I dropped my loose sapphire! Scared! Please help!

[ohmygod]

Hello PCers,

I need advice. DH and I ordered a 9mm round sapphire online for a ring I would like to make.

It came today, and as I was checking it out, it accidentally fell out of my hand and landed on my phone, which was positioned directly underneath my hand.

I was sitting on my bed because I was afraid of handling the stone incorrectly and wanted a soft place for the stone to land.

The stone probably fell about a foot and landed on the plastic screen of my iphone.

I cannot make out any chips or imperfections and I did not see a piece fly off.

I know a sapphire isn't as hard as a diamond and now I'm scared stiff.

Should I be worried? Should I take it to a jeweler? I'm scared I ruined the sapphire!

 

[pregcurious]

You or someone else can look at it with a loupe

 

[ohmygod]

Thanks I don't have a loupe and my car is currently in the shop so I have to wait a couple of days before I can take it to a jeweler which is why I was asking.

Would there be any damage typically expected with a small fall such as this?

 

[LD]

DO NOT PANIC.

Sapphires are still pretty hardy things. If you look closely and can't see any damage then there probably isn't. There may be a tiny chip on one of the facets but you need to look at it through a loupe or magnifying lens to see that.

To put this into perspective, the gem has to drop in exactly the right place to create a problem and this is the same for diamonds, rubies, sapphires and much less hardy gemstones. Sometimes you can drop a stone from a few feet and it will be fine, but then a drop of 3-4 inches could harm the gem.

If you can't see anything with your naked eye, or feel anything with your nail as you run it around the gem, the chances are it is fine.

 

[ohmygod]

Thank you so much LD, that makes me feel a lot more calm. I am going to take this baby to the jeweler just as soon as I can.

 

[GregS]

I wouldn't take it to a jeweler, if you cant see any damage don't worry about it.

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

Dropping it one foot onto plastic is an amateur move. You need to drop it several feet onto a hard surface like tile to be a pro at chipping a sapphire, and even then it may laugh in your face.

 

[pearlsngems]

Plastic is quite forgiving as a surface for it to land on, being flexible. Odds are it's fine.

 

[distracts]

Dropping it one foot onto plastic is an amateur move. You need to drop it several feet onto a hard surface like tile to be a pro at chipping a sapphire, and even then it may laugh in your face.

I'm a real expert at dropping stones onto hard surfaces. I'm especially good at managing to fling them across the room while opening gem boxes.

 

[chrono]

I've dropped a few as well. Carpets have been fine but I've nicked stones when dropped onto wood flooring. Since you don't have a loupe, I would drop by a jeweller's as soon as possible.

 

[deskjockey]

Dropping it one foot onto plastic is an amateur move. You need to drop it several feet onto a hard surface like tile to be a pro at chipping a sapphire, and even then it may laugh in your face.

Ha! Yep. I dropped mine about 4 feet onto a hardwood floor (not as hard as tile, of course) and freaked out but it is absolutely fine.

 

[Chautea]

Please don't worry too much.

Do have it checked out with a good high-powered loupe for your peace of mind though.

Generally, if it is a foot or less from the drop, corundum is not at all chipped and damaged even on hard surfaces in most cases.

Inspect the stone very carefully for chips or cracks under bright lighting. If everything is perfect looking at it, it is generally in most cases okay.

BTW, diamonds can be shattered. 10 Hardness mostly confers to resistance from scratching and abrasion.

Take a hammer and give any diamond a real hard forceful hit and you will damage it. Not that I suggest doing that.

 

[Marlow]

Please don't worry too much.

Do have it checked out with a good high-powered loupe for your peace of mind though.

Generally, if it is a foot or less from the drop, corundum is not at all chipped and damaged even on hard surfaces in most cases.

Inspect the stone very carefully for chips or cracks under bright lighting. If everything is perfect looking at it, it is generally in most cases okay.

BTW, diamonds can be shattered. 10 Hardness mostly confers to resistance from scratching and abrasion.

Take a hammer and give any diamond a real hard forceful hit and you will damage it. Not that I suggest doing that.

Second post I read - again

You are dealing with loose gems or diamonds??? Can you show some??

