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7 Years Later....Chipped/Cracked Diamond. UHG.

Moosejaw

Moosejaw

Shiny_Rock
Premium
Joined
May 14, 2003
Messages
287
My wife just let me know that there is a chip on her diamond with what looks to be a spiral type of crack/splinter cracks coming from it.

Since we have been together 7 years, I don't feel AS sick to my stomach as I would have if it happened the first month of wearing it, but am at a loss of what to do.

Obviously we contacted our insurance company(they only cover lost items not chips.) and we are meeting with the jeweler who we purchased the stone from to understand the extent of the damage.

I am somehow hoping they will be willing to replace the stone, but very much doubt that will be an offer. They already suggested that they may want to repolish if possible or recut, which sounds ridiculous IMO as it will shrink the stone to under a carat.

It is doubtful that I will be wanting to pony up another 10k for a stone ever again.

Any thoughts/suggestions?
 
Sorry moosejaw ;(


Insurance covers loss but not damage? I've never heard of a policy like that. Have you talked to them about your situation specifically - what did they say?

A recut may or may not cause visible loss of size - depends on the size and location of the chip, how far inward any fractures radiate, etc. Would definitely inquire, if they are unwilling to replace the stone - it may not be as bad as you think.
 
Argh thats like a nightmare to me. I dare even ask who you are insured through that doesn't consider damage like that a loss.
 
You would think damage that affects structural integrity would be considered a loss? If not, wait until the stone falls out of the ring secondary to the damage then call then again :naughty:
Good luck!
 
wow, what kind of insurance do you have? I've never heard of that
 
I agree.. what kind of insurance do you have?? I need to know what to stay away from.

That is crazy. Only loss and not damage? WTH are you paying your premium for then? Only when you lose it or get robbed? crazy.
 
Seems crazy to me to! Thats what insurance is for!
 
Ugh, I'm so sorry!

My originaly e-ring was a 1.06 rectangular princess cut and after 6 years of wearing it, a corner had chipped. At the time it was only covered under our homeowners insurance and it was covered even though it was a chip, not a total loss (as in theft). I would really push your insurance about that because if it's chipped and can't be polished out, it's a loss.

Best of luck!
 
Just got back from the jeweler.

The bad news is it is a fracture and a big chunk is missing. I'm a little bummed that they simply blamed my wife for it happening, saying it was a normal thing that happens with banging it around.

I spoke with the insurance company again and the saga begins.
 
So sorry to hear that! Is there another expert you can take it to? I wonder if the jeweler is just trying to sell you something. That said, I'd start with investigating the insurance coverage a bit more too.
 
So sorry to hear about your wife's diamond. When you are able to, can you tell us who the insurer is? I am asking b/c I recently lost a pair of earrings and my insurance co won't cover them and now I'm shopping around for another co. while all my jewelry sits in my safe deposit. (Mine is Allstate.)

Best of luck.
 
I'm so sorry to hear about your wife's ring. Jewelers Mutual Insurance is recommended on here, and I have had an easy time working with them to insure my jewelry even through resets and modification. They also give you a steep discount for jewelry stored in a safety deposit box, which is great if you have heirlooms that you only wear a few times a year. I have never used it to replace a damage or lost item, so I can't comment on that aspect.
 
I'm sorry to hear of your problems. As with the above, I'm curious who the insurer is here. This is decidedly unusual. Have you actually spoken to the claims department or just your agent?
 
I remember when I first joined PS, a member knocked her e-ring on a shopping cart and lost a huge chunk. Hope your wife doesn't feel too guilty. Accidents happen! Thank goodness for insurance!!!
 
I am also curious as to who your insurer is and what options they provide you with. As others have said this is really a situation which one anticipates by paying for insurance; the off-chance of theft or damage.

Moosejaw|1314395310|3000788 said:
...I'm a little bummed that they simply blamed my wife for it happening, saying it was a normal thing that happens with banging it around...
Click to expand...

I hope the jeweler didn't make you or her feel badly about the situation. "Blame" is irrelevant now. Any diamond could indeed take a knock and fracture/chip as your wife's has. In the jeweler's defense it's out of their hands (unless the store warrants the diamond itself against damage) but the manner in which they communicate this to you - and hopefully give suggestions - should ideally be sympathetic and helpful.
 
HI All...

Ring Update
It was apparent to us prior to seeing the jeweler that the diamond was most likely a goner. What bothered me was the fact that I said on the car ride over that the jeweler was going to blame her hitting it really hard(which she didn't) and the angle in which she hit it.

That's exactly what she blamed. It is truly pure speculation on her part, and what bothers me is if this was legitimate EVERY person would be breaking diamonds. The word on the street would be diamonds are brittle and break all the time.

I didn't get into a discussion with her about it, but am curious that a VS1 diamond with no inclusions near the breakage area fractured.

Insurance Update

I'd rather not say who the insurer is at this point since I am still working with them, and truly are one of the few great insurance companies(with other things I've had to deal with, eg. garbage running into my rockery etc.)

They have changed their tune with me from what my wife was told originally.

The deal is:

I called to have all of her jewelry insured in 2008. This included her wedding band and engagement ring estimated replacement value was 14k, her tsavorite ring, estimated replacement value 16k, a diamond necklace with a value of 1000, and an Aaron Bascha charm necklace, Replacement Value $3500.

My general policy, blanket coverage for jewelry is $2500. This obviously wasn't enough.

Well I filled all the paperwork out, sent in the documents, and according to them the only item on my policy is the Bascha shoe charm necklace.

They are currently investigating why the other items were not on there as I thought they were. There is no way I would have solely insured that item as it was so close in cost to my blanket coverage.

They took my sworn recorded statement and are looking into who dropped the ball with my coverage.
 
Crossing my fingers that they get it sorted out!
 
What a sad story, I hope in the end you get good resolution and we find out who the insurer is.
 
Wow so sorry to hear that!!!
 
I don't think they are "blaming" your wife. But diamonds DO crack, and do not require a lot of force, just the correct angle.

Hope the insurance works out- this is a good reminder to everyone to make sure your coverage is what you want it to be!
 
Well I guess that's a good update then? If you were supposed to have coverage then maybe it will be covered.

But don't you get a new policy every year with the details? Wouldn't those items be under the list of items on the "jewelry" list?
 
Questions about whether or not you had coverage at all and a policy that excludes damage are very different issues. I hope it works out in your favor.
 
denverappraiser|1314474581|3001891 said:
Questions about whether or not you had coverage at all and a policy that excludes damage are very different issues. I hope it works out in your favor.
Click to expand...

They certainly are.. that didn't make any sense to me at all. I hope they work things out soon MooseJaw!
 
I know you don't want to name them, but this is just so atrocious in my opinion (both the mess up and the weird policy) that I think it's fair to warn others.
 
I would guess that the thing that will save you will be if you have been paying a premium worthy of all the pieces you wanted to insure.
If you have then they cannot deny that the error is theirs. I so hope that is the case with you. Good luck!
 
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