cracked diamond

[JillF]

OK, I know this has been discussed but I have a "new" issue. My diamond, 4.5kt had an inclusion when purchased, a fisure. I asked the manager of a local store, "will this fisure crack the stone or make it more vulnerable to cracking" he said NO. This was four years ago. They set the stone. The stone has now cracked all the way to the top, scraping a needle varifies this, so did three other jewelers.
My question is, I brought back the stone and they shipped it to their gemologist so he can examine it and see if there are any "crystals" present. What does that mean??????

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 9/3/2008 9:11:15 AM
Author:JillF
OK, I know this has been discussed but I have a 'new' issue. My diamond, 4.5kt had an inclusion when purchased, a fisure. I asked the manager of a local store, 'will this fisure crack the stone or make it more vulnerable to cracking' he said NO. This was four years ago. They set the stone. The stone has now cracked all the way to the top, scraping a needle varifies this, so did three other jewelers.
My question is, I brought back the stone and they shipped it to their gemologist so he can examine it and see if there are any 'crystals' present. What does that mean??????

Hi Jill!

I am so sorry to hear this, could we have some more info on the diamond please? Does it have a grading report, if so which lab, and what is the clarity grade of this diamond and the shape of it? Was the stone also set 4 years ago and now you notice the fissure/ inclusion has spread recently?

As to how you should proceed, one of the experts should be along sometime to advise you.

 

[JillF]

Do not yell, I have dealt with this jeweler for many years, basically "the family jeweler". I cannot find the paper work, and either can they. Funny!! It was F color and I canot remember the clarrity. The fisure was seen by the naked eye, but it was set in a six prong by this jeweler and that is where the fisure lays. So it was harder to see if someone just looks at the ring. I was so excited to get such a large stone so I was ok with the inclusion, but I spent days looking at this stone and they insured me (not to be confused with insurance, haha) that it was not weaken by the fisure. I even returned the ring 5 days after purchase bc I was uneasy about the fisure. They talked me back into taking the stone.

They state that the crystalization will show if the crack was there all along or new.? That is my main question, is that true, does crystalization actually show movement of a fisure?

 

[Lorelei]

Jill, I never yell do not worry! What is the shape of the diamond, is it a round?

 

[JillF]

oval

 

[denverappraiser]

Jill,

Are you insured? If so, call your agent. Given the facts stated, this would be a covered loss under most policies. Get an inspection by a pro, not just some jewelry store worker.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

 

[Richard Sherwood]

Hi Jill. A gemologist can tell if a feather has newly broken the surface of the diamond by the polish.

If the feather was breaking the surface when the diamond was polished, there will be minute pieces of the diamond which broke off on one side of the feather and then created minute "drag lines" along the surface.

If it is a new feather the surface edges of it will be crisp with no "break off" or "drag lines".

I''ve encountered many times where a client didn''t notice an original aspect of their stone and then noticed it years later, thinking it just happened. Did you try scraping a needle across the diamond''s surface when you first bought it?

It''s pretty unusual for an internal feather to spread and break the surface. Especially if it received no significant trauma. It''s much more likely that it was there all the time and just got noticed recently. That''s probably what your jeweler is thinking.

 

[JillF]

Richard, thank you. Where are you located in Fla?

 

[Richard Sherwood]

Sarasota, in paradise, on the west coast.

 

[JillF]

To all knowledgable: More info, this diamond had a white edge when purchased. I have never seen this on another stone and I do have many stones, I asked the jeweler why it was not "polished" and I cannot recall the answer, they said they could polish it when I chose the new setting, which I was suppose to do when I first bought the stone but have never found what I was looking for. I shop in this store three times a year and send many clients there. This is how I found it it was cracked, I was looking for a setting in another store.

 

[Richard Sherwood]

That''s called a "frosted" girdle. Used to be very common, and a well frosted girdle was the sign of a master diamond polisher.

Nowadays you tend to see more "faceted" girdles. The "cleaner" look of a faceted girdle seems to have caught on.

 

[Richard Sherwood]

Date: 9/3/2008 9:52:38 AM
Author: JillF
This is how I found it it was cracked, I was looking for a setting in another store.

Not to sound cynical, but often a competing jeweler is all to quick to point out anything they can find negative about a stone which was purchased elsewhere, dramatizing it and trying to create doubt in the customer''s mind about their former jeweler.

A surface breaking feather is not an unusual diamond inclusion. It could be that you bought a beautiful diamond at a good price with a typical diamond inclusion, and just weren''t aware of all aspects of the inclusion''s nature.

When I had my store, sometimes I would encounter this situation where a customer came back indignant about some supposed negative another jeweler pointed out.

I would ask them "How long have you known me?". The answer would often be "Ten years, or fifteen years, etc."

Then I would ask them "How long and how well do you know this jeweler who is intimating that I took advantage of you?"

The answer was usually along the lines of "half an hour...".

 

[JillF]

Thank you everyone, my jeweler just called, they will replace the stone. Now I have to figure out what it is worth and am I getting a fair deal. I have no idea how to figure that out. I tried searching prices on line, but they are over priced. New york diamond district has much better pricing, maybe I should fly there. What do you think?

 

[denverappraiser]

Date: 9/3/2008 11:40:32 AM
Author: JillF
Thank you everyone, my jeweler just called, they will replace the stone. Now I have to figure out what it is worth and am I getting a fair deal. I have no idea how to figure that out.

Umm. Get it appraised?

Just out of curiosity, how did you decide that an address in the NYC diamond district, a place with some of the highest rents and the highest tax rates in the whole country results in stores with better pricing?

By the way, who is your jeweler? It sounds like they deserve some pricescope kudos.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Jewelry Appraisals in Denver

 

[oldminer]

It sounds as if your jeweler has decided to go above and beyond the norm to keep you as a valued customer. I hope you can work out some sort of good exchange.

Whenever a consumer comes into a retailer for a remount it is necessary to look over the diamond very carefully and call out any existing "faults" so that should the remount take place, the new jeweler won''t be responsible for old clarity faults. While the exageration of faults may be inentional, the disclosure of existing conditions is very important to all concerned parties. If you are a new client to a store, they have to keep up their gaurd against false claims. Everyone is afraid of the other party.

Finding your old paperwork would be a good way to start the process.

 

[honey22]

Date: 9/3/2008 11:40:32 AM
Author: JillF
Thank you everyone, my jeweler just called, they will replace the stone. Now I have to figure out what it is worth and am I getting a fair deal. I have no idea how to figure that out. I tried searching prices on line, but they are over priced. New york diamond district has much better pricing, maybe I should fly there. What do you think?

I have yet to find online stones that are overpriced, it''s usually the B&M stores that ramp up the costs. Are you comparing apples with apples? A really well cut stone will have a higher asking price than a poorly cut stone - many online vendors ie, WF GOG specialise in ideal cut and excellent cut stones, so this is maybe what you are looking at? Ideal cut stones are worth more as they are better performers?

Can you give as many details of your stone as possible ie. colour, clarity, cut details, which orginal grading report ( I know you don''t have all these but as much as you can) and the carat weight and we can give you an idea of what it would cost to replace it. It will be a whole lot more than when you purchased it years ago I can tell you that without a doubt! You may be shocked!