Broken Ceylon blue sapphire stone

[newlyweddec12]

Hi all, I'm a first time user but was hoping someone could shed some light on my situation. I'm just married and got my engagement ring just over three years ago. I spent a long time looking and in the end choose a sapphire main stone in a platinum and diamond setting. My problem is last week the main stone broke and having chosen a rub over style I understood this was not likely to ever happen. My job does not entail anything physical and I take it off at night time and basically due to the amount spent on it I'm very careful with it, probably even too careful. I just can't understand after three years and with the setting I chose that the sapphire is broken- its .8 ceylon(lighter blue).It doesn't make any sense. Of course the jewellers are convinced I hit it hard of something or at a certain angle but I can guarantee I didn't. Could it have cracked or got damaged when getting cleaned? Could there have being a fault in the stone? Has anyone had this happen in a run over style sapphire engagemet ring ever? Have googled and researched but this is meant to the second hardest gem after diamond and I can't see reports of the same problem. As you've guessed I'm unbelievably upset.
Any feedback or comments would be appreciated. Feel a little cheated after havin my ring for such a short time and for being too carful.

 

[chrono]

Have post and run but wanted to assure you that even diamonds in a full bezel can get chipped in the crown area. Having a rub over setting is more protective but not a guarantee. I'm sorry about your stone.

 

[iLander]

Was your stone unheated and untreated? Or could it have been a "commercial quality" stone? If the latter, it could have been glass-filled or full of resin, which would have hidden cracks and fissures. Where did you get this stone?

 

[wordie89]

Newlywed, sorry about the ring. That is sooo disappointing.

As Chrono and Ilander have said, all stones when subject to certain pressure or impact can break. It is possible the stone had a flaw that was undetected and made it more susceptible to cracking or breaking. Check with insurance and see if it is covered at all. Good luck.

 

[newlyweddec12]

Thank you for your replies. I got this ring and stone in a jewellers in Hatton Garden London and unfortunately presumed it was genuine and seems as the owners are no longer there and it doesn't specify on my insurance certificate I can't say about how genuine it is. Have insurance but the premium would go crazy of I go this route. I just have never ever heard of anyone that had a chipped or broken main stone and from everything I read I know it is more than unusual in a rub over style. I'm convinced there is something not right about this story and can't say if there was a fault I was aware of but looks like I'll just have to pay the money out. Hindsight is a wonderful things now as I don't want to own anymore expensive jewels.

 

[bluebirrrd]

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that happened to you. I'd be so disappointed and upset. People go to great lengths certing their gems, putting them in protective settings, insuring, and handling them very carefully. It minimizes the risk a great deal but things like this still happen sometimes. I hope something good comes out of it and that you eventually find something else that you'll love.

 

[Ally T]

I absolutely feel your pain, but these things can happen

I can't offer advice, but i can offer support. My original engagement ring was an invisible set ring of 12 princess diamonds, all pressure set together with no claws in a sturdy platinum setting. I thought it would last forever, but last year my then 3 year old dropped it on the kitchen floor (slate) and the force of the diamonds against each other cracked one in half. It was very stressful & wasn't dropped hard or from great height, but it still cracked a diamond. Sadly, as much as these stones are hard, nothing is completely safe. I was horrified & shocked that the hardest stone to man could crack in half after such a gentle fall

If it is insured then I would speak to them about it. I found that they were particularly understanding with it being my engagement ring & very sentimental. They swiftly paid out (mine wasn't repairable due to such a complicated setting) & I had a new diamond within a couple of months. I am also in the UK & the sentimentality of the ring my husband proposed with is enormous, so I do understand how distressed you must feel <<hugs>>

 

[chrono]

In reading your initial post, I have a few more questions for you.
1. How clean was your sapphire? Did it have any inclusions close to the surface or crown area? You might not remember this though.
2. How do you clean your ring? Do you use a steamer or ultrasonic? A steamer is a no-no and if your stone is clean, an ultrasonic is generally safe.
3. What do you mean by the sapphire is broken? Is it chipped or a facet nicked? If so, it can be polished out. If it broke clean into 2 pieces, then that's a different story.
4. Are you absolutely sure it is a sapphire?

I understand that your insurance premiums will go up with a claim but getting a replacement stone in the event of a loss or damage is exactly why you bought one in the first place. Actually, have you confirmed with your insurance company about the increased cost? I've read in RT that making a claim isn't that horrible and you aren't penalized unless it becomes obvious that you are milking the system with repeated claims. Please contact your insurance company to get more details.

 

[newlyweddec12]

So I've got a few answers I think but at this stage I know I need to concentrate on finding a new stone and find people I trust. I know this looks like it was just a very unfortunate incident. So the stone was a cornflower blue natural sapphire enhanced through heat. It would have being cleaned with a brush and solution by hand and in an ultrasonic machine.
I can't tell you about the inclusions closeness to the surface of the surface. I've attached photos but I just took them quickly one evening so you might not see very clearly.
Any advice before I start looking at replacing this stone?

 

[chrono]

I am having trouble making out the facet pattern of your sapphire. Interesting that the damage extended all the way under the bezel making me wonder if there is the possibility of the stone sustaining damage during the setting process but no one can see it since there is a metal lip covering it.

 

[davi_el_mejor]

Sapphire has a conchoidal fracture. From the looks of the stone, it looks like something struck the crown and then eventually the fracture spread out to the girdle below the bezel. Since the bezel could have held it in place for a bit, there's not telling when the strike occurred.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

i agree, Davi. It looks like something hit the center of the crown and the fracture spread.

A bezel or rub over setting will only protect the edges of the stone and wouldn't have helped in this case.

 

[newlyweddec12]

Thanks for the replies so I'm now looking at replacing this stone. Any advice before I start looking?

 

[pregcurious]

In reading your initial post, I have a few more questions for you.
2. How do you clean your ring? Do you use a steamer or ultrasonic? A steamer is a no-no and if your stone is clean, an ultrasonic is generally safe.

Why is a steamer a no-no for a sapphire?

 

[Quantz Studios]

Always remember, too, that hardness is ONLY referring to a material's ability to be scratched. Durability, how easily a stone is broken or chipped, is a different property and not directly related to hardness. Even the hardest stones (diamond, corundum) can be broken and chipped if the conditions are right- Not even taking into account inclusions which weaken the stone or even stresses in the crystal structure. Nothing is indestructible, and I'm sorry for the damage to your stone.

 

[Euphony]

In reading your initial post, I have a few more questions for you.
2. How do you clean your ring? Do you use a steamer or ultrasonic? A steamer is a no-no and if your stone is clean, an ultrasonic is generally safe.

Why is a steamer a no-no for a sapphire?

It's not, really. Sapphires are considered safe for steaming.

 

[chrono]

Most sapphires can be steam cleaned but one needs to make sure there is no open fissure present, therefore just as an extra precaution, an ultrasonic is safer. My choice of wording was incorrect, and therefore unintentionally misleading.