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jewelers switching diamonds

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garek007

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jan 27, 2010
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211
Hi,

Maybe I''m paranoid... but I gave my diamond to a jeweler a week ago and I''m very worried he''ll try to swap it with one that looks close enough with the naked eye, like an SI H color for my VVS1 G color. And then he''ll try to keep my diamond and sell it at a higher cost.

My friend says don''t worry because if he swapped diamonds on me one time and got caught he''d be out of business. He''s been around a long time, but I''m still worried about it because I have really no way of checking if it''s my diamond other than the GIA inscription, but what''s to keep him from inscribing my number on another diamond?

Is this ever an issue? Does it happen? Fred Cuellar''s book mentioned dishonest jewelers and now I''m all worried. What is the reality of this?
 
I''m not going to say bad things never happen because they can, even with long term businesses. In reality how often does it happen and it likely is almost zilch. You''re ring may be valuable to you but the difference in grades at wholesale level wouldn''t earn the jeweller much money.
Would he want to risk his whole business on your ring?

You say that the ring is GIA inscribed. If I understand correctly this is not a service done by your average jeweller. He would then need your GIA papers, etc, etc.
 
Check for the inscription when you pick it up. Look to see that it is still a diamond in which you cannot see any inclusions.
Don''t worry and don''t take Fred C''s book to heart. Jewelers tend to respect their own reputations and don''t switch diamonds. Sure, once in a great while a jeweler does something illegal or shady, but it is not a commonplace event.

Relax and have some confidence that you may be in good hands. A long time in business is a decent indicator that the jeweler is not a fly by night thief.
 
We have an AGS VVS1 and a GIA VVS2 diamond.
We know our inclusions and can find them with a loupe.

If I ever left my stone with a jeweler I'd bring in the original report.
Then I'd have the jeweler loupe it.
Then I'd loupe it.
We'd both agree the inclusions matched the report and put it in writing on my receipt.

When I picked it up I'd do the same thing with the same employee.

You don't even have to buy a loupe, use the jeweler's.
 
Your risk here is very low and the inscription helps make it easier to recognize your stone quickly and easily. Although it’s true that an inscription can theoretically be counterfeited, in practice the tool to do so is quite pricey and it takes a highly motivated criminal to do it. I’ve not heard of a single case where this has happened. That said, if you’re worried, talk to your insurance agent. This would be a covered loss under nearly every policy and they’ll take the risk along with a bunch of other things like fire and theft for something on the order of 1-2% of your declared value per year (depending on where you live, your claims history and the details of the policy you write).

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver
 
Date: 3/6/2010 4:04:14 PM
Author: kenny
We have an AGS VVS1 and a GIA VVS2 diamond.
We know our inclusions and can find them with a loupe.

If I ever left my stone with a jeweler I''d bring in the original report.
Then I''d have the jeweler loupe it.
Then I''d loupe it.
We''d both agree the inclusions matched the report and put it in writing on my receipt.

When I picked it up I''d do the same thing with the same employee.

You don''t even have to buy a loupe, use the jeweler''s.
Click to expand...
Yup, this is one way to do it.

I actually just had my diamond appraised for insurance purposes and left it with a jeweler. When I picked it up I looked for the one inclusion I can find with my naked eye to check it was mine. I guess there is one benefit to having an SI2
2.gif
It''s mighty easy to identify my diamond.
 
Ok I didn''t know how easy the GIA inscription was to fake. If it''s pricey, then it''s highly unlikely that he would do it, because my stone is not THAT nice and it would make him much money if he had to pay for an inscription.

I''d look for the inclusions, but even the appraiser had a hard time finding them so I don''t know how I would. Maybe when I pick it up I''ll ask him if he can show me where they are since I''ve never seen them. But they may only be visible from the bottom so I may not be able to see them even with his help.

Thanks everyone. I was hoping I was just being paranoid. your support has helped.
36.gif
 
Excellent idea. Ask the JEWELER to show you the inclusions. Bring in your report to help him out. Make sure they match, but do so under the gise that the jeweler is providing your with a service. You''ll gain some assurance without making the jeweler feel like you are questioning his character.
 
Then buy yourself a 30x loupe so you can easily check in the future.
 
