I''m panicked!

[sparkler29]

OK, I''m trying not to panic, but last night I banged my left hand against the tile in the bathroom and I think I damaged one of the prongs on my ring a little bit. It''s a bit "smashed" and lost its shine. The damage on the prong is on the "ball" at the end. My eagle eyes can see it plainly, but most people (a.k.a. those not obsessed with jewels and Pricescope) would never notice. More importantly however, I fear that I may have possibly chipped the diamond - but I can''t tell. I don''t have a loupe yet, and I gave the magnifier I had before to one of my clients. Is this possible? I feel "something" with my fingernail but can''t quite tell if it''s a facet or a chip!! When I look at it I see a tiny mark near the prong, but again, I can''t be sure. I didn''t bang my hand too hard - is it possible that this could have created a chip!?!?!?

I have a cushion cut diamond set in white gold, so the stone can''t really be rotated to hide the chip under a prong. Is the diamond in danger? What should I do?? Ack!!

 

[JC]

sparkler29......I would take your diamond engagement ring to an appraiser to have them check it out to see if the blow caused extensive damage to the ring. An appraiser could inspect the diamond as well as the ring design closely to see exactly what has happened to the ring. No need to worry just yet. Maybe it's okay. A local jeweler or appraiser should be able to let you know for sure. Good luck....

 

[cushioncut]

I am sure you're fine. Diamonds are one of the hardest substances on earth. You more than likely did not damage it. Women wear diamonds for 50 years without damaging them. I think the odds are in your favor that you did not damage it in one month of wear -- the damage to the prong is probably just making you paranoid.

Take it in and get it checked. I'm sure it's fine though.

(It's quite stunning by the way!)

 

[sparkler29]

Thanks for your replies. I still can't tell for sure if there's a chip, but if there is, at least it's teeny and on the edge of the stone. If need be, could the stone be polished to 'remove' the chip? I think I'll take it into a jeweler for a look-see. What I'm most worried about is whether or not any damage has been done to the stone.

 

[reena]

jeez, sorry to hear that sparkler.

i'm sure it's fine though, really. it's probably just "new ring" anxiety syndrome!!

has your insurance policy kicked in yet?

 

[yowahking]

Not to worry, you are in NY, there are many diamond cutters there that could make a very small chip go away, if it is chipped. Most likely it is ok. If you were in Wyoming, you would have to ship it.
We just helped out a crying bride who put a ding on the groom's family diamond. We had the stone touched up and back in the setting, only lost 1/2 point. No one will know.

 

[denverappraiser]

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On 9/30/2004 3:17:39 PM Feydakin wrote:

Nothing against apopraisers, but wouldn'tit make more sense to take the ring to a jeweler that could actually fix the problem if there is one??
----------------

I have to agree with Feydakin here. If you go to a bench jeweler that you trust and ask them about repairing the prong, the very first thing they should do, even before letting you out of the store, is check the stone for damage and decline the job if they find any. If the stone is damaged, you may have a valid insurance claim. Contact your agent. If the agent advises you to get a damage report from an appraiser (which is the usual proceedure), the appraisers fees then become part of the loss and part of the insurance claim. If it's undamaged (likely) then the jeweler will be able to tell you this and they can proceed to repair the damage to the prong with no further worries and without having to pay an appraiser.

Neil Beaty, GG ISA
Independent Appraisals in Denver

 

[sparkler29]

Sorry to bring this post back from the dead, but I've been examining the stone non-stop since I "dinged" it, and I think it's definitely chipped. It's SOOOOOOOOOO tiny, and no-one will ever notice, but I suppose I need to do something about it, huh? My FI is on the West Coast for work, and is currently under tremendous stress, so I think it's best if I don't tell him right now (especially since my ring is less than one month old

) I feel like a doofus

The teeeeeny tiny chip is located right next to the edge of the damaged prong. If I understand correctly, it sounds like the chip can be "smoothed" out of the stone with little loss of weight. The thought of having to replace the stone makes me nauseous - I love this diamond and it is the product of a long, hard search on the part of my DF. I hope it's OK

I am in NYC but I really don't have a particular jeweler who I go to. Does anyone in NYC have any recommendations? Please feel free to PM me if necessary.

 

[sparkler29]

I'm bumping this again in case the post got buried - any further opinions on my chipped stone?

 

[reena]

oh, sparkler, i'm sooooo sorry to hear that it's really chipped.

i hope it works out ok.