Need help - I did a STUPID thing

[pyramid]

Need Help

Okay, I went to get my diamond looked at but the mark which I thought was a chip is under the prong. The jeweller told me to bring the stone back to the person who sold it to me to get them to remove the prong and said they would not get involved.

As the ring is not brand new and I am no way near the sellar I did a STUPID thing. I tried to loosen the prong with a needle and did not manage to and then decided to put it into another jeweller to get them to look at it where it is now.

I am now worried that I may have caused another feather with the needle. I have noticed a small white feather not anywhere near the original chip and it was probably there before. Would a needle pressing on the diamond cause a feather?

I know this was a very stupid thing to do and regret it now. Just seemed like a good idea at the time and the jeweller would not lift the prong incase it had happened during setting the stone.

This other feather I see is in a totally different place near to another prong which I tried to move.







Could using a small needle to try to lift a prong cause a new feather in a diamond?

 

[justme]

You would't be able to scratch your diamond with needle. Did you use anything heavier to try and lift the prong?

Again Pyramid - although it would mean shipping your ring away - why don't you call Rich and send your whole ring to him to have it evaluated. The only way your going to ease your fears (more now than before) is to have a quality person look it to not only assess the chip/scratch issue but if there is a problem to determine the best way to handle it.

I'm sure your very worried now and the sooner you find out the problems - if there are any - the sooner you can start working to resolve them.

Is the jeweler that resized your ring the same one that told you about the 'chip' and the same one that doesn't want to get involved?

Justme

 

[pyramid]

Thank you for replying Justme. I did not use anything heavier to try to lift the prong but am just paranoid that I damaged the diamond or prong with the needle.

No the jeweller that I went to to look at the mark was not the one who resized the ring. He said it was impossible to tell if there was a chip as the prong covered up the mark. He said there was other inclusions on the stone in the area though.

I cannot send to Rich as I am in the United Kingdom however the jeweller the ring is with now is a gemologist.

 

[justme]

Pyramid - I just went back and reread your posts I see now that you are in Scotland. A quick google search and I found the following appraiser in Perth (at least your country if not close)http://www.adrian-smith.co.uk/jewellery_valuation.htm

This appears to be a gemlab that does gemstone evaluations - although I can't figure out where as just lists UK - Cambria, Carlisle - not sure if these are in Scotland or Britain. They have a Scotland link so maybe there is a Scotland lab.

BTW - Spent 10 days last July in Scotland - a beautiful country by far my favorite in the UK.

Justme

 

[pyramid]

Thank you again Justme. Yes I know Perth it is in Scotland. About 200 miles from where I am but it is still reasonably near and for sending. I may think about that one. Thanks again.

Cumbria and Carlisle are in England.

Yes Scotland does have some nice scenery but I would love the American weather.

 

[Richard Sherwood]

Pyramid, that diamond can eat needles for breakfast. Don't you worry about hurting a diamond with a needle. That would be like a seven year old trying to hurt Mike Tyson.

There's an excellent world class gemologist in Scotland by the name of Alan Hodgkinson. Here's his info:

Alan Hodgkinson FGA, DGA
Whinhurst
Portencross by West Kilbride
Ayrshire, KA223 9PZ
Scotland, UK
phone 01294 822 358
email [email protected]

If you contact him tell him that I referred you. His website is http://www.scotgem.demon.co.uk/index.html

 

[pyramid]

Thank you for your reply Richard Sherwood. I get my ring back from the jewellers' head office (which is a national chainstore) on March 4th. I do not know what they are going to tell me?? If I decide to contact Alan Hodgkinson I will remember to tell him I got his name from you. Thank you for your help.

Now that I have got the names of two appraisers in Scotland I feel more in control. I did not realise these type of careers existed over here. If I am still not happy with the jewellers description I can at least pay someone now to give me advice rather than worry about it being faulty.

I am a bit nervous though about an appraiser unsetting the stone incase the gold ring is damaged. I also am hoping I did not damage the gold underneath the prongs with the needle, do you think I could have?

