I should know better...

[UCLABelle]

I have what is probably a very stupid diamond question. But I am a bit neurotic and remember reading on PS a while back that someone''s diamond had cracked. What would it take to scratch/chip a diamond?

I have a 1.50 and would hate for my diamond to have to "shed" some weight if it was ever damaged. The ring is being insured this coming week (still looking into the few options), and both cover damage, but I am would still prefer not to damage mine

So my question are:

1) Have you, or a friend, ever had their diamond damaged?

2) If "yes", what caused this (if known)?

3) And for the experts, what substances WOULD cause damage (or would it be the impact force, etc)?


ANY HELP would be appreciated. I can''t help being neurotic...

 

[SpeedracerII]

Not an expert either but a common misconception is that diamonds are indestructible. They may be hard, but they are not indestructible. Take a hammer to it and you can crush it, they can be burned too. So impacts can chip the stones, especially if your setting allows contact with the edges of the stone and other surfaces.

 

[Stardust]

Mine is chipped on the girdle. It''s not visible to the naked eye, but it does annoy me.

I''m not entirely sure when or how it happened but my guess is that it chipped when the ring fell off my finger and hit the ground. It was cold outside so my finger had shrunk and I had the keyring for my house keys on the same finger. Based on where I found I the ring I think I must have pulled it off when it pulled the keyring off that finger.

 

[Eva17]

I have chipped two differnet times at the girdle. Both times my hand slammed in a door. One chip, I had the stone recut.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

My mother''s original diamond shattered inside. Apparently it was from some kind of blunt impact, but she was unaware of it at the time. I think she went to have it sized one time and the jeweler told her it was shattered. So I try to be very careful about not letting my ring hit against anything. I did drop it the other day, and I believe the 6 prongs helped protect it. But this is what insurance is for.

 

[lyra]

My husband has his grandfather''s ring which has a substantial chip in it from the first day his grandfather had it. He was showing his friends how the diamond could scratch glass, and he chipped the stone. So, yes, diamonds can be damaged. Obviously you are not going to go out of your way like grandfather did! I believe it''s also a fairly rare thing, the diamond has to be impacted at a certain point and angle to cleave. But again, that''s what insurance is for. It takes away the fear. I wouldn''t worry so much about day to day stuff. You''re going to whack your ring sometimes, but you''ll be getting the prongs and diamond inspected every 6 months anyway probably. BTW, your ring looks gorgeous in your avatar, and I can understand your concerns. Make sure you insure it for replacement value and "all risks".

 

[deegee]

I have always been a major klutz, and I proved it to everyone when I broke my diamond this past winter. I fell really hard while ice skating with my nephew and cracked both my wrist and my diamond. I had a .75 ct marquise and didn''t notice until I could get my ring back on my finger that it had a pretty big, thick crack right below a prong. Looking at the diamond from the bottom, you can see small cracks coming off of the big crack. I was told by the jeweler that any stone could crack or break if hit hard enough in the right spot. My husband says it was the best diamond he could afford after college, so he thinks it cracked because it was low quality, and I fell reaaaally hard!

 

[UCLABelle]

Thank you all for the advice. I am so glad I am getting insurance...because I just REALLY fear a major chip (or worse)...