Help, my diamond looks different after being set

[ShariMichele]

Date: 12/17/2009 4:33:17 PM
Author: Rockdiamond

Date: 12/16/2009 6:30:36 PM
Author: ShariMichele
could a reputable jewelers that''s been in business for 30 years seriously not know how to clean a diamond?

Great point Shari
One possibility is that the jeweler burned the diamond. this can happen of they needed to use a lot of heat- maybe to adjust the size- and did not properly shield the diamond
That can sometimes be repaired- but not always.

I agree with everyone suggesting to stay calm.
Insurance or not, you may have recourse if the jeweler damaged the diamond. You surely do if they switched it.
I really don''t like the fact they don''t seem to have any reasonable explanation.

He said there was no heat used to set the stone.

 

[ShariMichele]

I apologize for my ignorance, but I''m starting to feel like no question is a dumb question. What will I be looking for an appraiser to tell me? I feel like he''s just going to verify that the cert if correct, and give me an estimated replacement value. Is that corrrect? Anything I''m missing?

 

[stone-cold11]

You can ask him to judge the stone if it is as stated in the report or if it was damaged by the jeweler.

 

[ShariMichele]

Should I ask him to grade it first without seeing the report to see if it rates the same?

 

[stone-cold11]

You can do that too.

 

[swingirl]

I am not an expert but an SI is only slightly included and should not have a cloud so large is covers the stone and is so visible it makes the whole stone look dull. "Additional clouds not shown" means they were too small to bother plotting not that they were so big as to cover the whole stone it would be obvious where they were.

 

[Rockdiamond]

I agree with swingirl- an SI1 , graded by GIA would not have a "pervasive" cloud- it would have a very small one to get SI1 from GIA.
Plus you saw the diamond loose, and there was no cloud.

Your idea about showing the stone to a trusted appraiser, and not telling them the grade is a good one. Not that you''re trying to trick anyone, but just to get an impartial assessment.
You can use the resources here to find a trusted appraiser

 

[ShariMichele]

I totally agree too, and that is what I was telling the jeweler. They were saying all the excellent marks were based on measurements, nothing to do with light refraction and face up appearance. Doesn''t the clarity grade cover these things? Another thing that was curious was that although they thought this was a gorgeous stone on paper, and looked decent in person (just not right with my two other stones), they had not interest in buying it back from me.

 

[swingirl]

I wonder if the stone and report don''t match.

 

[ShariMichele]

This new jeweler seems to think they matched..he measured the dimensions, weight, etc, saying diamonds just don''t match perfectly like that. It even has a minor inclusion in the table in a similar spot. I am having it appraised on Monday by a guy who used to teach at GIA, so we''ll see what he says. Thanks everyone for the input.

 

[ShariMichele]

I just did a search on clouds on ps and saw some interesting info...if the comment says "additional clouds not shown", no big deal. If it says "clarity grade based on clouds not shown", most likely a huge deal for an SI 1 stone! Gary mentions he can''t believe how misleading a GIA cert can be in this case.

All the regulars say to confirm with the vendor that the clouds aren''t affecting performance, but in my opinion, the vendor is just trying to sell you the stone. I trusted them, and now they are out of business. I guess I was their "sucker born every minute"..they must have had a good laugh at my expense. I hope someone learns from my mistake. At least some good would have come from it.

 

[chrisyel01]

Hi there,
I believe you can have the stone sent to GIA laboratories and they can verify the stone matches the certification, and also laser inscribe it to ensure that the stone you have is the one that is described on the cert.
If the stone is located in the US the cost for this is about $150 which may be worth it for peace of mind!

 

[swingirl]

Date: 12/17/2009 8:05:35 PM
Author: ShariMichele
I just did a search on clouds on ps and saw some interesting info...if the comment says 'additional clouds not shown', no big deal. If it says 'clarity grade based on clouds not shown', most likely a huge deal for an SI 1 stone! Gary mentions he can't believe how misleading a GIA cert can be in this case.

