In an earlier post I wrote about how to take care of your jewelry and explained how to protect the diamond from chipping or breaking.
Since Bez Ambar designs and manufacture jewelry, we know that chipped and broken diamonds are an inherent part of the manufacturing process.
We deal with such problems all the time and we have acquired experience in solving them.
The most dangerous time in a diamond’s life is during the cutting and setting processes because it is the time the stone
is subject to the most pressure. Diamond setters probably break more stones than customers do.
Such accidents are the result of an inherent problem in the stone itself such as a thin girdle edge or an internal crack that
is too near the stone’s surface, or it is simply the result of an inexperienced or careless diamond setter.
So what can you do when your precious diamond is chipped?
The most important thing to do is to collect information about your diamond’s value, the nature of the damage and the cost of the work that needs to be done.
Once you have all the facts it will be easier for you to make an educated decision.
Example of a Chipped Diamond
Five Things You Can Do With Your Damaged Diamond
1. Replacing your diamond with a similar new diamond
If you are responsible about taking care of your diamond you make sure to insure it.
You should always have your jewelry appraised by a Graduate Gemologist (GG) or similarly qualified expert, and buy insurance coverage which covers you for full replacement in the event of theft, damage, or accidental loss.
Most homeowners insurance policies give a minimal amount of jewelry coverage which is rarely adequate for replacement purposes.
Therefore, it is important that before you buy the policy, read carefully the fine print to make sure that you are covered for accidental damage or loss.
2. Upgrading your diamond
If you have a larger budget and you want a better or bigger diamond, this is your opportunity to upgrade.
3. have your chipped diamond re-cut
Most people don’t even know this can be done, but it can.
The cost of re-cutting a chipped diamond will depend on how badly your diamond is Chipped.
The size of the chip will decide how much of your diamond’s Surface will have to be removed.
You could lose 20% or more! Choosing this option will cost you money and will make your diamond smaller.
Sometimes visibly smaller! A Smaller diamond may also change how it fits in your mounting.
You might need a new head, and maybe even a new mounting.
Chipped Round Diamond Re-cut into A Heart Shape
4. Ignore It
If you are responsible about taking care of your diamond you make sure to insure it.
You should always have your jewelry appraised by a Graduate Gemologist (GG) or similarly qualified expert, and buy insurance coverage which covers you for full replacement in the event of theft, damage, or accidental loss.
Most homeowners insurance policies give a minimal amount of jewelry coverage which is rarely adequate for replacement purposes.
Therefore, it is important that before you buy the policy, read carefully the fine print to make sure that you are covered for accidental damage or loss.
5. Cover it up – Hide it
If the Chip is Small enough, you can keep it the way it is and have the jeweler turn your diamond in the mounting so that a prong is covering it.
If the inclusion has taken out a section of the diamond, it is usually a good idea to run some solder underneath the claw to fill the void left by the chip.
Same as a cast for a broken bone, the solder will fill the negative impression of the diamond.
However this technique is risky because if the chip is too delicate and you apply pressure to it with a prong, it can cause the diamond to crack even more.
If the diamond’s shape is other than round, it might be impossible to turn the diamond around and hide the chip with a prong.
If the chip is a little bigger and gets closer to the table of the stone, you have a couple of other options:
1.You can use bigger prongs.
2.You can use a more secure setting that will hide the chip better than prongs, such as bezel or semi bezel setting.
3.You can trade your damaged ring and have your jeweler make you a different kind of jewelry.
For example pendants and earrings, are less exposed to damage than rings.
A last word of advice: make sure to bring or send your diamond to the jewelry store or company you purchased the diamond from to get the damage assessed and get the best advice.
If you purchased the stone and the mounting from us and it has some damage, please Contact us!
We always stand behind our products !.