Replacement RB diamond (very sad and long sorry)

[CLEICS]

Hi Im hoping the experts here can help as I feel fairly clueless if Im honest

Bit of background
About a month ago I decided to get me rings reset onto platinum from WG partly because I seemed to rubbing through the rhodium plating very quickly and partly because I also wanted to make a few minor styling changes. Well I picked my rings up yesterday and my wedding and eternity bands are gorgeous, I also loved the look of my RB solitaire engagement ring... until I got it home and noticed a chip taken out of the side that I could feel with my finger!! I was/am absolutely devastated and we drove straight back to the jeweller to find out what had happened. He was sure it hadnt happened in resetting as I had gone from a six claw to a four claw and he didnt feel that anything involved in that resetting would cause a chip to be made. However ten minutes later (and a few tears from me as I was convinced that was it my ring was ruined and no one could help) he eventually decided he could put it through his insurance and replace it with a like stone - wonderful yes but now I think this potentially opens up a while new can of worms and could really do with some advice.

Firstly how do I know Im getting a comparable diamond? I have only limited info on my receipt etc and although the diamond is registered (we bought it in Holland from Gassan) I dont have any info about cut (I know its Ideal as I remember), Fluoresence (none again not written but I remember), girdle etc. As far as the jeweller is concerned I have only presented him with the following information

Carat 0.59
Round Brilliant
SI2
Top Crystal

However as my husband and I chose the loose diamond I know it is ideal cut, has no fluorescence etc but I dont seem to have any paperwork to support this. Ive emailed Gassan with the reg no of my diamond in the hope they will have more information on file but Im worried that although Im getting a new diamond it may not be as good a cut as the one I had before? The other thing is my jeweller said he couldnt guarantee a 0.59 with the same characterstics - thats understandable but I definitly do not want to go smaller to the extent that my wonderful husband has offered to speak to them to ensure if necessary we pay towards the diamond to ensure it is at least the same size if not bigger! I am so upset because even if the diamond is replaced it wont be MY diamond...

In short I suppose Im asking you guys what I need to know/ask the jeweller to ensure I get a good diamond back - what characteristics do you think would be important?

any help gratefully received (sorry email so long)

 

[HVVS]

I''m not sure, but an appraiser should still be able measure crown / pavillion %s and angles and table size off of it unless the chip is huge. Color and approximate clarity, too. Is it a chip and not a natural? Sometimes they mount a diamond with a chip or natural covered by a prong.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 2/7/2010 12:48:22 PM
Author:CLEICS
Hi Im hoping the experts here can help as I feel fairly clueless if Im honest

Bit of background
About a month ago I decided to get me rings reset onto platinum from WG partly because I seemed to rubbing through the rhodium plating very quickly and partly because I also wanted to make a few minor styling changes. Well I picked my rings up yesterday and my wedding and eternity bands are gorgeous, I also loved the look of my RB solitaire engagement ring... until I got it home and noticed a chip taken out of the side that I could feel with my finger!! I was/am absolutely devastated and we drove straight back to the jeweller to find out what had happened. He was sure it hadnt happened in resetting as I had gone from a six claw to a four claw and he didnt feel that anything involved in that resetting would cause a chip to be made. However ten minutes later (and a few tears from me as I was convinced that was it my ring was ruined and no one could help) he eventually decided he could put it through his insurance and replace it with a like stone - wonderful yes but now I think this potentially opens up a while new can of worms and could really do with some advice.

Firstly how do I know Im getting a comparable diamond? I have only limited info on my receipt etc and although the diamond is registered (we bought it in Holland from Gassan) I dont have any info about cut (I know its Ideal as I remember), Fluoresence (none again not written but I remember), girdle etc. As far as the jeweller is concerned I have only presented him with the following information

Carat 0.59
Round Brilliant
SI2
Top Crystal

However as my husband and I chose the loose diamond I know it is ideal cut, has no fluorescence etc but I dont seem to have any paperwork to support this. Ive emailed Gassan with the reg no of my diamond in the hope they will have more information on file but Im worried that although Im getting a new diamond it may not be as good a cut as the one I had before? The other thing is my jeweller said he couldnt guarantee a 0.59 with the same characterstics - thats understandable but I definitly do not want to go smaller to the extent that my wonderful husband has offered to speak to them to ensure if necessary we pay towards the diamond to ensure it is at least the same size if not bigger! I am so upset because even if the diamond is replaced it wont be MY diamond...

In short I suppose Im asking you guys what I need to know/ask the jeweller to ensure I get a good diamond back - what characteristics do you think would be important?

any help gratefully received (sorry email so long)

Hi CLEICS

So sorry to hear about your troubles....With your diamond, Top Crystal is older terminology used to describe diamond colour, so the diamond in question to the best of my knowledge falls within I / J range, but this could vary depending on the accuracy and skill of the person who graded it.

