Help me please, may have fracture filled diamond!

[notsotypicalblonde]

Hi, I have a stone that was to be made into our engagment ring but I have now been told today by a local jeweller may be clarity enhanced, which I was not aware of before.

The plan was to have the .95 carat stone (which was in a setting but has now been removed and is just loose) set as the center stone of a ring with eight or ten .05 point shoulder diamonds claw set.

We bought a wedding band to match the design of the proposed engagement ring (11 0.05 point claw set diamonds in gold band, TCW 0.55.

A local goldsmith here in Dunedin New Zealand (not the one who told us the stone is likely fracture filled) now has the wedding band and is coming up with design pics for the ring to be made.

The stone was bought in the US and we cannot affored to buy another center stone as prices here are very expensive with our horrible exchange rate now (

My question is, despite fo the limiations of owning a Clarity enhanced diamond (ie, cleaning etc), is it possible to have the stone set in a ring without subjecting it to heat which may degrade the filling in there???


Please help as I am sick about this whole thing! I had never ever heard of these filled diamonds before today!

 

[arjunajane]

Umm..I'm sorry but are you just going to accept being sold a F.F diamond undisclosed?
Where exactly did you buy it, and why would you not try to get a refund.?

I'm sorry this has happened, but I'd rather see you get your money back and start again (if thats possible), rather than just accept something you're not happy with.

Pls give us more info so we can help you! Have you contacted the seller?
The first thing to do is take this to an experienced jeweller/gemmologist that you trust - or better an appraiser, to find out Exactly what you have.

 

[Lorelei]

As far as I am aware, it is illegal to sell a diamond which has been treated / clarity enhanced and not disclose that fact - did you purchase it recently?

 

[notsotypicalblonde]

thanks so mcuh for your repleis and yes I realise it is illegal BUT

1. I am in New Zealand now not the US where it was bought

2. It was bought over 4 years ago from wholesaler

3. I do not have any official documentation anymore

so back to my original questions..


can i do anything with this????

I am very bummed but it is still a much better diamond than we can afford and especially now after spending half our money on the wedding band (getting married in April so time is short too)

thanks in advance!

 

[arjunajane]

Hrmm..well, this presents a whole 'nother set of questions!
1. What have you been wearing it in for past 4 years?
2. Even if you don't have documentation, I'm sure you remember the seller - I would still report them in a complaint to the BBB, if nothing else than to help others in future from being scammed.
3. Did you ever get it appraised? If its insured, it must have had a local (NZ) appraisal to get insurance, no?
4. Is it insured as a true natural diamond and as such value?

Again, I would get to a proper appraiser asap - after all, this is only the jeweller's assumption - you said "may be" C.E. Best not to get upset until you know all the facts, kwim?

I can not advise you on heat and FF diamonds, hopefully someone who can will be along.

 

[Indira-London]

Before you worry too much, i would suggest that you try to verify for sure whether your diamond is clarity enhanced as you say that the jeweller who examined the diamond thinks that yur diamond "may" be clarity enhanced. Can he and/or another jeweller give you a firm opinion one way or the other or even a probability?

 

[Lorelei]

Ok, definitely ditto AJ and Indira as to getting an independant appraisal done so you know exactly what you have there. To the best of my knowledge these diamonds can be reset but you need to let the setter know the diamond is CE as they will need to take care to avoid the use of certain techniques when setting, but it should be doable. But get the appraisal first so you know exactly what you have and if the diamond has been treated what technique was used, then you can see about further info on the setting.

This page explains a bit more about CE diamonds,

http://www.goodoldgold.com/4Cs/Clarity/ClarityEnhancedDiamonds/

 

[notsotypicalblonde]

Hi, thanks so much for replying!

1. The diamond has not been set in a ring
2. It was bought during my fiancees business trip from a diamond seller in LA who had sold diamonds to friends of ours. This diamond dealer apparently is no longer in LA (wonder why? LOL) Have no way to trying to find them.

We bought it and have been saving it to get made up into new engagement ring and wedding band when we could afford them (we just borrowed money aginst our house to pay for rings and our April wedding)

I never had it appraised just went on the friends advise and experience, (they are now denying there could possibly be anything untoward with it)

ok heres is where the story gets interesting!LOL

1. I decided that I would rather have a princess cut (this is round brilliant)

2. I live in a small town here and rung up most local jewellers asking if anyone would be interested in trading it for a princess cut (obviously realising I would have to loose value or pay money to do so)

3. Most were not interested and others were still closed for holidays (was just after xmas time)

4. I rung a firm who had been in business here in my small town for a long time and proposed the trade. The owner said he would be interesed and would send it to a diamond wholesaler who would evaluate it and give a value that he would trade for.

I agreed and it was sent to the wholesaler in another larger city.

A few days later I contaced the jeweller who then said that the "wholesaler thought the diamond might be FF but would need to have it evaluated by a gemologist who would be visiting next week and that he would let me know the following Monday.

5. What I did not realise was that the jeweller who had taken my diamond and sent to wholesaler was in receivership but was trying to trade out of his problems.

6. I tried to phone the jeweller on the day I was told to call and the phone was disconnected!!!!

7. Obviously at this point I freaked out that he had scammed me but fortuneatley I had been given all the details of the diamond wholesaler and when I called them I evevtually found out that they DID have my diamond but it had not yet been looked at by the gemologist.

