Re-Setting a damaged (chipped) diamond!

[stiffaknee]

Hey yall! This is my first time posting, but I''ve been reading the forums for months now, trying to learn more about diamonds, what I like, whats important, you know, the basics. I now have a clue as to how to read a diamond certificate and I now know theres a differents between carat weight and the actual size of the diamond...Thanks guys

Anyhow, my boyfriend''s dad recently gave him a ring, its a 1.03, G-H, VVS2, that was his great-grandmother''s diamond, but had been re-set in a man''s ring. While I was kind of expecting something bigger (I have a family ring, someone told me it was a miner''s cut, another person called it "european cut"-anyhow, BF said he didn''t want me wearing anything under 2 carats, hence my expectations) I am certainly happy to wear something with such sentimental value, which is what I told him and his parents.

Here''s the only problem-this diamond is crazy chipped. its a round diamond, but it has a small nick in the girdle and another spot it looks like half of the diamond is gone in the pavillion (??) area. When you look at the diamond from the top looking down, it looks very cloudy (I guess because the chip kind of slivered the side of the diamond). So, I''ve got myself a nicked and chipped diamond.

Since the diamond was a gift, we decided that we would splurge on the setting (I really like the michael B. pave setting with the 4 prongs that go up kind of high) but I am concerned that given the condition of the diamond, that a.) no jeweler will set it for risk of damaging it further, b.) the diamond will fall out of a prong setting or c.) that it will chip to the point where it won''t be round anymore! I guess part of me is hoping that the diamond wont work, but at the same time, I don''t want to think that I would be so materialistic that I wouldn''t be happy with this generous gift from his family.

I don''t have the diamond, otherwise I would take a picture. Hopefully I have described it well enough! Does anyone have any thoughts/experience with damaged diamond jewelry? Will a jeweler set this diamond? I know that a 4 prong setting is probably a really bad idea for a diamond like this, but its what I really, really like!

Thanks in advance!

 

[gorri8]

we will need to see pictures. I thought with a VVS2 is not suppose to be cloudy.. am I wrong on this?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/2/2010 10:29:33 AM
Author:stiffaknee
Hey yall! This is my first time posting, but I've been reading the forums for months now, trying to learn more about diamonds, what I like, whats important, you know, the basics. I now have a clue as to how to read a diamond certificate and I now know theres a differents between carat weight and the actual size of the diamond...Thanks guys

Anyhow, my boyfriend's dad recently gave him a ring, its a 1.03, G-H, VVS2, that was his great-grandmother's diamond, but had been re-set in a man's ring. While I was kind of expecting something bigger (I have a family ring, someone told me it was a miner's cut, another person called it 'european cut'-anyhow, BF said he didn't want me wearing anything under 2 carats, hence my expectations) I am certainly happy to wear something with such sentimental value, which is what I told him and his parents.

Here's the only problem-this diamond is crazy chipped. its a round diamond, but it has a small nick in the girdle and another spot it looks like half of the diamond is gone in the pavillion (??) area. When you look at the diamond from the top looking down, it looks very cloudy (I guess because the chip kind of slivered the side of the diamond). So, I've got myself a nicked and chipped diamond.

Since the diamond was a gift, we decided that we would splurge on the setting (I really like the michael B. pave setting with the 4 prongs that go up kind of high) but I am concerned that given the condition of the diamond, that a.) no jeweler will set it for risk of damaging it further, b.) the diamond will fall out of a prong setting or c.) that it will chip to the point where it won't be round anymore! I guess part of me is hoping that the diamond wont work, but at the same time, I don't want to think that I would be so materialistic that I wouldn't be happy with this generous gift from his family.

I don't have the diamond, otherwise I would take a picture. Hopefully I have described it well enough! Does anyone have any thoughts/experience with damaged diamond jewelry? Will a jeweler set this diamond? I know that a 4 prong setting is probably a really bad idea for a diamond like this, but its what I really, really like!

Thanks in advance!

Hi stiffaknee

What I would do is get an independant appraiser to check the stone out, they will be able to give you advice on setting it ( if it is feasible for a ring).

appraiser tool

Maybe if it can be set it might be better to set it in a pendant and look for a new stone for the engagement ring? I am sure the family would understand as it sounds as if there is extensive damage to the stone that you would prefer to have a diamond without damage and potential durability issues for your engagement ring...?

 

[Snicklefritz]

Jeepers, stiff! Sure seems like a bum deal to me. Ditto Lorelei on the appraisal and pendant ideas. It''s WONDERFUL that the family wants to share their heirloom with you, but the damage sounds pretty extensive. You''ll probably be scared to wear it out of the house for fear of losing the diamond in the street somewhere. Or you''ll freak out every time you accidentally knock it on something fearing it has shattered. Diamonds are pretty resilient, but I freak out about these things and my diamond is not damaged. So there''s the actual physical damage to the stone, and the psychological damage that may be caused to you as a result of the physical damage to consider.

I have to admit I wouldn''t be as accepting as you if I were in this situation. Have you shared your concerns with your BF? Could he wear the diamond in a man''s ring for his wedding ring? I wish I knew of a foolproof way to help you remedy this situation without making you seem ungrateful. Though, I would think the family and your BF would understand. Best of luck! Let us know what happens.

gorrie, it was probably graded a VVS2 before the damage.

