chip in a diamond

[hsanchez]

I have an early brilliant cut diamond which the jeweler set in a four prong setting. There were no chips in the diamond when it was set.



I have been wearing the ring for approximately 1 year and it just recently got a chip on the side of the stone, I think in the girdle. The chip is kind of significant. It can be seen with the naked eye.



I would appreciate your response to the following questions:



1. Is there any way to repair the diamond or to take some other action (like polishing or resetting so the prongs cover the chip or ??????) to avoid further damage.



2. Now that there is a chip, is the diamond more likely to incur additional damage and if so, what kind of damage.



3. Is it okay to continue wearing the ring in the damaged condition.



4. Is there a standard in the gemologist industry as to the kind of setting which should be used on an early cut stone. If so, what is the standard.


5. Is an early cut stone the same thing as a European cut.

6. How is the value of the stone affected by the chip and/or repairs.



The diamond was a gift to me from my husband (then fiancé’). It originally belonged to my husband’s grandmother. I can’t believe it has been damaged as I thought that diamonds were indestructible. And, of course, it has great sentimental value to me and to my husband.



Thanks for your help.

 

[Jennifer5973]

Hi. I feel badly--you sound upset and I know how you feel, as I chipped my original diamond from my husband, which has trememndous sentimentla value.

I can't answer all of your questions but here is what i know/did:

1. My diamond has a thin girdle and this is where it had a nick. I went to a master diamond setter--someone whose specialty is setting diamonds--and he gently rotated the stone so the chip is under the prong. He was very thorough and explained every step of what he did. he did this work right in front of me (it was actually fascinating to watch him). he assured me that becasue my setting is low and the chip was under the prong, the odds were good that it would be fine. He also "tuned up" the ring and secured all the prongs, adding a bit of additional metal to each to fortify them. I have four prongs on my ring. I am, however, very careful about this ring now and don't wear it every day. it it not the most perfect diamond in the world (1 ct, SI1, H, okay cut) but it means A LOT to me.

Although it is insured, i preferred to keep it and not try to have it materially replaced.

2. I know my chip, which is small.--you need the loupe to see it--decreases the value of the stone somewhat substantially. Depending on the size of your stone, you may be able to have it recut but you will lose some value via carat weight loss. How much probably depends on the size of the nick and how much needs to be cut. Recutting mine woudn't have been a good idea.

3. I would not wear the dimaond until it is fixed one way or the other.

As far as OE cuts go, I'm not too knowledgeable. You can search this forum for "chipped diamonds" and "Old earopean cut" and I know many thread will come up with more thorough commentary form the experts here.

Good luck! Chin up!

 

[niceice]

We're sorry to hear about the damage to your diamond, we recommend sending the diamond to somebody like David Atlas http://www.gemappraisers.com for evaluation, he specializes in older cut diamonds and is likely to be able to access the extent of the damage for you and determine the level of risk in terms of the possibility of the chip extending further into the diamond. In addition, he is likely to have access to a diamond cutter who is experienced in recutting such stones... Good luck!

 

[diamond cuter]

as a diamond cuter i recut diamond all the time please call me at 1-800 8861515


ask for the diamond cuter

 

[strmrdr]

----------------
On 1/6/2004 1:16:51 AM diamond cuter wrote:



as a diamond cuter i recut diamond all the time please call me at 1-800 8861515


ask for the diamond cuter
----------------

Yea right, like someone would want to do business with someone who cant even read the rules of the board before posting.

 

[pricescope]

Yea right, like someone would want to do business with someone who cant even read the rules of the board before posting.
----------------

Thanks, Strmrdr. You are right. Interestingly, the number above belongs to buydiamonddirect (Diamondsman?), which "diamond cuter" recommends in his other posts.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Apart from the diamond cutters unsolicited offer, you have had great advice from a very well informed consumer and an honourable vendor.
If you need any unsoliceted offers of a different nature, please think of me

Otherwise find (by word of mouth) the best (ie most expensive) craftperson or ship you ring to Dave Atlas

 

[oldminer]

We certainly are able to repair chipped old cut diamonds with efficiency and knowledge. Glad to do this for those in need who have no one local willing to assist them. There is a big problem with doing this work for the public and I want to make it clear.

If you send out a chipped diamond for "repair" it will be repaired, but not fully recut into some kind of better cut stone UNLESS that is what you desire. If you want a diamond really RECUT then it will not look at all like the original stone you began with. How will you identify it as the one you had before? Inclusions can disappear or change? the color may seem different. The weight will be less, of course.

These facts worry us when we offer this service to the public. It also wories nearly every other firm willing to do this work for the public. A reputation is difficult to earn, but easily spoiled and lost.

The consumer needs to have a high degree of confidence in anyone entrusted to repair or recut a diamond for them. Without that virtually total trust, you cannot or should not ever leave your diamond for repairs. It is very much like putting your faith in a surgeon or anaesthesiologist before surgery. Do it as if your life depended on it or just don't do it.

 

[glitterata]

Good point about trust, Dave. I bet it takes trust on the part of the cutter as well as the customer--the cutter has to trust the customer not to freak out and make accusations if the stone comes back looking different.

Here's a question. I have my grandmothers' engagement diamonds, both of which I took to an appraiser whom Dave recommended. (Robert Aretz, very nice guy.) These are stones that were worn daily for a total of at least 125 years, and they had accumulated some chips over the years. One has a natural and a small chip; the appraiser told me it was a VS1. The other has several small chips and is an SI2, but it gets its grading from a largish inclusion in one spot (now under a prong). He didn't tell me that the chips were a danger, though I didn't specifically ask.

If my grandmothers didn't worry about repolishing and the appraiser didn't tell me to do it, is it safe for me to assume that the chips don't pose any special danger to my rings? Or should I get them repaired in some way?

 

[Mara]

Leonid, were you able to match an IP up?




I know diamonds are cute...but really.

 

[oldminer]

Chips make for more fragility in almost every case. Appraisers generally are cautious about offering services demanding more trust between the parties than an appraisal calls for. He could make $50 on fixing the stone or you might sue him for thousands for "switching" your diamond. We all weigh the potential risks with the potential for benefits. If you think only consumers are afraid of jewelers, you must also see that jewelers have reason to be afraid of customers, too.

It is a shame, but that's the reality of being in business today. TRUST is one of the most important aspects of the entire mix.