All the regulars say to confirm with the vendor that the clouds aren't affecting performance, but in my opinion, the vendor is just trying to sell you the stone. I trusted them, and now they are out of business. I guess I was their 'sucker born every minute'..they must have had a good laugh at my expense. I hope someone learns from my mistake. At least some good would have come from it.

It certainly is risky buying from anyone going out of business.

If the clouds not shown were a huge deal it would have gotten a lower clarity grade. SIs have a range to fall in, some better, some worse. But the range does not go from barely noticeable inclusion to a cloud covering the whole stone.

Did you pay for your stone with CC?

 

[ShariMichele]

I did pay with a cc. And I bought it over a year ago..well before they were going out of business. I am just now getting around to affording the setting, which is why I''m seeing it in this new light. If they were still in business, which they had been for over 20 years, I would take it back to them. I''ll repost when I get the indep. appraisal.

 

[ShariMichele]

The plot thickens...I just took my diamond to the store I bought it from (they are open for a few more days before closing forever) and the guy I bought it from said it doesn''t match the cert! Now I don''t know who switched it..the store I bought it from, or the new jeweler. The thing that makes the new jeweler suspect is that he was telling me over and over that it was the same stone..showed me on the scale, said the inclusions and measurements matched etc. It came up a different weight and measurement just now at the original jeweler. There are reasons for both of them to cover their butts, but who is telling the truth?? The appraiser will be the unbiased party, but not until Monday. Thoughts anyone please?????

 

[D&T]

Date: 12/18/2009 4:14:13 PM
Author: ShariMichele
The plot thickens...I just took my diamond to the store I bought it from (they are open for a few more days before closing forever) and the guy I bought it from said it doesn't match the cert! Now I don't know who switched it..the store I bought it from, or the new jeweler. The thing that makes the new jeweler suspect is that he was telling me over and over that it was the same stone..showed me on the scale, said the inclusions and measurements matched etc. It came up a different weight and measurement just now at the original jeweler. There are reasons for both of them to cover their butts, but who is telling the truth?? The appraiser will be the unbiased party, but not until Monday. Thoughts anyone please?????

please wait for your appraiser to get an HONEST unbiased answer. You can't do much until then without 3rd party proof. What you can do in the meantime is speak to your credit card company and explain the issue that your diamond and cert doesn't match to what you actually paid for and see if there is any recourse from a year ago but if they could do something they will still require documentation from a 3rd party appraiser?

Unless you had a FIRST appraisal done prior to setting so you knew you had the correct diamond before you left it with this jeweler then you have recourse with the new jeweler but if not, then I'm not sure what you can do now

 

[jrb23]

FWIW, I recently ordered an SI2, GIA cert diamond from Blue Nile that said "Additional clouds not shown." (It did NOT say that this was a grade-setting inclusion). When I received it, it was completely cloudy & hazy. Huge cloud under the table. Sent it back immediately.

I think when a cloud is THAT big, GIA really needs to make some obvious notation, not just a footnote. So it would take up the whole plot...so what? That''s where it is, so please mark it that way.

 

[ShariMichele]

I think the new jeweler is starting to sound really suspect. The fact that they tried to convince me it''s the same stone (if it is not) means they are lying. I don''t know how I would ever prove I didn''t walk out of original jeweler with the correct stone with my cc company, since it was so long ago and I was an IDIOT and didnt get it immediately appraised. There is another thing that was fishy...when I was waiting for the ring to be cast from the wax, he said he made a mistake and broke the wax after I left, and needed 4 more days before it would be ready. (possibly waiting for a dummy stone to switch on me?) He had my cert number for weeks since I showed him that to get the dimensions for the CAD drawing, so he knew what stone to try and match to. Can anyone else please weigh in on jewelers trying to switch stones and what I should do? (besides wait for appraisal on monday?)

 

[ShariMichele]

Also forgot to mention the original jeweler said today that he thought someone had torched the stone, which is why he thinks it looks so milky.

 

[Stephan]

This story sounds very bad and I feel sad for you.
I use a loupe 12x, so I can find every VS and lower inclusion, and most of the VVS.

 

[ShariMichele]

Thanks Stephan.