Date: 3/6/2010 3:48:40 PM
Author:garek007
Hi,

Maybe I''m paranoid... but I gave my diamond to a jeweler a week ago and I''m very worried he''ll try to swap it with one that looks close enough with the naked eye, like an SI H color for my VVS1 G color. And then he''ll try to keep my diamond and sell it at a higher cost.

My friend says don''t worry because if he swapped diamonds on me one time and got caught he''d be out of business. He''s been around a long time, but I''m still worried about it because I have really no way of checking if it''s my diamond other than the GIA inscription, but what''s to keep him from inscribing my number on another diamond?

Is this ever an issue? Does it happen? Fred Cuellar''s book mentioned dishonest jewelers and now I''m all worried. What is the reality of this?
Click to expand...
When I see the name of Fred Cuellar and dishonest jewelers in the same sentence, it''s not the random jewelers that I associate the warning with.
2.gif
 
where does one buy a loupe?
 
Date: 3/6/2010 4:04:14 PM
Author: kenny
We have an AGS VVS1 and a GIA VVS2 diamond.
We know our inclusions and can find them with a loupe.

If I ever left my stone with a jeweler I''d bring in the original report.
Then I''d have the jeweler loupe it.
Then I''d loupe it.
We''d both agree the inclusions matched the report and put it in writing on my receipt.

When I picked it up I''d do the same thing with the same employee.

You don''t even have to buy a loupe, use the jeweler''s.
Click to expand...
Kenny,

Think star wars. Listen to the voice....

Kenny, use the scope! Use the scope!

Sigh, maybe it would sound better if your name was Luke.

The scope is the best way to look at a diamond. The reason jewelers love to hand people loupes, is they know that even most jewelers can not see stuff with a loupe.

I have been doing it all my adult life and there is no way I would depend on a loupe to find a VVS inclusion. I used to tell my in house clients that any time you were in a store that would not let you see a diamond in a scope, walk swiftly to the door and find another store.

Wink

P.S. Like others here, I will echo that it rarely happens, and although I encourage you to use a scope, Kenny gives great advice.
 
Date: 3/6/2010 10:07:28 PM
Author: garek007
where does one buy a loupe?
Click to expand...
Just about any jeweler can get you one. I think David Atlas sells them too. You could score some points with your jeweler by asking him to get you one and let him teach you to use it.

Wink
 
Date: 3/6/2010 8:22:10 PM
Author: purrfectpear

Date: 3/6/2010 3:48:40 PM
Author:garek007
Hi,

Maybe I''m paranoid... but I gave my diamond to a jeweler a week ago and I''m very worried he''ll try to swap it with one that looks close enough with the naked eye, like an SI H color for my VVS1 G color. And then he''ll try to keep my diamond and sell it at a higher cost.

My friend says don''t worry because if he swapped diamonds on me one time and got caught he''d be out of business. He''s been around a long time, but I''m still worried about it because I have really no way of checking if it''s my diamond other than the GIA inscription, but what''s to keep him from inscribing my number on another diamond?

Is this ever an issue? Does it happen? Fred Cuellar''s book mentioned dishonest jewelers and now I''m all worried. What is the reality of this?
Click to expand...
When I see the name of Fred Cuellar and dishonest jewelers in the same sentence, it''s not the random jewelers that I associate the warning with.
2.gif
Click to expand...
LOL! My wife just came into the office to see what I was laughing so hard about. Fred''s book is a quick read and is nothing more than a thinly disguised advertisement for buying your diamond from him while he openly disparages all other retail jewelers.

I know that a search here will pull up several threads about him and some of the problems he has had with reality.

Wink
 
Once a stone is handed to a jeweler in the intake process, the following should happen:

The jeweler looks at the stone through a scope and plots the inclusions on the intake ticket.

He reviews those inclusions with you.

You sign off on that.

Then the written description is wirtten as to what needs to be done..

Upon reciept of the ring,
The jeweler again shows you the ring under the scope to show you it''s YOUR stone.

You view it, and can refer to the intake ticket, all should match up.

Jeweler''s take years and years to build their reputation. They are soooo not going to take your stone and switch it out.

