Princess Diamond Damaged

[markvchampion]

Hi there, I need some expert advice. I gave my fiancee a 1.5 carat princess cut diamond for our engagement. She wanted it remodelled and sent it to a jeweller for that job. Two hours after she was told the ring was completed in its new setting, she got a call to say the diamond had been found to be damaged. The jeweller blamed the previous jeweller and/or my fiancee for causing the damage - described by another jeweller, in this report,as having the following damage -

"I have examined the stone and evaluated it for re-cutting. Using an adjusted weight formula I estimate that to return the stone to good specifications will require an approximate reduction in size to 5.90mm Square ( present 6.20mm). Assuming the damage can be cleared at this size and that minimal overall depth is maintained this should arrive at a new weight of 1.37 ct. However, this is simply a calculated estimate as I will not be sure of the stones final dimension until the concave section of the cleavage is removed. This type of damage is quite unusual as the point area of a Princess cut is on 'True grain' and therefore pretty impervious to injury. The shape and nature of the damage suggests an under lying problem , probably an internal feature , being at the heart of the trouble. There are two, easily visible cleavages near the damaged corner which adds weight to this hypothesis. In answer to your question, 'Could this have resulted from removing the stone from it's setting'. In my experience damage like this occurs during setting , not unsetting. I've checked the mount under the microscope and there is no sign of an attempt to 'lift' a claw which is about the only way such damage could occur in unsetting. As to re-cutting. This isn't a simple job. It will require re-cutting of the two damaged girdles , the respective crown and pavilion facets plus the likelihood of having to re-centre the chevron set. I would expect a days work, 4-5 hours"

The jewellery store is still disputing who or what caused the damage and I believe its likely I will be forced to take them to dispute.
What is your view of our situation and what do you think the jeweller's response to what has been a very stressful situation?

Regards
Mark

 

[sonnyjane]

I'm getting nervous at the lack of a certain word in your posts: insurance. Do you have it?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

That was my first thought as well. I would claim it on the jewelry insurance. This is what it is for. If you don't have it, then you are probably unlikely to get anyone to accept the responsibility for the damage. I am very sorry to hear it, but this is the second princess damage post we have seen in the last few days. If I were having a recut done, I would contact Brian Gavin since they cut ideal cut princess stones. I would want to make it an outstanding cut if I had to have it recut. He recut a round stone for me. Then get the new ring insured immediately.

You can also send the ring to an independent appraiser to get an unbiased opinion. But while it may be most likely that it was damaged during setting, it could have broken just by her hitting the ring wrong. You may not be able to prove any fault.

 

[Rockdiamond]

HI Mark,
Sorry you're in a stressful position on this.
Can you clarify the timeline?
You mentioned that she sent it to a jeweler, and two hours later the new ring was ready.
Were they putting your stone into a setting they had in house?
When you say sent- is the ring local, or sent far enough you can't see it firsthand easily?
It seems the most likely scenarios are:
1) the stone was damaged prior to them touching it
2) possibly more likely if it was set in a rush, the damage occurred during setting

In the first case, they'd know immediately upon removing the diamond- and possibly before that if they examined closely, as they should.
But in fairness, not all damage is visible under a prong.
That would really suck if they did damage it during setting, and are not being honest about it- but you may have a very hard time proving it in court.


Good news too is that the remedy (recut) may not be all that complicated as they are making it sound- but will cost you a bit of money.

 

[Gypsy]

Getting a bad feeling about this.

PEOPLE, especially people with princesses. BEFORE YOU GET YOUR STONES RESET PLEASE HAVE THEM APPRAISED, OUT SIDE OF THE SETTING, and make sure they are undamaged. That way there is no finger pointing. This goes for ANY stone you are resetting.

If you do NOT want to have it appraised: have it removed from the setting IN FRONT OF YOU. Preferrably by sheering off the prongs (instead of prying the stone loose, better to lose the prongs and have them re-built than crack a stone). Then have the jeweler note ANY damage at that time. Then have them re-set it. That way, AGAIN, there is no finger pointing.

