diamond safety at jewelers

[youngnlove]

Ok, my now-fiancee likes her ring, but there is a small problem with the setting. I bought the ring and diamond separately. The diamond is obviously already set in the ring. I want to send the ring back to the jeweler who made it to fix the problem area. How would you go about sending the ring (with $2500 diamond in tow) with some amount of certainty that you will get the same diamond back?

Think about that and then read this....

Here''s my idea. Send a copy of the diamond certificate along with the ring. Have him certify upon receiving the ring that the diamond is indeed what it should be. He would write a statement to this effect and sign it. Then, after the work is done on the setting, he would again certify that the diamond is the same in writing and send it back to me. I would then have someone double check it when i get it. Does that sound safe? I guess the only loophole is that the diamond isn''t certified by some third party before I send it out. Do you all think this is a problem? Thanks.

 

[FireGoddess]

I''d probably just have someone verify the laser inscription on the diamond before I sent it out, then have the receiver recite that to me once they got it. Once I got the ring back, I would again verify the inscription is correct.

Is your stone inscribed??

 

[youngnlove]

negative, no inscription

 

[FireGoddess]

Shoot. I guess in lieu of that, your way sounds about the best you can get without getting all fancy with gemprint analysis and other such computer wizardry to verify stone birthmarks.

As long as the jeweler is willing to put his john hancock on the dotted line to take responsibility and assure he has received and then returned said stone, your way should be fine. The question is, is he willing to do this?

 

[youngnlove]

ok, so you certify the one i sent you is the one you send back....if i then get a false diamond, where is the blame? back on me right? i must have sent a diamond other than the one with the EGL certificate. i know that at some point here, trust becomes the deciding factor. i''m just wondering how to safeguard against a "i don''t know what you''re talking about, this is the diamond you sent me" issue. thanks!

 

[codex57]

I''d try and have the setting fixed at a local store where I could watch them.

Trust is key. How would you feel if your stone was $12,000? Wouldn''t want to let the thing out of your sight huh? So going to a place where you can walk in and never let it leave your sight is about the most comfortable you can get.

 

[youngnlove]

Date: 3/10/2005 6:30:14 PM
Author: crankydave
I understand... trust is the deciding factor. After coming back, should you have the stone examined at 60X and find something not on the cert, whose fault is it? The person who sold you the stone, set the stone, the jeweler who just did the work, or EGL?

Not knowing what the problem is...

I would suggest then, you have your stone inscribed or gemprinted. Another option, if the problem is minor, to try and have the adjustment done by whomever sold you the stone. Another possibility is to have the stone removed and simply send the mounting. Perhaps have the work done locally.

Dave

where can i get a gemprint or inscription? i live in a small town...is this something that most places do? i''ll call around to some local jewelers, but do you have any suggestions? it doesn''t make much sense to send it somewhere to be better identified, as the goal is to keep it in sight. i think my reservation about doing it locally is that the jeweler won''t charge anything to fix it and it needs to be resized a bit too, and he''ll do that for free. i just wish there were some 100% sure way, but i''m beginning to think not....still open to any more suggestions...

 

[Richard Sherwood]

Yeah, if you had it done locally it would solve all your problems. Might cost you a little extra, but that''s partially defrayed by the shipping you won''t have to pay for, and completely defrayed by the peace-of-mind you''ll experience. Not to mention establishing a relationship with your hometown jeweler. That will come in handy in the future.

Dave''s idea to have them show you the same characteristic upon dropping off and picking up is the way to go.

 

[youngnlove]

yeah, i''m gonna look into prices at the local jeweler downtown. thanks for all of your advice! ~out

 

[Blueman33]

use a reputable jeweler?

 

[denverappraiser]

Depending on what the problem is, you will probably find it to be both less expensive and less stressful to have the work done locally. Also depending on what the problem is, you may be better off having a different craftsman do the work from the one who caused the original problem. With stonesetting, like parachute packing, it’s not always the best idea to go with the cheapest supplier.

There is a list of Gemprint centers at www.gemprint.com along with an explanation of the service and how it works.

Laser inscription is available from most good appraisers, most labs, and many jewelers although most will actually send it out to a third party to do the work. The tool for doing this is a little on the expensive side and it makes sense to have a few vendors who do the work for lots of customers. It’s not really all that expensive to have it done. I think Dave Atlas (his unername is oldminer on this forum) has one if you can’t find someone locally who can arrange it for you.

Lastly, USPS Registered Mail is the most secure way to send a package from one US address to another US address. More info about how the service works is at www.usps.gov.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Independent Appraisals in Denver

 

[RockDoc]

There are lots of local gemprint centers that may be close to you.

Check the site http://www.gemprint.com Use their site to see if you do have a center that is local to you.

I don''t prefer the laser inscription unless it is done with a lab logo on it. Why? Now that the manufacturers of these machine are selling them to "anyone" who wants to buy one, a generic inscrption which matches the one you have can be put on a different stone.

Further, the inscription can be easily removed.

Generally, stone switching isn''t a prevalent problem, but it does happen, sometimes intentionally some time not.

Hope this helps

Rockdoc

 

[codex57]

where do you live? Maybe someone can give you a recommendation.