Fake Diamond

[Brantley]

I bought a diamond engagement ring for my now fiance earlier this year from an online retailer (name not yet to be discussed). We are at my Aunt and Uncle''s house and she just cleaned it using the Connoisseurs "la Sonic" Sonic Jewelry Cleaner Concentrate and some jewelry cleaning machine.

After sticking the diamond in the diluted mix of concentrate and the special machine, the diamond came out stained pink (the same color as the concentrate). My mom and my aunt''s did not. I have had it appraised by the guy that set the diamond. Have I been ripped of somewhere along the line or can this happen?

Thanks for any quick replies that I may get.

 

[Kaleigh]

I''d rinse it in hot water, perhaps it''s the residue of the pink cleaning solution. Next thing I''d do is to take it to be steam cleaned by a jeweler. I doubt it''s a fake since it was appraised. Many jewelers have diamond testers and can tell you if it''s a real diamond in a Nano second. I''m sure all will be fine!!!

 

[avlis]

well i have a hard time thinking GoG would give you a fake stone, but i have been more surprised in the past. by "stained" is it still pink? does the pink wipe off with a cloth? have you cleaned it before?

you say you had it independantly appraised, right? so that would mean both GoG and your setter would have to have failed to make it for a fake, or they are both "in" on it, or your setter switched a stone.

this story intrigues me, anything else you can tell about this?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Clean the stone off with alcohol. Somebody''s ring was recently covered in ink, and alcohol removed it. If you bought from Good Old Gold, your diamond is not a fake. It is also extremely rare for a stone to be switched when being set. But if still in doubt, have someone other than the person who set it check the stone for you. You do have insurance, right?

 

[denverappraiser]

It’s very unlikely that your stone is a fake and, even if it was, the normal process through a sonic cleaner wouldn’t have this affect. CZ's clean up just fine. Clean it with water and possibly a soft toothbrush and I’ll bet it cleans up just fine. There’s probably a bit of the pink stuff between the prongs and the stone that’s reflecting through the stone to give the whole thing a pink cast. If you’re still in doubt, have a jeweler clean it with their more aggressive cleaning tools. What you’re seeing is not evidence of any skullduggery on the part of either the seller or the setter.

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

 

[Brantley]

Thanks guys. It did rinse off once we brushed it in hot water. I would never doubt GoG but I you can only imagine the shock factor I had when I saw that pink residue still on the diamond. The guy that set the diamond was very reputable as well, but my heart sank and my blood pressure skyrocketed when I saw it.

I will still take it to get looked at again tomorrow.

FYI... my blood pressure is back to somewhat normal.

 

[Brantley]

I have insurance on it so there is not that much to be worried about but the idea just made me (and my fiance) sick to our stomachs.

I will let you know what happens after I have it appraised tomorrow by my Aunt''s jeweler here in town.

Thank you all tremendously for your quick replies I would not have slept tonight otherwise.


William

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Oh, good! It does sound like some of the residue was just reflecting through the stone like Neil said! Most people here use something like a little Mr. Clean or a little Windex in their cleaners, so the pink residue is a new one!

 

[Carlotta]

LOL, this reminds me of something that happened to me when I first got my ring....I cleaned it int the same stuff, and was convinced it had turned pink....as if it had a crack or something and the pink got inside of it...I would hold it different ways and the pink would still be there!! My BF held it - same thing!
Then I went to the kitchen and put it on the handle of a wooden spoon and held it out.....What we finally discovered, theat certain ways we held it, it picked up the flesh color of our hands!!! But I know what you men..for a split second you think you''v lost it!!!

 

[jaz464]

This is a bit of a thread jack, but if someone''s diamond turns out to be a fake, does having insurance make any difference? Does insurance protect against a person buying a CZ to begin with?

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Sounds very much like some nail polish residue.

Is the ring partly yellow and partly white?

When rhodium plating multi colored rings we mask out the yellow gold parts with nail polish - it stops the electrical conduction and therefpre the yellow gold parts do not get coated in white rhodium.

Sometimes the nail polsih remover does not get all the color out of little stone holes etc.

That is the most likely cause

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

give it a rinse with nail polish / acetone remover

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

please let us know the outcome

 

[Rhino]

Hi Brantley,

Just caught this thread. It sounds like there may have been something that stuck to the pavilion of the diamond which absorbed the color of the liquid it was put in. It could have been a number of things. Oftentimes makeup, hairspray, food, etc. stick to the bottom or get stuck under the prongs and if its put in any kind of liquid solution will absorb whatever color the liquid was. It is generally alleviated by bringing it to a local jeweler for a good cleaning. Before having that done I would suggest you put the engagement ring into a cup of hot water with a drop or 2 of liquid dishwashing cleaner (Joy/Ivory) and let it soak. Then take an old toothbrush and scrub thouroughly under the prongs. This should get all the dirt out from underneather the diamond and clean the pavilion. This should take care of it but please keep us informed.

Kind regards,

 

[diamondhunter10]

I would follow the different suggestions that were providede above. Then I would have it appraised separately by another jeweler. I would also go to GoG and ask for mgmt if you think that is that case. If it is it''s probably a fluke and will move swiftly to remedy the situation.

 

[RockDoc]

Date: 11/23/2006 10:15:29 PM
Author: jazmine
This is a bit of a thread jack, but if someone''s diamond turns out to be a fake, does having insurance make any difference? Does insurance protect against a person buying a CZ to begin with?