 

[markvchampion]

Hi there and thanks for your post. In answer to your questions - the ring had been with them for about a week. The stone had been removed and had been set into a newly created setting. We received no feedback about damage until two hours after the jeweller had phoned us to say it was complete - which raises alarm bells in our minds, particularly after they have spent a lot of time blaming the previous jeweller and my fiancee for the damage. from what I have read, damage in a cicrumstance like this is most likely to have ocurred in setting the stone - and as you say damage would have usually been obvious with the removal of the stone from its previous setting - that's when we could have expected a call to hear of the damage I would have thought
Regards
Mark

 

[Gypsy]

Hi there and thanks for your post. In answer to your questions - the ring had been with them for about a week. The stone had been removed and had been set into a newly created setting. We received no feedback about damage until two hours after the jeweller had phoned us to say it was complete - which raises alarm bells in our minds, particularly after they have spent a lot of time blaming the previous jeweller and my fiancee for the damage. from what I have read, damage in a cicrumstance like this is most likely to have ocurred in setting the stone - and as you say damage would have usually been obvious with the removal of the stone from its previous setting - that's when we could have expected a call to hear of the damage I would have thought
Regards
Mark

YIKES!

If there was damage at the time the stone was removed they should have called you. NOT try to set a damaged stone.

That's a huge red flag for me too!

Also... DO YOU HAVE INSURANCE ON THE STONE/RING??????

 

[chrono]

I find it odd that they called to inform you of the damage AFTER they remounted the stone for you. It should be as soon as they removed the diamond from the setting. The jeweller should not have completed the work until he or she has discussed the damage with you. In doing so, it gives a strong suspicion that the new jeweller damaged it during the setting process.

 

[markvchampion]

No ................

 

[chrono]

At this point, it is considered as self-insured, meaning you are assuming the risk of any financial replacement.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Again, I would want a princess expert doing the recutting. A recut on a round costs about $350 per carat, and I do not know if it is a different amount for a princess, but I would think it would be close. Here is Brian Gavin's contact info:

http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/

I am sorry this happened, but in addition to the precautions Gypsy mentioned, princess cut diamonds seem to be more vulnerable to chipping and insurance is just essential (as it is for any diamond that would be hard to replace financially).

 

[sonnyjane]

No ................

In that case, I'm sorry to say that you have two options. The first is to suck it up, walk away, use a trusted vendor for the re-cut, and use this as a valuable life lesson (INSURE INSURE INSURE!). The second option is to begin what will certainly be a frustrating and potentially fruitless battle against the jeweler that did the re-set. There is no proof whatsoever, as the ring was not appraised prior to the re-set, that it was the jeweler that damaged the ring and not your wife (or the original jeweler for that matter). You can, however, complain to them about not contacting you about the damage PRIOR to finishing the re-set. That might get you off the hook for the cost of the re-set, but you'll likely not get anything from them for the damaged stone, again, because there is no proof when or how it was damaged.

 

[distracts]

PEOPLE, especially people with princesses. BEFORE YOU GET YOUR STONES RESET PLEASE HAVE THEM APPRAISED, OUT SIDE OF THE SETTING, and make sure they are undamaged. That way there is no finger pointing. This goes for ANY stone you are resetting.

If you do NOT want to have it appraised: have it removed from the setting IN FRONT OF YOU. Preferrably by sheering off the prongs (instead of prying the stone loose, better to lose the prongs and have them re-built than crack a stone). Then have the jeweler note ANY damage at that time. Then have them re-set it. That way, AGAIN, there is no finger pointing.

Yeah... at my jeweler we always examine whatever I'm having altered under the loupe/microscope, the jeweler takes a hi-res macro shot that's attached to the work order, and the condition of the piece is agreed upon. From PS I've learned to get the condition of the piece at time of receipt in writing and signed by both me and the jeweler. The jeweler takes another hi-res macro shot upon completion of the piece. It takes a few extra minutes, but I think it gives extra safety to both me and the jeweler (I can't accuse the jeweler of damaging something after I got it home if it's clearly fine in the shot where I picked it up, and the jeweler can't say I damaged something before I dropped it off if it's fine in the first shot).

I do think that without insurance there's likely no recourse, as you simply can't prove after the fact WHEN the stone was damaged, only that it was. You will say the jeweler did it, but the jeweler will say it arrived to him in that condition, and it's just a big game of he-said, she-said.

And you should always insure your multi-thousand dollar pieces of jewelry... and if you don't have them insured you should at least check to see whether the jeweler repairing/resetting it insures against damage that happens while in their care and what their policies are in that instance... I'm sorry, while you should definitely talk to the jewelry store, it is likely that you're SOL and will just have to get it recut on your own dime.

eta: I am really sorry about your ring, and sorry I don't have advice about your situation now and just how to prevent it in the future. I just haven't ever had to deal with this and haven't seen a problem like this resolved except by insurance/paying out of pocket.

 

[motownmama]

2nd damaged Princess on PS in 2 days - oh dear!