Did the jeweller say the chip was substantial? There might be a possibility of having the chip repaired but you would need an expert to see the stone and advise. Regarding a new stone, it is important to get the best cut quality you can and not rely on descriptions such as Ideal Cut as they don't always guarantee you a well cut stone, and I would hate for you to be disappointed with a new diamond if the cut wasn't good. Ask your jeweller if he can get in some AGS0 or GIA Excellent cut grade or if you are shopping in Europe, HRD graded diamonds. Post all the info here such as depth, table, angles and so on then we can help you find the best cut diamond. Also if the jeweller has a Sarin or Helium scanner, he could get the measurements of the old stone that way and then look for one similar.

 

[CLEICS]

Hi Thank you for your comments with regards to the chip it defintly wasnt there before because we picked the diamond loose and examined it ourselves so it was definitly a new addition. I think I will speak to the jeweller about reviewing the diamond himself my only concern would be that he isnt exactly impartial if its him thats going to have to replace it - god I feel sick every time i think about it

 

[Dreamer_D]

I have nothing to add, but I hope it all turns out ok. With the new diamond I would suggest having it independent appraised by someone who can state the cut quality and color etc so that if this were to happen again, or a loss occurred, you would have the right information.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 2/7/2010 1:22:56 PM
Author: CLEICS
Hi Thank you for your comments with regards to the chip it defintly wasnt there before because we picked the diamond loose and examined it ourselves so it was definitly a new addition. I think I will speak to the jeweller about reviewing the diamond himself my only concern would be that he isnt exactly impartial if its him thats going to have to replace it - god I feel sick every time i think about it

Unless he is selfinsured, and some jewelers probably are, his insurance company is going to pay to replace the diamond. So he should have no motivation to proivide you with a subpar diamond.

Did you have your own insurance? You might just want to go through them if you are not happy with the diamonds he offers.

 

[denverappraiser]

Unless there is a HUGE amount of the stone missing, a capable grader should be able to glean a great deal about the prior condition of the damaged stone simply by looking at it now, without regard at all to what the paperwork says. Color won’t change, fluoro won’t change, cut can be calculated from the remaining 95% of the stone, etc. It's not necessary (or even helpful) to rely on the prior grading since better information is available.

It sounds like your jeweler is taking responsibility for it and is offering full restitution at no cost to you. Kudos to them for that although they should have been the ones to notice the damage rather than you after you got home. I see no reason to expect them to stick it to you at this point but if you're concerned, take the damaged stone and the one that they're proposing as a replacement to an independent appraiser for evaluation before they set it.

Note: Most jewelers self insure for this kind of risk and most policies that do cover this sort of thing have a deductible that's close to the cost of the stone in this case. I would be a little surprised if the jeweler would file a claim even if they have a policy that would cover the loss. My guess is that this is coming out of his/her pocket.

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

 

[CLEICS]

Thank you all so much for the information. Unsurprisingly this has never happened to me before (and I really hope it never does again). The jeweller seems like a pretty straight up person but this is my engagement diamond so I am really wary. My husband is going to speak to the jeweller today to try and get things moving and and if we have any quibbles we will definitly be mentionning that he should be able to see the quality of the stone even without the full certs. I also like the idea of taking my old diamond and my new diamond to an appraiser, my jeweller is a member of the national association of goldsmiths (UK) so in that respect I feel a little more confident.

Ill let you know how I get on but thanks to you all I feel a little more reassured that verything will be ok. I know it isnt a big diamond but it was my diamond and had huge sentimental value to me

 

[CLEICS]

Ok so we finally went back to the jeweller who had selected some stones for us to look at - and my hubbie was amazing! He dismissed anything smaller/poorer quality ... said we needed to look at something better and finally selected a .73 D colour folly certified RB Si2, Very good cut, symmetry etc and no fluorescence. It is beautiful!!!!!!! I have gone from being devastated to over the moon in one week! Im suprised how much bigger the stone looks in comparison to my original 0.59 and the whiteness ah amazing

We pick it ring up next week (jeweller currently resetting for us) Im soo excited. My husband is a star!

Thank you everyone for your help!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 2/13/2010 6:08:25 AM
Author: CLEICS
Ok so we finally went back to the jeweller who had selected some stones for us to look at - and my hubbie was amazing! He dismissed anything smaller/poorer quality ... said we needed to look at something better and finally selected a .73 D colour folly certified RB Si2, Very good cut, symmetry etc and no fluorescence. It is beautiful!!!!!!! I have gone from being devastated to over the moon in one week! Im suprised how much bigger the stone looks in comparison to my original 0.59 and the whiteness ah amazing

We pick it ring up next week (jeweller currently resetting for us) Im soo excited. My husband is a star!

Thank you everyone for your help!

So glad you are happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[stone-cold11]

Good luck.

 

[CLEICS]

Ok so I pick my replacement ring up tomorrow and am getting nervous. The flaws in my stone were to one side nearish but not on the edge of the diamond - I couldnt see them when I looked but I asked the jeweller to place them under one of the claws (its a four claw solitaire setting) just in case as I know I will spend lots of itme staring at my ring over the next few years! - Is this what you guys would do? Off the top of my head I think there were two smallish scratches and a couple of light dots on the report