I am SHOCKED, Whiteflash told me my NEVER-SET ACA has a chip

[babydoll_mini]

I returned one 1.028ct H vs2 princess ACA to whiteflash just last week. This diamond has NEVER been set since I received it 3 or 4 years ago. Because I never love it too much, i just didn't have the chance to upgrade it until last week when I visit Hongkong gem show and send the stone back to WF from there.

I thought it would go all very smoothly until this morning, Vera replied saying:

"Our Production team has noted that the diamond has a pretty sizable chip on the underside of the girdle. This would substantially affect the grading / trade in value of the diamond. It would require the stone to be recut and re-graded in order to restore it as a viable ACA diamond. Estimated cost of repair is in a range of $400 to $900.00, multiple shipments cost is $200.00 and then re-certification is $200.00 and based on the carat loss and possible re-grading results there would be a lower value amount for trade in. This process would take about 3-5 weeks between sending it for recut and to the AGS lab for re-certification. There is no guarantee on the value until we have the new AGS grading. "

I am so shocked, because there's just no way the stone could be chipped as it's never set. Vera also showed me one picture of the chipped diamond, there's a black dot next to the chip -- but my diamond has only feather and cloud as inclusion. I even doubt if this is the picture of my stone.

i am so SHOCKED, what should I do?

 

[marymm]

Re: I am SHOCKED, Whiteflash told me my NEVER-SET ACA has a

Wow, I feel for your predicament. Any chance you took any photos of the loose diamond before shipping? Any chance the packaging/shipping of the parcel may have contributed to the chip?

And of course you must know that just because the diamond hasn't been set doesn't mean it couldn't have been chipped during the 3-4 years it has been in your possession... I am assuming you did handle the diamond loose at least twice (once upon initial receipt and again prior to its recent shipment back to WF) and likely more than that since you had it for 3-4 years. Did you never closely inspect the diamond and/or use a loupe at any time?

I will say I consider WF highly reputable: If the grading report doesn't list a chip, and you didn't notice a chip when you initially received the diamond years ago and presumably carefully inspected it upon receipt, it seems most likely the diamond was chipped while it was in your possession or, as a less-likely alternative, perhaps it was chipped during the recent shipment if it was packaged inadequately.

So that you can verify the photos are of your diamond, you certainly should follow up with Vera and request a photo showing the diamond's grading report number inscribed on the girdle and hopefully some photos of both the inscription and the chip (depending on the proximity of the inscription to the chip).

Good luck with resolving this matter.

 

[yssie]

Re: I am SHOCKED, Whiteflash told me my NEVER-SET ACA has a

Well, diamonds don't grow crystals over three-four years - definitely first verify w/ WF that this IS in fact your stone!

Edit - post AGSL report number and exact carat weight (x.xxx)

 

[kenny]

Re: I am SHOCKED, Whiteflash told me my NEVER-SET ACA has a

Clearly, the chip is there now.
Chips can result from a fall or from striking something.
Diamond is the hardest material, but it can still chip, especially on corners or delicate girdles.

There are three possibilities:
1. You accidentally chipped it without knowing it during the 3+ years you had it.
2. Someone else with access to it chipped it and either didn't know it, or knew it but didn't tell you.
3. WF sent you a chipped diamond and you never noticed in three + years.

Sounds like it is your word against theirs.

I seriously doubt WF shipped you a chipped diamond.
They have a reputation to protect and know VERY well how Internet threads about them shipping chipped diamonds could damage their reputation.

I think that officially/legally, since your 30 day money back guarantee period has expired, and over three years have elapsed, you have to accept the loss.

Now you have to decide whether to recut it or just leave the chip there and perhaps set it, in a bezel setting, if that's even possible.

I'm sorry this happened.

 

[babydoll_mini]

Re: I am SHOCKED, Whiteflash told me my NEVER-SET ACA has a

thanks everyone for input!

this is the link to the AGS certificate:
http://www.agslab.com/pdf_sync_reports/104050853013-PLDQR.PDF

I also attached the inclusion plot below, from WF picture, the black dot is @ 1/4 position of one girdle, but there's no corresponding including on the plot

 

[Paul-Antwerp]

Re: I am SHOCKED, Whiteflash told me my NEVER-SET ACA has a

Not having access to the stone or the concerning file itself, I do wish to state that a diamond, definitely a princess-cut, does not need 'terrible handling' to be chipped.

For example, I have seen chips develop simply while checking a diamond in tweezers.

I have learned myself the hard way, when I took a fancy yellow to a gemology-class over the weekend, just to show it around, and I came back into the office, with a diamond chipped in three locations.

