Paranoid or legitimate concern?

[newtodiamonds]

I am new to the world of diamonds, hence my username and I have just heard a lot about being careful of having your diamonds switched out. I took my ring to a store in the mall today to have it sized a half size down (its not a chain store, but rather somewhat of a family owned store) and I decided to go here because you can wait and they do it on the spot, and plus the jeweler sits right in front of the store so you can actually see him cutting the ring, etc. I didn''t feel comfortable taking it to a place that has to send it out and takes like 5 days to get it back, as most of the stores in the mall told me would be the case. When I had taken it to another jeweler the other day, she warned me not to let them take the ring back to the back of the store or something that would be out of my view and when I asked her if that really happens a lot where people might switch out your diamonds, she said "unfortunately yes". So, to make a long story somewhat short, I chose this family owned-type store today since the did it on the spot and in front of you, etc. The jeweler cut everything in front of me, but then said he had to go to the back to polish it, and was back there for about 15 minutes - out of my sight. Of course I started to worry a little, being of the paranoid sort already , and let my imagination run wild remembering what the other lady told me the other day.

When I left there with my ring after he was done, I continued to wonder if there was any possibility of my diamonds being switched out. I know I probably seem overly concerned, but dealing with the other jeweler the other day who tested my ring as massonite, and then after leaving costco today having gone there to have them re-test it and it coming up as a diamond which made me feel a lot better and eased my mind a bit, I told this jeweler the story. This made me think that maybe since he already knows I was kind of nieve about the world of diamonds, etc., would he perhaps be even more inclined to take advantage of me and swap out the stones? Forgive me for sounding overly paranoid or concerned if I do, this is just my first experience with diamonds and I guess I have heard too many stories!! So what do you think, paranoid or legitimate concern!?

 

[strmrdr]

it happens but its rare.
In 15 min. without leaving a trace of it.
Not very likely.
Buy a loupe and learn to identify your diamond by the inclusions then you can verify it as yours anytime you feel the need.

 

[IrishEyes]

strmrdr is right, it does happen but it is pretty rare. I wouldn''t worry too much about it, as long as you know your diamond. Do you know what clarity grade the diamond recieved? Even if you don''t, get a 10x loupe ( a good one usually costs $25-$40) and take some time to really look in the diamond. See if you see any spots inside the stone (known as inclusions) or anything on the outside surface ( usually called blemishes). Familiarize yourself with the location of any clarity characteristics you may find. This will make you rest easier when you take your ring in for a repair, as you can take a quick look at it with the loupe upon picking the ring up and verify that everything is ok.