the new setting.

BUT If I were worried about anything like stone switching (I'd edit the title of this and take out Leon's name too) I'd use the exact same process. Piece of mind.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Re: How to avoid diamond switching?? LEON MEGE

Yep, this thread needs major moderator interjection and putting a vendor's name hinting that person may switch a diamond is on the verge of libel (IMO - that is as I'm not a lawyer so it may be libel to even say it's libel). lol

Either way, [that vendor - I took out his name in case this thread is modified] will be tremendeously insulted if he comes across this thread and I do think even if he personally doesn't read this forum, surely he has employees who do and will pass this onto him.

 

[Envyme]

I really would not worry about this with this vendor....honestly! But if you are concerned then I would take up others recs and have it appraised b4 and after! Honestly this is the vendors expertise & this vendor makes custom settings for people ALL of the time....and to think he would do something like this would be almost as likely as you winning the lotto! Not saying it can't happen but it's so darn unlikely it's not even funny! If you don't trust a vendor & are worried about this then don't use that particular vendor and go with someone you do trust!

 

[Kate23]

guys, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to put his name in like that, you're right. Could a mod please edit the title? I'm not sure how to do it. I guess I was looking for answers from people who knew him or his work and would reassure me that it's very unlikely that it will happen.
I'm really concerned because the stone is truly almost perfect, and on his website he makes a big deal about not working with someone if the stone is not left with him at all times. I've heard horror stories about diamonds being switched all the time, so I'm really scared. Honestly since this is our first engagement we don't have much clue about how things would work.

Didn't mean it in an offensive way, don't know what it was taken that way. Thank you all for your insight.

 

[luv2sparkle]

I especially wouldn't worry about it with Leon, Kate. The man sees stones worth hundreds of thousands, I really don't think
he would risk his reputation with something like that. Most jewelers wouldn't. However, I would do as suggested and have
an appraisal done. There is more risk of your stone being accidentally damaged than being switched. That can happen with
any reputable jeweler.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

You have no worries working with Leon! You do need to have the stone insured before sending it to anyone to set, though. If it is in a setting now, just get it appraised as is and then have it redone after it is in it's new setting.

 

[Kate23]

thank you so much guys for all the info and sorry about the confusion, i didn't mean to sound nasty or anything like that..

 

[CherryBlossom]

I have not read everyone's comments but I am going to guess that they have already said plenty. While this should be a concern to you... No offense you have to understand that most well known vendors, especially LM work with diamonds that are worth 10s of thousands of dollars+ they are not going to switch some diamond that you give them no matter how precious you think it is. I'm going to make a bet that their inventory and the diamonds that they are surrounded have pretty much tempted them plenty and they are not going to risk their entire business (or jail time) to switch your diamond.

Honestly think about what you're saying

Get a loop and cozy up to your stone, get to know the characteristics that do make it unique, if you really want get an independent appraisal. But MOST importantly you should have your stone INSURED so that if any damage occurs while the diamond is being worked on you'll be covered.

 

[Jr22]

For $50, plus shipping and insurance, send it to GIA for certification and have the cert number it laser inscribed. DONE. That should give you peace of mind.

 

[queenB]

Gem switching is a VERY serious issue! If a jeweler gets offended by letting him know your concern with this, I say turn around and find another ASAP!! I entrusted a very well-known jeweler (chain) with an emerald purchased from Asia. When we got our ring back, the emerald had been switched...with an obviously cloudy one! We had walked out without really looking at it, and the jeweler tried to claim that once we walked, they were absolved of any responsibility. WRONG!!! We sought a lawyer, took them to court. We had taken close-up professional pics of our ring beforehand and had all of the paperwork that went with it. They replaced our stone with one of better quality than the original. BEWARE the jeweler who claims they're not responsible. Switching stones is ROBBERY in every shape and form. I had to get my diamond ring resized lately and told the jeweler (after checking tons of references) that I was once robbed, and requested to watch as he resized my ring. He gladly agreed (because he is reputable and HONEST), took out my diamond and handed it to me....then resized the ring and I watched as he replaced the diamond. Don't settle for any less. This is your heirloom...guard it closely.

 

[kenny]

For $50, plus shipping and insurance, send it to GIA for certification and have the cert number it laser inscribed. DONE. That should give you peace of mind.

DONE?
Maybe not.

It is not likely but possible for a dishonest employee with access to laser inscription equipment to conspire with a dishonest diamond swapper.

Knowing your inclusions is a much more certain way of identifying your diamond.

 

[John P]

First of all, I agree with others who have vouched for this craftsman's integrity. No worries whatsoever with him.

With that said, using an appraiser as a go-between in this kind of situation can be a positive for all involved. It gives both you and the jeweler peace of mind in terms of shipping/receiving and you'll get immediate documentation for insurance purposes along with your finished piece.

As an aside from someone in-the-biz, I always enjoy it when a piece with one of our diamonds goes from the craftsman to an appraiser, simply because of the professional exposure we enjoy as a result of that process.

Sounds like a fun project. Enjoy.

 

[Karen Gannon]

As someone who dropped a large antique stone in the post for Leon without having ever met him. I would do it again in a heart beat, even if it was 10 carats. You need to follow your inner voice. There is way way too much risk for a respected, highly skilled jeweler to even consider something like that. In fact, it truly rarely happens. I would however have a solid appraisal on the stone before sending it in the mail.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Re: How to avoid diamond switching?? LEON MEGE

If you make that comment to LM, you can definitely forget about working with him. That is a very insulting comment to make of a jeweler. They frequently deal with stones in the 10k-100k range, probably holds much more stones of work in process and in this case, customize you setting to your stone. Not likely to ever be tempted to switch your diamond for something else and mistake is unlikely to happen because of the customize setting to your stone size.

Just do an independent appraisal before and after the setting to verify the stone is your stone. Learn how to identify your stone by it's inclusion, where and what kind it is. These are like fingerprints, every stone is unique. That is what appraisers, gemologists used to identify a stone and match it to a grading report.

and then LM will shoot her over the phone..

 

[Regular Guy]

Knowing your inclusions is a much more certain way of identifying your diamond.

Knowledge is one thing...operationalizing that knowledge is another...

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/diamond-swap-question-time.26713/?hilit=inscri* cop*


Ira Z.


P.S. I do agree, though. With Leon, and probably most, no worries. Best to work with someone that's vetted, and who you trust.