So, I fear that this is a horrible situation. It is impossible to state when and where the damage occurred, especially since the slightest blow may have caused it. I do expect Whiteflash to have a very thorough quality-inspection before shipping out the diamond, and would not expect them to inadvertently having sent you a damaged diamond years ago.

It is frightening when such happens, but I fear it does. I would suggest working out the best solution with the people of Whiteflash. Today is a special day for them though, Yom Kippur, so do not be surprised if there is no reaction today to your emails.

Live long,

 

[Texas Leaguer]

Re: I am SHOCKED, Whiteflash told me my NEVER-SET ACA has a

Babydoll_mini,
I am very sorry to learn of this. We are shocked as well. I will be discussing the situation with the team first thing this morning and we will be in close touch with you.

 

[Texas Leaguer]

Re: I am SHOCKED, Whiteflash told me my NEVER-SET ACA has a

FYI Just to be clear, the black you see in the photos is not an inclusion - it is black marker that our receiving team placed on the stone to indicate the location of feature to be photographed. The diamond is inscribed helping to conclusively identify it as the same stone that was shipped out in 2011.

 

[Karl_K]

Re: I am SHOCKED, Whiteflash told me my NEVER-SET ACA has a

I am sorry to hear that your diamond is chipped :{
With princess cuts due to cleavage planes it is not that hard to chip them.
It is often not a matter of how much force but where it occurs on the diamond.
Someone marked the chip with a marker so the photographer could find it quickly, that is the black on the girdle.
Your diamond is inscribed with the report number that will quickly verify it is the right diamond.
However in the right photo several inclusions align with the inclusions shown on the report so I am not hopeful that its mistaken identity.

 

[tyty333]

Re: I am SHOCKED, Whiteflash told me my NEVER-SET ACA has a

I am sorry you are having to deal with the BD. This makes me sad.

 

[Rockinruby]

Re: I am SHOCKED, Whiteflash told me my NEVER-SET ACA has a

I'm sorry this happened, but hoping WF can help you come up with a solution. Keep us posted please.

 

[denverappraiser]

Re: I am SHOCKED, Whiteflash told me my NEVER-SET ACA has a

This would be a covered loss under many homeowners policies (within coverage limits and deductibles of course). You might want to call your agent to discuss your limits.

 

[Laila619]

Re: I am SHOCKED, Whiteflash told me my NEVER-SET ACA has a

Oh man, that sucks. I'm really sorry.

 

[FancyIntense]

Re: I am SHOCKED, Whiteflash told me my NEVER-SET ACA has a

Great advice from denverappraiser, as usual.

 

[babydoll_mini]

Re: I am SHOCKED, Whiteflash told me my NEVER-SET ACA has a

Hello everyone! Thank you very much for all your reply! I haven't been looking at this thread (and forum) for a while as it reminds me that I had a chipped princess. But I now come back for an update.

It took quite a while for WF to have their cutter evaluate my stone. And Bryan finally came back to me this morning:

"Our cutter has completed an analysis and agreed that the damage was such that it must be repaired in order to be safely reset, so they have begun the re-cutting process. The good news is that they believe they can keep it to around .98ct ( a weight loss of only .04ct) while retaining AGS0 specs."

Well, I'm cannot say I'm 100% comfortable that they started re-cutting without my consent - as I was seriously considering risk-set this diamond to minimize the loss. But maybe they know better...

Now I have 2 options:

"should you choose to keep the diamond, your out of pocket cost will be limited to $250 (shippings/shipping insurance and new cert)"

I don't really want to keep this stone, as it will keep reminding me I once had a broken diamond

If you decide to complete a trade-up, your credit towards the new purchase (on the basis of the estimate of retaining .98ct) will be your original purchase price less original shipping ($5,772) less value loss (-$600), less new cert and shippings (-$250), for a total store credit of $4,922.

Seems this will be my only option. If I were getting 4922 as credit, I won't say that's too bad, comparing to the original value of 5772.


I have to say WF has been super hyper helpful during the whole process, especially Bryan. They have been holding my hand through this. But I keep coming back to the boggling question that how my stone get chipped, i didn't ever have it fell or anything ever. Will it be too much to ask WF for a bit more evidence that my stone are indeed chipped and recutted? Like the AGS cert showing matching inclusion but less carat weight? I mean I do trust them for their words, considering their highly honored reputation and also from my own experience with them. This is just for a peace of mind. How should I ask so that it doesn't sound too rude?

Thank you all very much again!

 

[Sphene]

Re: I am SHOCKED, Whiteflash told me my NEVER-SET ACA has a

They are on the site so no doubt reading this thread and already know your questions

 

[distracts]

Re: I am SHOCKED, Whiteflash told me my NEVER-SET ACA has a

Since it's being recerted, I think it's absolutely reasonable that you ask to see the cert so that you can check that the inclusions match for your own peace of mind. I don't see how they could have any problem of that. It's a trust but verify thing - even if you don't THINK anything is actually fishy, if you verify, you can be SURE, and that is worth a lot.