Hi Jazmine

Yes. But I would reserve the "total yes" based on the type of policy that you had.

Essentially, if you bought what you relied on to be a diamond, and have "proof" (receipt gem lab report,appraisal etc.) and later the stone turns out to be a cubic zirconia, that constitutes theft, and in most policies it would be covered.

In that theft is a crime, the insurance company may require you to file police reports, cooperate with any investigations, appear in court, and they may also require an expert to look at it to see if there is any other evidence of removal. Having a very comprehensive previous appraisal document can be very substancially important to helping establish that the stone was stolen.

Gemprint is also very helpful in this scenario as well.

Rockdoc

 

[Brantley]

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to let everyone know that my Aunt and Uncle's Jeweler took a look at it yesterday morning and confirmed that it was a diamond. They are holding it for the next several days until the appraiser can come in and have the whole ring appraised (my aunt assured me that this was OK). I have had the diamond appraised before, but not the diamond and the setting. So this was a good exercise for me, since I need to 'up the insurance' on the engagement ring since it is now complete.

My fiance and I came to the conclusion that it most likely had hairspray on it. She refuses to take the ring off b/c she is scared to death that she will lose it and she had recently gotten out of the shower.

I never posted finished pictures of the ring. So for all of those that helped me, I apologize. Here are a few pictures.

The quick lowdown on the story is that we were at Bethany Beach with her family and some long time friends of her family. It was at the family friends house on the beach which is just a great house. IT was 4th of July and we spent most of the day on the beach (I refused to go into the water b/c I had the ring in my pocket). Late in the afternoon we went on a walk down the beach to see the fireworks being displayed. On the way down the beach I picked out my spot forthe way back. When we hit the spot, I tugged her by the arm and got down on one knee. She cried, laughed, and then finally said yes. After what seemed like forever, she finally looked at the ring and gasped.

I would like to thank Tim at Good Old Gold for helping me with the Diamond (a 1.25 carat asscher cut, F, VS1). The setting was done by JM Custom Jewelers in Bel Air, MD

 

[Brantley]

More pictures... I couldn''t get more than one file to attach so bear with me.

 

[Brantley]

Last one. Thanks again everyone.

 

[cutes814]

glad to hear everything cleared up. your fiance''s ring is lovely.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Gorgeous dimaond and setting, Brantley! Are you not in the same town with this jeweler? I see no reason for her to have to leave her ring for several days just for an appraisal. The day of the appraisal is enough!

(I take my rings off before bed and put them back on after shower, make-up, and hair in the morning to reduce the wear and tear (and dirt!) on the ring. I do not take it off during the day. But leaving it in a safe place overnight and through the time of showering and hairspray would be a lot better for the ring!)

 

[poptart]

I''m glad everything turned out ok! I would also suggest taking the ring off for showering, makeup, hairspray, etc. You know, the whole morning routine. I always keep mine in the ring box until I''m ready to leave and then I leave it on till I get home. Tell her she won''t lose it as long as she has one or two designated spots around the house where she ALWAYS keeps it (ring box, jewelry box), and then the ring won''t get as dirty and the prongs won''t wear down as quickly.

*M*

 

[Brantley]

Diamondseeker,

We are about an hour North of the Jeweler and I will not be back down in the area again until the end of next week. It just made more sense to go ahead and leave it behind and clear this up.

One of the main reasons is because my Mom and my Aunt have been skeptical of my buying process the whole time (they are still B & M) people. The only way that I think that I can clear their head is to have one of their jewelers give it the OK (a great recommendation by my fiance).

I have told her to take it off in the mornings before she showers, but she travels somewhat regularly right now. She is scared to death that she will leave it in a hotel room.

Thanks for the comments.

 

[poptart]

Date: 11/25/2006 11:23:08 PM
Author: Brantley

I have told her to take it off in the mornings before she showers, but she travels somewhat regularly right now. She is scared to death that she will leave it in a hotel room.

Thanks for the comments.

If she takes a ring box with her and keeps it in her purse then she can just put it in there when she showers and either way she wouldn''t forget it, even if she didn''t put it back on. This is what I do when I travel and I have never left my ring behind. I am just uber careful with my rings and where I wear them, and I always worry people are going to damage their settings, haha.

*M*

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Date: 11/25/2006 6:31:26 PM
Author: Brantley

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to let everyone know that my Aunt and Uncle''s Jeweler took a look at it yesterday morning and confirmed that it was a diamond. They are holding it for the next several days until the appraiser can come in and have the whole ring appraised (my aunt assured me that this was OK). I have had the diamond appraised before, but not the diamond and the setting. So this was a good exercise for me, since I need to ''up the insurance'' on the engagement ring since it is now complete.

So what was the stain?

I am still thinking it was nail polish Brantley

 

[Brantley]

My fiance and I came to the conclusion that it most likely had hairspray on it. She refuses to take the ring off b/c she is scared to death that she will lose it.

We will get the appraisal on it probably later this week.

 

[Brantley]

I got back good news today from the appraiser. The diamond is definitely real and the same one that Good Old Gold sold me. He was very impressed with both the quality of the diamond and the price.

Thank you Tim and the others at GoG.

 

[icemyster]

Brantley,

Thank you for the kind words...it was my pleausre to serve you. All the best!

Tim