 

[Mara]

It is very easy to become paranoid that you will hurt your diamond...it has happened to me a few times. I stored my ring in a glass jar with cleaning fluid for a while at night before I became paranoid that the 'glass jar' will hurt the stone. The little toothbrush I use to scrub the ring and stone has synethic bristles attached to a small metal stake-head. I freak out sometimes that the metal head may be scratching the stone. I dropped it into the porcelain bathroom sink this morning while scrubbing it, but thank goodness it looks no worse for the wear after I examined it immediately under my 10x loupe. I guess over time I will become less paranoid that everyday life will hurt the stone..and if it does...then we have the insurance to cover it.

Did you get the diamond insured? I would recommend it...especially with your level of concern. You have mentioned a few times that the diamond may not be worth enough to have insured because it's an I2 or similar, if I recall correctly, but by the amount of mental work you are putting into this topic about feathers, chips, etc...this diamond means alot to you. Get it insured. It has nothing to do with $$$ and 'worth'..but rather setting your mind at ease...you are going to give yourself an ulcer!

Definitely get the diamond sent off and appraised...by a reputable gemologist such as the one Rich mentioned. I am sure he will put your mind at ease for once and for all.

Also--my independent appraiser told me this last week... I was a little freaked out when she said this but then thought it made sense. She told me that over time my diamond would become scratched or chipped, most likely along the girdle where it is exposed. She said this had nothing to do with the shallow crown, but rather everyday wear and tear would eventually take a few small chunks out of it.

That makes sense because over time you will become most likely less aware of the diamond on your hand..and you may not even notice when you knock it against a glass window or similar. She also cautioned me to be careful with car windows, as she has seen many a stone take a hard knock against a window and chip or similar...and we all read the story on here of the woman's child who took her rock and tried to cut the glass with it...instead he cleaved the diamond in half.

I guess my rambling point is get it checked out. Get it insured. Put your mind at ease. You may or may not chip, cleave, or scratch the diamond at any point in the next 50 years. It really will not be a life-ending experience, and if you have the insurance on it...you will be able to replace it and possibly even upgrade to a less heavily included stone and then you won't have to worry at all.

 

[pyramid]

Thank you for replying Mara. I wish I had got to the stage where I did not think about wearing my ring. I know what you mean as when I think about it, it is just being paranoid with a capital P. This stone I am talking about is a 0.50 carat and is an SI1 clarity grade but I can see this little thing at the prong with a loupe. The stone is with the jeweller I bought it from and I am due to get it back on March 4th.

I would like to get it appraised but don't think it will happen as my husband is against me paying for this service as we have spent enough on diamonds at the moment.

I am keeping the names of the appraisers as I may use them in the future sometime.

The ring is insured under my household insurance at the moment.

I believe like you that if it does get a few nicks or scratches over the years it probably won't matter as much at that time. Sort of like a new car getting its first scratch I suppose.

I see that you dropped your ring in the basin well that is exactly me. That is the type of thing I do or drop it on the floor carpet or bump it into the door. I will have to be careful with car windows following you tip.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Dearest Pyramid,
Perhaps you should try some sedatives and just sit and look at your diamond with your eyes.
Throw your loupe in the river.

My wifes diamond is an SI1 and I have no idea where or what the inclusions look like, if it is a good SI1 or a bad SI1. i knew all this when I bought the stone - but why risk buyers remorse by going back again and again.

Phone the jeweller and tell him to stop and do nothing.
Get your ring back.
Never ever do anything but enjoy it.

If you are concerned about chipping then feel the girdle with your finger nail (never more than once a year on the day after your anniversary) as this test is more reliable for an untraind eye than using a loupe.

Will you please do this for me?

 

[pyramid]

I here you Garry. You do have very valid points.

I did throw away a cheap loupe I had but went out some months later and bought one for about £50. Should stop looking through it though.

I like the idea about checking stone once a year and yes I believe I will do that.

But, stop the jeweller now. Why. The ring has been with them since February 18 and I am due to get it back on March 4, so why should I seek it back now. What if this actually is a chip I see under the prong and the stone gets worse from wear. I think I will just stick it out another week to see what he says.