 

[stiffaknee]

When I suggested to my boyfriend that I thought we may have trouble setting it, he was offended because he thinks his parents will be offended...after all, I did say that I would be totally happy with the diamond (Ive been waiting for a couple of years now for an engagement ring-well, 4 years, actually) and I think I would, I would just feel like the worst person in the world if the diamond split in half or I lost it. I''m hoping beyond hope that a jeweler says "nope, too risky, we don''t want to set something we cant stand behind".

We do have an appraisal on the ring (with the chipped diamond), but there wasnt anything specifically that noted a risk in re-setting the diamond.

Thanks yall, I appreciate the advice!

 

[MustangGal]

I cracked my e-ring diamond a couple years ago, and was paranoid wearing it on my finger after that. I just kept picturing it splitting in half and falling out if a barely tapped it on anything. I had it reset in a 1/2 bezel pendant. The jeweler wasn''t concerned about the re-setting, and it looks great in it''s new home. I don''t worry about the crack any more.

It sounds like that diamond is pretty damaged. I doubt it would be safe in a prong setting, and it might not survive the bezel process either. Try taking it to a jeweler or appraiser and see what they say.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/2/2010 11:33:05 AM
Author: stiffaknee
When I suggested to my boyfriend that I thought we may have trouble setting it, he was offended because he thinks his parents will be offended...after all, I did say that I would be totally happy with the diamond (Ive been waiting for a couple of years now for an engagement ring-well, 4 years, actually) and I think I would, I would just feel like the worst person in the world if the diamond split in half or I lost it. I'm hoping beyond hope that a jeweler says 'nope, too risky, we don't want to set something we cant stand behind'.

We do have an appraisal on the ring (with the chipped diamond), but there wasnt anything specifically that noted a risk in re-setting the diamond.

Thanks yall, I appreciate the advice!

The issue I see here is that ok, the stone may be a family heirloom but it sounds as if it is quite damaged....I personally wouldn't want a damaged diamond for my engagement ring....I would hope your boyfriend and his parents would understand why you would not want such a stone for your most important ring. Maybe if you discuss it with him and explain your concerns he can move past feeling offended and understand that you are not rejecting this gift or the sentiment behind it. But as this is the most important piece of jewellery that you will ever own, and it will have huge sentimental value to YOU, that you would prefer to have a diamond that is intact and not already damaged. I am not an expert nor can I see the stone but when you say it looks as if half of the diamond is missing around the pavilion area....

It sounds like a substantial chunk of the stone is missing.

Sorry you are in this awkward situation...

 

[Todd Gray]

Date: 3/2/2010 10:34:13 AM
Author: gorri8
we will need to see pictures. I thought with a VVS2 is not suppose to be cloudy.. am I wrong on this?

The odds are that the damage to the diamond is reflecting about within the facets which act like tiny mirrors and causing the distortion...

A good jeweler should be able to assess the damage and determine whether they will be able to set it or not, however most will not assume any liability for further damage to the diamond during the setting process because the structural integrity of the diamond no longer exists and it''s like trying to steady the foundation of a house which is set over a fault plane during an earthquake.

That said, I''ve seen some pretty amazing stuff - including watching a cracked diamond (and I do mean CRACKED) get superglued together and then bezel set into a pendant, it even looked pretty good! I was shocked. The customer brought the diamond into a friend''s jewelry store in two pieces and said "can you fix this?" The diamond ring had been slammed in a car door, the hand was broken... The jeweler kind of half joked about superglue and the customer wouldn''t let it go... I don''t recommend it, but I saw it - that''s all I''m saying

So yea, have the diamond evaluated by a gemologist to get an idea of the structural integrity of the diamond and then discuss the feasibility of setting the diamond with a couple different jewelers and then make a decision whether to set it in a ring or wear it as a pendant - personally, I think the damage would be less noticeable in a pendant and the diamond might last a little longer up on the neck, we tend to bang our hands around more than we realize

 

[Dreamer_D]

Ditto taking it to a qualifid appraiser. The appraisal you have is probably not complete, a qualified appraiser can tell you about the structural integrity of the dimaond.

And FWIW, the diamond and the proposal are separate issues in my book

Although it has sentimental value to his family, that doesn''t mean you have to wear a chipped and cloudy diamond if you don''t want to. But opinions on this vary.

 

[artdecogirl]

Hello and Welcome Stiffaknee, love the user name! Congrats on your engagement! Sounds like you have been waiting a long time! I also have a family diamond that had some issues and I found a setting I liked at a local jeweler after searching forever, he was not happy with my diamond but respected what it was and did set it for me, I had chosen a bezel but he did not think the stone could take the stress so it is in the bezel but he added 4 tiny prongs also so I believe the stone is just sitting in the bezel but the prongs are what is actually securing it. Because of the damage he offered no guarentee on the stone during the setting process or for the setting because of the modification. He explained that there is some risk to the stone in the setting process because of the damage. They now no longer will set your stone only theirs and I think that is the norm. I would have your boyfriend talk to some jewelers about the process so he can hear what your up against. I love the idea of keeeping it in the setting and him wearing it! What does he think of that? There is also a option of recut or having some work done to repair the stone. Good luck and show us what you end up with.