Tweezers causing damage?

[LNB1106]

Hello,
I''m new to the forum and have really enjoyed reading many of the informational posts here, as well as viewing some of the SPECTACULAR rings! I have a question about using tweezers to check stones and prongs. I have found a couple of other posts on the topic, but was hoping for some more reassurance.

I have a diamond anniversary band (.75 ct set in white gold, round stones). I recently took it to a local jeweler (not the jeweler it was purchased from, as that particular jeweler is located out of state) to have the prongs checked and to ensure that the stones were all still in good shape, no chips, etc. The jeweler used the long tweezers and really seemed to be squeezing each individual round stone and trying to twist it to and fro, to make sure that there was no movement. My question is, is there a danger that she may have scratched the girdles or other areas of the small round stones, or done any other damage? It just seemed a little rough, and I am REALLY paranoid when it comes to my diamonds...I''m always fretting about them getting damaged. I know diamonds are the hardest mineral, but it still freaks me out because I try to take meticulous care of all of mine.

Could anyone weigh in on this for me and tell me your honest thoughts?

Thanks so much!!!!

 

[Todd Gray]

Find another jeweler! Like yesterday... All the jewelers I know would tap the ring lightly from the side and either watch or listen for movement to determine whether the diamonds are loose in the setting. The fastest way that I know to loosen a gem is to grab it and twist it...

You can check whether diamonds are loose in your ring by grabbing the ring between your thumb and index finger and then holding the ring up to your ear and tapping it with the index finger from your other hand... If you hear a light clicking noise, one or more of the gems is loose... A jeweler would then hold the ring against a wood block on their jewelers bench and tap the ring lightly from the side to look for movement to identify the loose diamonds. If I''d ever caught one of our jewelers grabbing diamonds in a set ring with a pair of tweezers, clamping down on them and twisting "to see if any of them were loose" it would be his last day in our shop!

 

[ct-appr]

Hardness is resistance to scratching. It''s doubtful that he could damage the stone by holding it on the girdle with tweezers. The metal in the tweezers is softer that the stone. He was probably checking for looseness. However, when a diamond is out of the setting, the culet (the point on the bottom) can easily be damaged with tweezers.

 

[ct-appr]

Concur with Nice Ice. The way he checked the stone was not the recommended procedure. Tapping or listening for the rattle is much less invasive.

 

[LNB1106]

Well, maybe I''m exaggerating a little....she was holding it under the light and looking at it through the scope and using the tweezers to go at each individual stone....I could just hear lots of clicking as she went along each stone, to try to sense the movement, but it just made me wonder about the potential for damage.

Would you recommend that I take it to another jeweler to have a look just to ensure that she did not do any damage??

 

[ct-appr]

You certainly could. But don''t alert them to any problem. If there is damage, they should find it.

 

[LNB1106]

Thank you very much for your time and feedback!

 

[Todd Gray]

Date: 10/28/2009 11:43:15 AM
Author: LNB1106
Well, maybe I''m exaggerating a little....she was holding it under the light and looking at it through the scope and using the tweezers to go at each individual stone....I could just hear lots of clicking as she went along each stone, to try to sense the movement, but it just made me wonder about the potential for damage.

Was the jeweler merely nudging the diamonds with the tweezers? If so, it''s still not the way we would check the setting for loose diamonds, but it is not likely that the gems would be loosened or damaged by doing so. My first read on the subject was that the jeweler was twisting the stones with the tweezers...

Either way, I''d be more comfortable with a second opinion regarding the condition of the setting and the diamonds set in the ring... As Paul indicated, let the next jeweler inspect the ring naturally so that they can form their own opinion based on the condition of the ring and the diamonds, as opposed to saying "I''m concerned because this other jeweler did this..."