New diamond has chip, lost cause?

[BackScratch]

Hello,

As the title suggests, I recently purchased a diamond for an engagement ring online. It's a 1.17 carat, marquise, VS2, J color, very good cut diamond. I purchased it on Brilliant Earth. Long story short, I didn't read the GIA report until after the purchase, and the report said there was a chip. GIA report: 5182794362.

The price I paid was pretty much at the top of my budget. So my questions:

1) Based on what you see on the GIA report, are there 1 or 2 chips? Because to me it kinda looks like two chips and two feathers.

2) I'm also not sure the severity of the inclusions. I know the word "chip" makes people cringe, but I just want to get your opinion on just how severe this one looks.

3) I have a couple weeks to swap out the diamond. All things considered, though, the same diamond with no chip would cost 1000 more, which would push it out of my budget. Would you swap this chipped one out for a lesser diamond?

Curios to see what you all think. And I know I'm a dummy for buying a chipped diamond.

 

[scarsmum]

Without even looking at the report I would say send it back, but for refund not exchange. Then we can help you find an awesome diamond within your budget. As a woman I wouldn’t want a chipped diamond to represent our engagement.

 

[bludiva]

i dunno, the clarity is vs2 so that's a super tiny flaw. maybe one of the trade folks or experts will pop in to give some advice on whether it poses any risk to the stone.

 

[Lykame]

I have a few thoughts here.

Firstly just automatically I'm nervous about a chip, and also having a chipped diamond would make me sad. Like, having inclusions in a diamond produced by nature is one thing to me, but this is likely caused by something (or someone) else.

Do you have the diamond in front of you? Can you take some photos? Can you feel it with your finger or finger nail? Again I wouldn't be happy if I could feel it under my fingernail.

What are your future plans with this diamond? I'm making an assumption here but to me it is automatically a very difficult diamond to sell, unless where you bought it from has an amazing upgrade policy. People do buy chipped diamonds but usually I see people buying them very cheaply and getting them recut.

Options open to you that I can think of (there may be more):

• Send it back within the time frame (that's my instinct here);

• Choose a setting that hides and protects it, like a bezel setting - immediately limiting your setting choice;

• Get advice on getting it polished off... You would lose diamond weight, it would still cost money to do this (money you could spend on increasing your budget) and I don't see the point of doing that whilst you still are in the return period.

Why don't you tell us your budget whilst still in the return period, and tell us what your minimum cut/clarity/colour etc is? Whilst you're figuring out whether you want to keep this stone or not, perhaps some experts could chime in with some replacement stone suggestions so you can see what other options are available to you. You may be pleasantly surprised.

 

[OoohShiny]

You could send the stone to a PS-recommended appraiser for assessment - @oldminer or @denverappraiser could be options.

It may cost a few hundred dollars, though - at which point, and given that the chip might be recommended as inadvisable, you'd be that money down and still have to get another diamond...


As above, tell us your budget and colour/clarity/carat size preferences and we might be able to find you alternatives!

 

[foxinsox]

Tbh it wouldn’t be a deal breaker for me cos I did buy a chipped diamond. Mine’s an old cut so maybe that makes a difference. How noticeable is it?Did you love the stone until you realised it was chipped? If you got the chip polished out, would it be mind clean for you again? I’d cost out getting the chip polished against returning if you loved the stone prior to finding out it was chipped

 

[Matthews1127]

I’m on Team return it for refund & look somewhere else.

 

[rockysalamander]

I agree with others that either it need to be evaluated or send it back. If that chip is along the narrowed area toward the points, that poses more structural issue than if in the belly. But, a chip has to be evaluated for structural issues, setting issues (can you set the stone as you like, can a prong be placed nearby to make it less exposed to further injury), and physical comfort.

In my 5-stone setting, one of my antique stones has a flea bite. It was not structural, but the setter made sure to rotate that chip toward the center stone to keep it un-exposed. So, if you had a non-structural chip on the side of the belly, that would influence the setting. You'd want to make sure that chip was between the shoulder (higher cathedral style with a bar) or next to another stone.

I like the suggestion above to give us a challenge. See if we can find something better during your return period. We like looking for diamonds and you'd have a small army (or at least unit) of lookers.

 

[ac117]

There are so many diamonds out there that I would not want to settle for one that has a chip unless it was an heirloom or antique. Agree with others that you should return and let us help you find another!

 

[david b]

I say that you are lucky to get a $1000 off for such a small flaw, as a diamond cutter for many years I can say two things
1)It is a 1.17 if the manufacturer of the diamond thought it will cause cost reduction he would have polished this chip or two and make it VS1.
2)It is a VS2 with no black imperfections and the flaws should be very very small.

But, I would keep it unless it is visible or you can feel the chip with your nail. (If there is a piece of the girdle missing)

 

[whitewave]

It appears to have a feather at the girdle too, so I would say switch the stone out.

 

[WillyDiamond]

I don't know what the question is, of course return it for full refund.
You will always have in your mind the stone is chipped and you settled.
Others can correct me, but I have never heard of any of the PS vendors selling a "chipped" stone.
Brilliant Earth is not a PS vendor. You may have been confused with Brilliantly Engaged (BE) on this forum who is very reputable.

 

[whitewave]

Well, I bought a diamond with an etch channel that reached the surface because I liked the light performance and price was great. It was a PS vendor. It was also a fun ring and not engagement ring.

 

[yssie]

1) Based on what you see on the GIA report, are there 1 or 2 chips? Because to me it kinda looks like two chips and two feathers.

2) I'm also not sure the severity of the inclusions. I know the word "chip" makes people cringe, but I just want to get your opinion on just how severe this one looks.