 

[Texas Leaguer]

Re: I am SHOCKED, Whiteflash told me my NEVER-SET ACA has a

Hello everyone! Thank you very much for all your reply! I haven't been looking at this thread (and forum) for a while as it reminds me that I had a chipped princess. But I now come back for an update.

It took quite a while for WF to have their cutter evaluate my stone. And Bryan finally came back to me this morning:

"Our cutter has completed an analysis and agreed that the damage was such that it must be repaired in order to be safely reset, so they have begun the re-cutting process. The good news is that they believe they can keep it to around .98ct ( a weight loss of only .04ct) while retaining AGS0 specs."

Well, I'm cannot say I'm 100% comfortable that they started re-cutting without my consent - as I was seriously considering risk-set this diamond to minimize the loss. But maybe they know better...

Now I have 2 options:

"should you choose to keep the diamond, your out of pocket cost will be limited to $250 (shippings/shipping insurance and new cert)"

I don't really want to keep this stone, as it will keep reminding me I once had a broken diamond

If you decide to complete a trade-up, your credit towards the new purchase (on the basis of the estimate of retaining .98ct) will be your original purchase price less original shipping ($5,772) less value loss (-$600), less new cert and shippings (-$250), for a total store credit of $4,922.

Seems this will be my only option. If I were getting 4922 as credit, I won't say that's too bad, comparing to the original value of 5772.


I have to say WF has been super hyper helpful during the whole process, especially Bryan. They have been holding my hand through this. But I keep coming back to the boggling question that how my stone get chipped, i didn't ever have it fell or anything ever. Will it be too much to ask WF for a bit more evidence that my stone are indeed chipped and recutted? Like the AGS cert showing matching inclusion but less carat weight? I mean I do trust them for their words, considering their highly honored reputation and also from my own experience with them. This is just for a peace of mind. How should I ask so that it doesn't sound too rude?

Thank you all very much again!

Hi Babydoll,
Thank you for your kind words. We especially appreciate your patient attitude considering the unfortunate circumstances.

In answer to your question about verification, the diamond will be sent back to the lab after re-cutting. It will be matched at the lab with the original report and updated accordingly. The new cert will have the same report number verifying that it is the same stone.

For those wondering about the costs listed above and why the labor cost to recut the stone was not factored in, that is because Whiteflash is covering that expense as a courtesy to a longtime and loyal customer.

 

[babydoll_mini]

Re: I am SHOCKED, Whiteflash told me my NEVER-SET ACA has a

Hi Babydoll,
Thank you for your kind words. We especially appreciate your patient attitude considering the unfortunate circumstances.

In answer to your question about verification, the diamond will be sent back to the lab after re-cutting. It will be matched at the lab with the original report and updated accordingly. The new cert will have the same report number verifying that it is the same stone.

For those wondering about the costs listed above and why the labor cost to recut the stone was not factored in, that is because Whiteflash is covering that expense as a courtesy to a longtime and loyal customer.

Hi Bryan, don't take me wrong, I didn't mentioned your generous courtesy of covering the labor cost for me, not because I am not grateful. I'm just not sure if you would like to publish this piece of info here. I AM very gradeful for that!

And thank you very much for reassuring about the certificate, and that definitely will give my poor mind peace.

 

[Area57]

Re: I am SHOCKED, Whiteflash told me my NEVER-SET ACA has a

I can definitely understand how you would feel, especially since you haven't done anything to it in three years, but people here say WF has a good rep, so I would say that if I were you I would feel like I totally scored by only losing .04 carats! Think about how much worse that could have turned out? That's not bad.

If you originally sent it in tot race then I would continue down that path, but if you were having it set or something, you can take it back, you won't forever be looking at a damaged stone. .04. Thats like, nothing. Don't forget before it ever came to you, it was a rock in the ground and they cut off WAY more than that!

 

[arkieb1]

Re: I am SHOCKED, Whiteflash told me my NEVER-SET ACA has a

Princesses are easily chipped, some of the ways you could have done this are; by dropping the stone when you got it on the floor, dropping the stone in the container on the floor, dropping the stone onto a hard surface like a bench or desk, picking up the stone incorrectly or awkwardly in a stone holder or in tweezers, alternatively it might have been sent to you damaged and you never picked it up originally, it might have been damaged in transit getting to you and you never picked it up originally. There is a slim chance it was damaged in transit when they took the stone back again.

Regardless of how it was damaged I am sorry this was the case. Recutting is probably making the best of a bad situation.