 

[vanderaf]

I am so sorry for your ordeal. I can''t even imagine what I would do if I was in your shoes. I am hoping for a good outcome...

 

[Dreamer_D]

You will make yourself crazy seeing conspiracies behind every corner. Wait until you have a professional appraisal. I hope you chose someone truly independent with good credentials.

 

[yssie]

Oh, goodness, this is turning out to be quite a bit more than the shoddy cleaning job I''d imagined

.

Ditto dreamer - try not to worry too much before you have all the facts, hard as that is - your imagination can only make things worse

. I''m so sorry, this must be so stressful - keep us updated!

 

[ShariMichele]

Thanks guys. It is extremely stressful..I can''t sleep, I can''t eat, I don''t know who to trust, I''m seeing so many ironic things that contributed to this happening to me.

I chose an appraiser recommended off pricescope, and am having their senior appraiser look at it, who used to teach at GIA. I can''t believe I have to wait til Monday but they are totally booked. I feel so strongly now that I have a different stone than the one I purchased, so when he confirms it, I''ll be so scared about how to proceed. Will keep you posted for sure.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 12/18/2009 5:59:32 PM
Author: ShariMichele
Thanks guys. It is extremely stressful..I can''t sleep, I can''t eat, I don''t know who to trust, I''m seeing so many ironic things that contributed to this happening to me.

I chose an appraiser recommended off pricescope, and am having their senior appraiser look at it, who used to teach at GIA. I can''t believe I have to wait til Monday but they are totally booked. I feel so strongly now that I have a different stone than the one I purchased, so when he confirms it, I''ll be so scared about how to proceed. Will keep you posted for sure.

If you don''t want to wait, go buy a loupe and look at the inclusion plot and see if it looks like it matches. It won''t be conclusive, but it could help.

 

[ShariMichele]

I already saw the inclusion in the table...it''s not in EXACTLY the same place. It would be exact on the GIA correct? Also, there''s another inclusion that''s supposed to be on the outside edge...the old jeweler today said he couldn''t find it, even at 30x. The problem is I don''t have enough proof to confront either jeweler, am just left with a cruddy stone.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 12/18/2009 9:12:50 PM
Author: ShariMichele
I already saw the inclusion in the table...it''s not in EXACTLY the same place. It would be exact on the GIA correct? Also, there''s another inclusion that''s supposed to be on the outside edge...the old jeweler today said he couldn''t find it, even at 30x. The problem is I don''t have enough proof to confront either jeweler, am just left with a cruddy stone.

You keep jumping to conclusions without gathering all your informtion. There are always ways. Take it step by step.

 

[hihowareyou]

Date: 12/18/2009 9:12:50 PM
Author: ShariMichele
I already saw the inclusion in the table...it''s not in EXACTLY the same place. It would be exact on the GIA correct? Also, there''s another inclusion that''s supposed to be on the outside edge...the old jeweler today said he couldn''t find it, even at 30x. The problem is I don''t have enough proof to confront either jeweler, am just left with a cruddy stone.

Keep in mind that you are not trained or experienced in finding inclusions or GIA plots. It is quite possible that both the person at the store where you bought the stone and the jeweler where it was set are also not particularly good at these things, they may not even have their scales correctly calibrated when weighing the stones.

If I were you I would try not to have already decided who is guilty and who is innocent before you get the results from the appraiser. I feel like you are so convinced that the appraiser is going to tell you that the stone was switched that you may not be willing to accept other explanations if they come.

Good luck with the appraisal. I hope it gives you an answer that makes it as simple as possible to resolve the issue.

 

[ShariMichele]

True, I am not experienced, but both of these men have been in the business for over 25 years. They are saying totally different things, so someone is lying to me, which makes me very uneasy. One is saying it''s the same stone, it''s just the stone''s properties, the other is saying it''s different from the cert and it''s been damaged. Worst of all is it''s a stone I can''t live with and no one is willing to take any blame or fix it. I will try not to draw conclusions but I think the appraisal will just confirm I''m screwed, it''s just a matter of by how much. Thank you all again for your advice.