1. There is one feather and there are two chips. When reading the inclusion plot imagine you've got a paper copy of the report and fold it down the middle between the two plot diagrams - that's your three-dimensional stone.

2. It's a VS2 and the grade-making inclusion is the girdle feather, not the chips... if you choose a bezel or 6-prong setting (with Vs on the tips, please! Especially with that natural at the tip!) those chips will be pronged...

1)It is a 1.17 if the manufacturer of the diamond thought it will cause cost reduction he would have polished this chip or two and make it VS1.
2)It is a VS2 with no black imperfections and the flaws should be very very small.

That is - ditto ^.

I suppose the answer to "what you should do, if anything" depends on the reasons you were drawn to this stone in the first place Tell us more about it. What do you like about it? Do you have any photos of it you can share?

 

[BackScratch]

Thank you all for you input. Ultimately, I wasn't comfortable buying the chipped diamond. If it were a diamond for me personally, I could probably look passed it. But, this is an engagement ring, it wouldn't be fair to her plus it feels like there might be some bad karma on the horizon by starting off an engagement with a damaged ring.

I ended up swapping out the diamond for one that isn't chipped. Basically the same, minus the chip obviously, 1.15 carat, very good cut, I color, VS1 clarity, excellent symmetry and polish with "Strong Blue" fluorescence. It did cost around $600 more but it's a much nicer looking rock and I know she will be happy with it.

Thank you all again!!

 

[Lykame]

Glad you've found a diamond you're happy with! You've managed to go up a colour and size with essentially no loss in carat weight. Just to check - have you checked the diamond in sunlight to ensure that it isn't oily or hazy? It's only a very rare diamond that will do that but my understanding is that strong fluorescence is slightly more at risk compared to other degrees of fluorescence, so definitely worth being happy with that aspect whilst your still in your return period.

Congratulations again and if you're willing to share pictures of the diamond, we would love to see them! Also please remember to get a setting that protects the tips of the diamond!!! If you fancy sharing your setting ideas we also love to see that too!!!

 

[MJGabel]

Hello,
I do not know what you have paid for the diamond, but my first reaction is you can find a replacement close to what you paid for this marquise. *you can also have the chip removed, but you will loose some diamond weight.

Chips are a funny thing. Some chips are really CHIPS that car large and can weaken certain areas of the stone. Some chips, ehhh - no big deal an has no effect on the diamond at all. In many cases this type of chip is not visible to the naked eye. BUT, if it really bothers you, send it back. I am confident a company like ours can source you a diamond close to what you paid, or hep you locate on.

I had a look at the GIA report, and the area of the chip (depending on how deep it is) does not look to concerning unless you hit the diamond in that exact area.

**edited by moderator**

Hello,

As the title suggests, I recently purchased a diamond for an engagement ring online. It's a 1.17 carat, marquise, VS2, J color, very good cut diamond. I purchased it on Brilliant Earth. Long story short, I didn't read the GIA report until after the purchase, and the report said there was a chip. GIA report: 5182794362.

The price I paid was pretty much at the top of my budget. So my questions:

1) Based on what you see on the GIA report, are there 1 or 2 chips? Because to me it kinda looks like two chips and two feathers.

2) I'm also not sure the severity of the inclusions. I know the word "chip" makes people cringe, but I just want to get your opinion on just how severe this one looks.

3) I have a couple weeks to swap out the diamond. All things considered, though, the same diamond with no chip would cost 1000 more, which would push it out of my budget. Would you swap this chipped one out for a lesser diamond?

Curios to see what you all think. And I know I'm a dummy for buying a chipped diamond.

Hello,

As the title suggests, I recently purchased a diamond for an engagement ring online. It's a 1.17 carat, marquise, VS2, J color, very good cut diamond. I purchased it on Brilliant Earth. Long story short, I didn't read the GIA report until after the purchase, and the report said there was a chip. GIA report: 5182794362.

The price I paid was pretty much at the top of my budget. So my questions:

1) Based on what you see on the GIA report, are there 1 or 2 chips? Because to me it kinda looks like two chips and two feathers.

2) I'm also not sure the severity of the inclusions. I know the word "chip" makes people cringe, but I just want to get your opinion on just how severe this one looks.

3) I have a couple weeks to swap out the diamond. All things considered, though, the same diamond with no chip would cost 1000 more, which would push it out of my budget. Would you swap this chipped one out for a lesser diamond?

Curios to see what you all think. And I know I'm a dummy for buying a chipped diamond.

Hello,

As the title suggests, I recently purchased a diamond for an engagement ring online. It's a 1.17 carat, marquise, VS2, J color, very good cut diamond. I purchased it on Brilliant Earth. Long story short, I didn't read the GIA report until after the purchase, and the report said there was a chip. GIA report: 5182794362.

The price I paid was pretty much at the top of my budget. So my questions:

1) Based on what you see on the GIA report, are there 1 or 2 chips? Because to me it kinda looks like two chips and two feathers.

2) I'm also not sure the severity of the inclusions. I know the word "chip" makes people cringe, but I just want to get your opinion on just how severe this one looks.

3) I have a couple weeks to swap out the diamond. All things considered, though, the same diamond with no chip would cost 1000 more, which would push it out of my budget. Would you swap this chipped one out for a lesser diamond?

Curios to see what you all think. And I know I'm a dummy for buying a chipped diamond.

 

[whitewave]

@MJGabel it is against tos for vendors to “poach” customers through threads or comment on specific stones; you may want to edit and clean your post up. You can speak of chips in a general sense.