Can everyday wear damage your diamonds?

[bigsparkle]

I love my diamonds BUT I''m clumsy! Can I break a diamond by accident?

 

[Brian Knox]

Can everyday wear damage your diamonds?

Yes, a sharp blow with a hard object on the edge of a diamond can chip the diamond rather easily.

Also, diamonds with corners or points are much more susceptible to damage than round diamonds.

Be sure the diamond is insured.

Have the ring checked as your jeweler recommends.

Wear it, enjoy it and don't worry about it.

 

[denverappraiser]

Yes,

That's why god gave us insurance companies.

Neil Beaty, GG ISAA
Independent Appraisals in Denver

 

[websailor]

Not normally I'd say, but for a guy like me who is rough on almost everything, the answer is yes...

I chipped my small diamond that was set deep into a man's gold band... Probably by working on the car or doing yard/construction work around the house.

On the other hand, my DW wears her very exposed stone all the time, and it's just like new.

 

[yowahking]

Some stones are more easily chipped because of sharp points like Brian said, or very thin girdles, or some odd structures in the diamond, or some inclusions that are at or near the surface. Sometimes the setter left the inside of the bezel or prong unfinished and a sharp blow will damage a diamond when it may not have without the poor setting job. My mother insured her diamond for 25 years and then dropped the insurance........then borke the diamond.
buy good diamonds, use good setters, use good appraisers, insure and enjoy.

 

[Jennifer5973]

There have been many threads about whether diamonds can chip, crack, or otherwise be damaged... My personal belief is that it is both unnecessary and potentially harmful to wear the diamond/ring while doing things like gardening, housework, heavy cooking, etc. I never wear my rings for that type of stuff. Aside from the exposure to damage, they get filthy. Insurance is a no-brainer, but I would really hate to have to go through that process, and I am very sentimental about my jewelry anyway, the value of which insurance can't replace.

Others on the forum disagree with me on this topic and that's the beauty of it... Read all the opinions and determine your own comfort level.

 

[Lal]

Curious.. are there "better" settings which will protect a diamond more than others from chipping/breaking?

 

[Jennifer5973]

A bezel setting offers protection to the girdle, which can be the most prone to chipping, especially if it is on the thin side.

For stones like Pears or marquise or princesses, there are more "fortified" settings/prong styles often called "chevron" style that cover more of the pointed part of the stone.

 

[marriahlyn]

Yep, here is a picture of the chip in my 5-stone ACA ring. I chipped the ring within 1 month before I even had the chance to insure!! I'm very clumsy and hard on my hands.

 

[marriahlyn]

And the diamond with the chip is the one that is marked with a black dot. The chip is now safely under a prong since I can't afford $380 to replace it......this is an AGS stone. DARN!!!

 

[Julian]

Are larger stones more vulnerable to chipping?

I'd think so since more surface is exposed, and therefore more leverage (to sudden applied force) would cause it to cleave.

Argh! Mine's not huge, huge -- but reading all the posts on chipping makes me want to make a little HELMET for my diamond!

Ha! How funny would that be?

 

[Camellia]

I have to agree with Jennifer. I put my jewellery on in the morning when I leave for work and take it off as soon as I get home in the evening. I don't wear any jewellery around the house and I certainly wouldn't wear it while doing manual work such as gardening. Like Jennifer says, it stays cleaner that way. Also the settings don't get scratched as much as they would otherwise. I hate just having to open metal doorhandles at work because I'm worried about the scratches on my rings. Pretty anal, I know but I want my jewellery to last me a lifetime.

 

[hoorray]

I ruined my first setting (it was not a strong setting tho...) and chipped several side stones in my second setting. When I was shopping for my third setting the jeweler focused on "durability" as he helped me.

He told me to keep my rings out of the kitchen (too many hard surfaces), and other places where i'd be banging my hands around. Since then, I've had no problems.

(He's a well respected vendor, mentioned here quite often.) This approach isn't for everyone, but my rings looks great and nice and clean all the time since I keep them in the cleaner when I'm not wearing them.