 

[Spirit]

Arghhh... brings back bad memories of when I did a similar drop with my brand new custom cut tanz!
Have since had it looked at under strong magnification and it is just fine.
I have no idea how it survived, and I hope you will be as lucky.

 

[minousbijoux]

And there are those of us who don't seem to learn despite the sapphire they chipped on the dryer when taking clothes out and the Mahenge they cracked when they dropped it on the tile floor. Now, I'm not naming names here, and of course these are just hypotheticals, because no one could do these things repeatedly and not learn, right?

 

[LD]

Please don't worry too much.

Do have it checked out with a good high-powered loupe for your peace of mind though.

Generally, if it is a foot or less from the drop, corundum is not at all chipped and damaged even on hard surfaces in most cases.

Inspect the stone very carefully for chips or cracks under bright lighting. If everything is perfect looking at it, it is generally in most cases okay.

BTW, diamonds can be shattered. 10 Hardness mostly confers to resistance from scratching and abrasion.

Take a hammer and give any diamond a real hard forceful hit and you will damage it. Not that I suggest doing that.

Second post I read - again

You are dealing with loose gems or diamonds??? Can you show some??

Just a warning - I think this is against PS rules Marlow. Chautea would get slapped legs for doing this.

 

[Marlow]

LD - Thank You!!!!

I forgot!!!

 

[LD]

LD - Thank You!!!!

I forgot!!!

No worries! Didn't want you to start a riot!

 

[Marlow]

 

[NKOTB]

Dropping it one foot onto plastic is an amateur move. You need to drop it several feet onto a hard surface like tile to be a pro at chipping a sapphire, and even then it may laugh in your face.

I'm a real expert at dropping stones onto hard surfaces. I'm especially good at managing to fling them across the room while opening gem boxes.

Best way to take a gem out of a box to avoid this is to place the box upside down on a flat surface, and carefully pry it open with a knife or similar object (can use tweezers in the groove, if there is one). This is also the best way to put a gem away (i.e. put the gem table-side down in the lid, then put the bottom of the box on, if that makes sense).

 

[Marlow]

Good advise - I do it the same way. And I use a tweezers with a groove which you can fix - I am a bit clumsy !!!

 

[Starzin]

And there are those of us who don't seem to learn despite the sapphire they chipped on the dryer when taking clothes out and the Mahenge they cracked when they dropped it on the tile floor. Now, I'm not naming names here, and of course these are just hypotheticals, because no one could do these things repeatedly and not learn, right?

Right! But what can we say... most accidents happen in the home

I know the mahenge was fortunately made new again, what about the sapphire?

 

[chrono]

Oh no, Minou! How bad was the damage? Is it fixable so that it's less obvious?

 

[minousbijoux]

You know, what's done is done. I am stubbornly philosophical about these kinds of mistakes. The Mahenge was a lost cause (and hopefully is a lesson to me not to open a gem case in mid-air with no surface underneath) and the sapphire is, well, just chipped. Thankfully, its a small chip only visible when close up. But the philosophical side of me says that its like getting a new car and waiting for the first ding from some idiot that slams you in the parking lot - you know is gonna happen, so better get it over with! My logic may not apply to those who treat their rings really well, but despite my best intentions and concerted effort, my hands are just clumsy sometimes.

[Oh, and did I just type that out loud? Because I would never do such silly things - no, not me!]

 

[LD]

I'm sure you all remember when I was photographing my natural pink diamond marquise (about .20ct) outside and a gust of wind blew it away?!

Lesson learned the hard way!

 

[partgypsy]

I'm enjoying all these stories, I guess this is something that happens more than you think! My favorite place to open gem boxes in on the bed (big soft landing pad). When I was in a jewelry store with my MIL, she was looking at a ring, and dropped it on the floor!
fortunately the store is carpeted but it was kind of embarrassing.

 

[Marlow]

I'm sure you all remember when I was photographing my natural pink diamond marquise (about .20ct) outside and a gust of wind blew it away?!

Lesson learned the hard way!

I opened a box with ebay FCD in my car - one jumped out and after one year I found it!!!

Was it an Argyle pink or a south african - the last have often a strong blue fluorescence....

Imagine some FCD Junkies with a UV lamp in your garden ...