Old diamond in need of care

[autumngems]

I have a co-worker who has her mother's old diamond and it has a chip in it, is there anyone that repairs such things and if so who? Do you have any idea on approximate cost?

 

[danielxlin]

How valuable a diamond? How big a chip? Is it on the girdle? I had a 1 carat diamond with a small chip on the girdle, and got various kinds of advice:,

1) Local jeweler recommended recutting the diamond completely. $400 to $500 per carat.

2) Pricescope beloved ring maker thought the diamond looked good and didn't recommend a full re-cut. He suggested "re-girdling" to repair the chip, a process which only costs $75.

3) Another Pricescope approved ring maker thought no repair to the diamond was necessary. The chip could be hidden by a prong or protected by a bezel.

Of course I wanted to keep this diamond for sentimental reasons and set it into jewelry, so re-sale value was far from my mind. If your friend is looking to re-sell an expensive diamond then the chip has to be repaired, and a full re-cut is a definite option (Brian Gavin Diamonds has a re-cut service for around $500 per carat.)

 

[tyty333]

I thought BGD was about $300 a carat (that's the last I had seen posted). Have they gone up to $500? Wow...big increase!