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Questions About a Nicked Diamond

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DWMS

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 2, 2010
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3
Hello,

I am hoping someone can help shed some light on two nicks in my diamond and what I should do about them. Last year I had a 1.03 carat emerald cut diamond set in a Gelin Abaci tension setting, which I am very happy with. I purchased the diamond from Blue Nile, because I felt very comfortable with their customer service and pricing. The jewelry store I worked with on the setting was by far more expensive when it came to diamonds and settings; however, I felt comfortable ordering the tension setting (which I had only seen in a picture) through them given their customer satisfaction policy.

Last week a friend dropped the ring on a tile floor and the next day I took it to the jewelry store to be checked. I was told that the stone was still tight in its setting; but that the diamond now has two small nicks on the edge between the table and the first facet (I saw the nicks under a 30x microscope). At that point, the salesperson lectured me about not buying the diamond from her store, because store policy states that diamonds they sell are replaced for free under these circumstances. The only advice the salesperson gave me was to continue to enjoy the ring with the understanding that nicks happen.

I do have insurance on the ring that covers damage. My question: Should I be concerned enough about small nicks to file an insurance claim? Do nicks substantially reduce the value of a diamond and/or create problems later on?

Thank you for your advice.
 

Hest88

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jan 22, 2003
Messages
4,357
Hm. The salesperson sounds obnoxious.

Obviously, no one can tell without seeing it in person, but if you''re talking about nicks you can only see under 30x I, personally, wouldn''t worry about them.
 

oneandahalfrock

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Dec 31, 2008
Messages
353
If only visible at 30x I would just try to live with it.
It is a shame that it was nicked, but I would wait unless something more drastic happened- heaven forbid!
 

Lorelei

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 30, 2005
Messages
42,064
Hi dwms

Sorry to hear what happened...
40.gif
What I would do is get an independant appraiser to take a look for you, also it might be possible to polish these out with minimal loss of weight but an appraiser will be able to tell you more.

Here is the appraiser tool
 

denverappraiser

Ideal_Rock
Trade
Joined
Jul 21, 2004
Messages
9,150
If the damage is sufficient to reduce the clarity of the stone then yes, it’s possible that there is a significant reduction in value and yes, it's possible that the existing damage can lead to further damage down the road. With most things like this it’s a fairly straightforward process to repair it and there is usually nominal weight loss as a result but there’s no way to assess this without looking at the stone in person. Some people see a lot better under a loupe than others. You need more information ... what seems like tiny details can make a big difference in this business. It might be no big deal and it might be important. The difference between a nick, a chip, a ding, a crack, a boo boo, etc. can turn out to be considerable.

The warranty from the jeweler, or lack thereof, is an interesting argument. Presumably you paid less for the stone, probably quite a bit less, and it’s highly likely that the coverage of the warranty is met or exceeded by the coverage by your insurance. That said, even in hindsight that warranty isn’t worth very much. Get it inspected by an independent expert who isn’t trying to push their own agenda and consider filing a claim with the insurance company if the damage turns out to be significant after all. That’s what you’re paying them for.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver
 

DWMS

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 2, 2010
Messages
3
Thank you for your thoughtful response!
 

ct-appr

Shiny_Rock
Trade
Joined
Jul 7, 2009
Messages
144
I agree with Neil. Also, bear in mind that the insurance company may not cover it if you wait too long. Check with your insurance company on your coverage and get the stone checked out.
 

DWMS

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 2, 2010
Messages
3
Thank you the input. I took my ring to an appraiser and it turns out that the nicks can be polished out for $200 with minimal to no weight loss. The tension setting does present a problem as the diamond would have to be removed for polishing. Because I do not want to go through the hassle of removing the stone from the setting, I am inclined to leave the nicks in the diamond and forget about it.
 
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