People act like their stone is worth soooo much. In truth, not so much....
2.gif


HTH, good luck.
 
hi garek :)

this actually happened to me - sort of.

my now husband and i bought a setting that already had a smaller diamond in it. we wanted to put a slightly larger diamond in the setting, and the jeweler said he''d swap it out for us.

he didn''t. he left in the original stone and pocketed our much cleaner, slightly larger stone. we, being young and naive, didnt know how to protect ourselves or how we should have proceeded in the first place.

however, having said that, had our stone been GIA inscribed, we''d have been waaaay safer and i don''t really think a switcheroo would have been possible - so long as we''d had it notarized when we dropped off our stone, and so long as we''d checked when we picked it up.

we didn''t do this, tho, and we got burnt.

so...take adequate precautions - but don''t let it really worry you; these things are verifiable.
 
Date: 3/6/2010 10:50:21 PM
Author: Kaleigh
Once a stone is handed to a jeweler in the intake process, the following should happen:

The jeweler looks at the stone through a scope and plots the inclusions on the intake ticket.

He reviews those inclusions with you.

You sign off on that.

Then the written description is wirtten as to what needs to be done..

Upon reciept of the ring,
The jeweler again shows you the ring under the scope to show you it''s YOUR stone.

You view it, and can refer to the intake ticket, all should match up.

Jeweler''s take years and years to build their reputation. They are soooo not going to take your stone and switch it out.

People act like their stone is worth soooo much. In truth, not so much....
2.gif


HTH, good luck.
Click to expand...
I''ve been to 10 or so jewelers in my lifetime and none have used this system of intake tickets and plotting inclusions. The real professionals are not as widespread as some of you pricescope models of professionalism make it seem. I will be looking for a new jeweler. Thank you.
 
"Jewelers switching diamonds"
Rarely happens in the retail jewelry world. There are more
cases of diamonds being lost, misplaced, or accidently falling in the trash than there are
cases of switching. In general, jewelers are very honest.
Of course...know your diamond and have a discussion with your jeweler to set your mind at ease.
 
He didn''t use an intake ticket system. When I gave him the diamond he copied the GIA report, but did not look at it in front of me through a scope.

I have told him to set it so that the GIA inscription is visible. So he should be aware that I will want to take a look when I pick up the finished piece. He just has this ''way'' about him, kinda pushy, and "i''ve been in diamonds thirthy years, so I''m so great" and I''m worried when I ask to look at it under a microscope he''ll give me flak. But I must insist.

Thanks Wink. Given that info, maybe I won''t buy a loupe. I mean, what else am I going to do with it the rest of the year?
 
I think that many jewelers are too protective of the trust they''ve established over their careers. Trust must be earned with each and every successive client. While I fully appreciate the fact that a jeweler who has a good reputation and has been in business for a while is much more likely to be worthy of my trust than one who has not, there have been enough Bernie Madoff''s of the world who ruin it for everyone else. All consumers should be encouraged to be respectful and non confrontational and not make the jeweler feel like you think he is a slimeball. At the same time, consumers should be comfortable seeking some assurance.

...

Wink, whats the added benefit of using a scope (you mean a microscope or an idealscope) over a 20 or 30x loupe?
 
My jeweler did not do what Kaleigh described either. He gave me a ticket that matched the envelope the items were placed within, and it had written on it "three rings"
20.gif
ha! But I can easily identify my diamond with the naked eye (one plus of SI2 I suppose
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). And I did so when I arrived to pick it up.


The process kaleigh described is the ideal. You can insist upon it with your jeweler. If they do not want to do so, then you can find another jeweler who will. There is a wide variety out there. No need to deal with people you do not trust.
 
When dropping off and picking up your diamond, always lay a revolver on the showcase. Don''t make a comment about it, just leave it laying there while you conduct your business.
 
HAHAH
 
23.gif
 
LOL @ Richard!

The thought of swapping diamonds is scary, thank goodness it doesn''t happen often.
 
Your diamond is inscribed. You should be okay!
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Just look for the number when picking up the stone!
 
...and while you''re at the jeweller''s, following him/her around and watching like a hawk to prevent any chance of a switch, someone is jacking your car in the parking lot, your 401K is being raided by guys in really nice suits, and hubby is drinking milk out of the carton at home...the whole world is out of our control.
 
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