8. By now I just wanted to get the darn thing back, so got them to return it direct to me immediately

9. Once I got it back my finacee and I decided we would just use the stone as is.... so hence my questions.


There sorry long story huh!

 

[notsotypicalblonde]

PS. I then took the stone to the goldsmith here who I didnt mention the FF too, but at this stage all he is doing is drawing pics of designs of proposed engagement ring to match the wedding band reently purchased.

Will the goldsmith be able to tell if I ask him?

I guess a part of me is not wanting to know..hoping it isnt.

Also will cost over $100 here to have sent for appraisal at lab and ive read the labs here dont certify ff diamonds, so will it just be money down the drain??

Apparently no reputable retailers here with deal in them at all! So I am almost too embarrased to tell them!

thank again from way down under!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 2/13/2009 8:22:57 AM
Author: notsotypicalblonde
PS. I then took the stone to the goldsmith here who I didnt mention the FF too, but at this stage all he is doing is drawing pics of designs of proposed engagement ring to match the wedding band reently purchased.

Will the goldsmith be able to tell if I ask him?

I guess a part of me is not wanting to know..hoping it isnt.

Also will cost over $100 here to have sent for appraisal at lab and ive read the labs here dont certify ff diamonds, so will it just be money down the drain??

Apparently no reputable retailers here with deal in them at all! So I am almost too embarrased to tell them!

thank again from way down under!

It is possible the goldsmith might be able to tell if it is FF but personally what I would do is find an independant appraiser ( one who doesn''t sell jewellery) to examine it and tell you exactly what you have - what you need is a gemologist type appraiser, try a Google search and see what comes up. Alternatively you can see if you have a reputable jeweller nearby who might take a look for you and advise, but really an independant is best to get a truly accurate and unbiased opinion. Once you know then you can inform your setter and he or she can then take the necessary precautions.

 

[denverappraiser]

Although it’s true that most labs don’t issue reports on CE diamonds, they also don’t charge for reports that they don’t issue. I think an appraiser is more what you need than a lab anyway. You have additional issues beyond deciding if it’s filled. Identifying fracture filling isn''t generally all that difficult but occasionally it can be tricky and it does take a little bit of practice.

The more important issue is the receivership one. Closing a store doesn’t give them the right to sell a customers property.

Do you know who the ‘wholesaler’ in possession of it is? More importantly, do they know who YOU are?

Send a certified letter to the store requesting return of your diamond. Include a copy of your claim ticket (not the original) and any information you can about it and where you think it is now to assist the people doing the liquidation to correctly identify your stone. Of course, make sure to include all of your contact information so they can get it back to you effectively.

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

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 2/13/2009 8:22:57 AM
Author: notsotypicalblonde
PS. I then took the stone to the goldsmith here who I didnt mention the FF too, but at this stage all he is doing is drawing pics of designs of proposed engagement ring to match the wedding band reently purchased.

Will the goldsmith be able to tell if I ask him?

I guess a part of me is not wanting to know..hoping it isnt.

Also will cost over $100 here to have sent for appraisal at lab and ive read the labs here dont certify ff diamonds, so will it just be money down the drain??

Apparently no reputable retailers here with deal in them at all! So I am almost too embarrased to tell them!

thank again from way down under!

Just wanted to check, do you actually have the diamond back in your possession?

 

[notsotypicalblonde]

Hi, thanks for your reply, but I did get the stone back from the wholesaler...I am not sure what if anything the closed store owner was planning to do with the stone but I did manage to contact the wholesaler and get it returned.

So, therefore...do I look for a gemologist? It is unlikely I can find one here I think being my town is small (Dunedin, New Zealand)

If anyone knows how I can find the right person here locally to help me confirm the ff status I would really appreciate it!

thanks
Katrina

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 2/13/2009 8:46:55 AM
Author: notsotypicalblonde
Hi, thanks for your reply, but I did get the stone back from the wholesaler...I am not sure what if anything the closed store owner was planning to do with the stone but I did manage to contact the wholesaler and get it returned.

So, therefore...do I look for a gemologist? It is unlikely I can find one here I think being my town is small (Dunedin, New Zealand)

If anyone knows how I can find the right person here locally to help me confirm the ff status I would really appreciate it!

thanks
Katrina

Ok good! Just wanted to check!

One of the experts might have some advice for you on finding a reputable appraiser in your area, you could try a Google search, or your telephone directory might be helpful.

 

[Erik Carlson GG]

There are alot of "IF''s" here, but here goes. If the stone ends up being facture filled, and if you do end up having it set, you should definately disclose that to the jeweler that you want to have set this stone. He should definately be able to set the diamond without heating it and prevent the filling from coming out.

I''m really sorry that all this happened to you, and I hope that it is not fracture filled afterall. Some natural feathers can show irridescent colors and look similar to the tell tale signs of fracture filling. It sounds like the jeweler who looked at it, as well as the wholesaler it was sent to, were not gemologists so seeking one out in NZ is your best advise.

Good luck!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

(And a friendly warning to lurkers...there are no such thing as "wholesalers" who are just doing you a favor to sell you a diamond!!! ALWAYS buy from a source who sells stones with GIA and AGS certs and who has a reasonable return period and preferably a trade-in policy!)

Good luck to you!