If I have a diamond which is set in a ring, if I send it to get the stone appraised, will the appraiser pop the stone out, appraise it, and reset......or is there a fee?
I have to admit to popping a few stones out of settings but I am not qualified enough to be settng diamonds, nor do I have the proper tools. Regardless, you should be charged for unsetting and resetting if it is a necessity. There may be additional work required due to metal fatigue etc. The jewelry industry has so many facets to it. You can't be competent in all the arenas! Appraising like crazy in CT-no time for benchwork! Cindy
That is definitely an additional service, with an additional charge. I would never pull a diamond without discussing the matter with a client and without some good reason to do it. That said, yes, there is a fee for it. In most cases, people prefer to leave the ring intact and appraise it as it is.
My first few years in the jewelry business were sitting at the bench making and repairing jewelry. If a situation calls for it, and if I have permission of the owner, only then will I remove a diamond from its mounting. I have the tools and experience to do this myself without damage to the ring. I don't charge people more to do a necessary part of an appraisal although on larger appraisals time sets the fee, so I suppose this work is "paid". It does not take long. Less than a minute most times.
Re-setting is another issure entirely. If a ring is brand new it does require a skilled diamond setter to re-set the diamond securely and remove all traces of removal and re-setting. This can add a few dollars to the cost of the work. I try very hard to avoid removing a diamond that is prone to breakage or where the prongs are worn to the point where they will likely need additional repair because again, that will cost money.
We recommend removal only when a situation warrants. If there is going to be an accusation of illegality, if it will settle or decide a dispute, not just as a more casual way to be a bit more accurate on color, weight or clarity.
If a person brings us a ring from a deal gone sour and wants the diamond removed, to prove a point, we will never remove the stone but insist they go back to the seller to have it unmounted, weighed, examined and then brought to us in a sealed envelope. We break the seal, examine the diamond, give our results and RE-SEAL the diamond to be taken back to the original seller, or kept as evidence under our seal, if there is any discrepancy. If everything is fine, then we may offer to re-set the stone but ONLY IF THE CLIENT WATCHES THAT DIAMOND BEING RE-SET personally.
No one wants to be accused of switching a stone, including us.
Removing a diamond from a setting has risks of damage to the mounting and the diamond. It may be proper to consider doing this, but most times there would be no sufficient reason to encourage it.
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