Setting your diamond - an issue of trust

[bakabon]

First, I''d like to say how much of a help this forum has been in purchasing a ring for my girlfriend. Although I consider myself to have decent taste and enjoy the finer things, I know absolutely NOTHING about jewelry. (to give you an idea, I don''t even wear a watch) So needless to say, I have read through countless posts getting ideas and educating myself every step of the way in this process.

I recently purchased the center stone from a family friend who is a diamond dealer (Round Brilliant, 1.71 ct, Ideal Cut, G, VS2, with Very Good polish and symmetry) and after months of searching for the right setting, have finally decided on the Michael B. Petite Princess design.

My question is, how can one be sure that the stone in their ring is actually the stone they originally purchased? Although I feel very comfortable with the jeweler I''ve chosen (Michael B''s flagship store), friends have brought up the question, and being a novice in all this, I don''t really have an answer for them other than the fact that I trust the store''s name and their staff''s honesty and craftsmanship. I''m sure there are scientific ways to authenticate a stone, but does anyone have a more practical solution?

Thanks for your input, and I''ll be sure to post pictures once the ring is ready!

 

[jaz464]

Welcome to PS

Now buy yourself a loupe, learn to locate your diamond's inclusions, and you are all set.

 

[Independent Gal]

Hi there,

Well, there are several ways. One is to familiarize yourself with the stone and its inclusions. They are like a fingerprint. Get yourself a loupe (or borrow your jeweler''s) and find the inclusions in the stone, as mapped on the GIA cert (I assume you bought a certed stone?). Then when you get the ring back, you can check for the inclusions.

The easier way is to see whether your stone is laser inscribed with its cert number. Most GIA stones are these days. So then you can just check through the loupe (40x might be easiest) for the number when the jeweler gives you your ring.

I''m sure others will have other ideas too!

 

[bakabon]

Wow, thanks for the quick responses!

Yes, I have the GIA certificate for the stone. It is dated from 2004, so I''m not sure if it is recent enough to have the laser identification feature. Any idea when this went into effect?

I will definitely buy myself a loupe and check it out once the ring is finished. I had the chance to see the stone several times under the loupe before purchasing, so I think I should be able to identify the inclusions with the cert as a guide. Is 10x magnification enough for the loupe?

Thanks!!!

 

[Regular Guy]

Two comments...

1) Re the Inscription...

Date: 7/15/2007 9:26:21 PM
Author: Independent Gal
Hi there,

Well, there are several ways. One is to familiarize yourself with the stone and its inclusions. They are like a fingerprint. Get yourself a loupe (or borrow your jeweler''s) and find the inclusions in the stone, as mapped on the GIA cert (I assume you bought a certed stone?). Then when you get the ring back, you can check for the inclusions.

The easier way is to see whether your stone is laser inscribed with its cert number. Most GIA stones are these days. So then you can just check through the loupe (40x might be easiest) for the number when the jeweler gives you your ring.

I''m sure others will have other ideas too!

Actually...I think only recently, if even yet...is GIA going to consider by request providing inscriptions on diamonds over a carat. Previously, they only did this on under 1 carat stones...letting the inclusions serve to identify, apparently, when over a carat.

But then...identifying by inclusion...

2) I don''t know about this. Generally, you want to do what you''re doing...using a jeweler you can trust. But, if you really want to verify this...I''m not sure how to best to do this.

With a GIA cert, you can plan to review with the jeweler the inclusion chart on the cert, match it to the diamond, and have your jeweler confirm at the outset the diamond you give them matches the diamond they and you are looking at. Then, after the setting is done, you reconfirm. If you do this, the whole thing is probably rigorous enough. But...if the jeweler was out to do a switcheroo...I wonder if they couldn''t make any replacement diamond out to look like the inclusions are in teh same place.

Alternately, you could involve an appraiser before and after...but once the diamond leaves the store, even if the appraiser were to say before and after, the one diamond does not match the other...the jeweler can always represent they were not the ones to do the switch, right? Unless, you bring the appraiser with you both times...quite an expense.

To the extent you want to nail this down...although not a lock (inscriptions can be removed and added), having an inscription added could be a thing to consider having done...a variety of people can do this...not only certifying agents...and it could give you longer term peace of mind. Otherwise, using a jeweler that''s known for their good reputation to do the work is probably sufficient, I''ll bet.