PROTECT YOUR DIAMOND
LEARN HOW TO PROTECT YOU DIAMOND WITH 10 GREAT TIPS
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You want to know the BEST WAYS to Protect your Diamond and your Investment?
Guarantee the Quality, Keep yourself from Getting Ripped off? Protect your Diamond from Damage, Loss, or Diamond Switching?
Then this is the Post for YOU!
10 Great Ways to Protect your Ring and Diamond and Give you Peace of Mind!
It all Starts here…
1) Buy your Diamond Certified!
You can’t really get any more Assurance of your Purchase then when you Buy a Diamond that’s Certified!
And not just Certified, buy Certified by the Best in the Industry!
The Diamond Grading Experts are GIA and AGS! I would only Recommend these TWO and NONE others! (like EGL, IGI…)
And still, I heavily lean towards GIA… They are the Cream of the Crop! The people who wrote the 4C’s.
Buy Certified to assure that the Quality you’re Buying, IS the Quality you’re taking home…
And even BETTER…
Buy a Diamond that Certified AND also has a Laser Inscription!
That’s where the Report Number is Etched Directly onto the Side of the Stone, as shown below…
There is NO BETTER WAY to Protect your Diamond than with Laser Inscriptions. It links YOUR Diamond to YOUR Report and keeps Jewelers from Switching your Stone!!!
One look at the Laser Inscription and you can quickly Guarantee that you got your Diamond back!
It’s easy to view the Inscription with a Jeweler’s Loupe or a Microscope, and it’s easy to see that your Stone is Safe and Protected!
It really is the BEST you can get. I HIGHLY Recommend them!
See GIA Certified Stones HERE!
If the Diamond is Laser Inscribed, it will say so right on the Report as such…
2) Set your Diamond in 6 Prongs Versus 4 Prongs!
If you really want to Protect your Diamond, have it set in a 6 Prong Head.
6 Prongs really Protect and Cover up those Vulnerable Edges of the Diamond, where it’s the Weakest and Chips the Most (The Girdle).
They make it much more Difficult to hit the stone in between 6 Prongs. No Accidental Hitting, Bumping, Breaking… Plus, with 6 Prongs, if you Break a Prong off, you WON’T Lose your Stone, because you’ll still have 5 MORE Prongs holding it in. SWEET!
3) Set your Diamond LOW!
Let’s face it, if the Diamond sits up HIGH in the Mounting, you’re going to Hit it more. That’s just common sense. So if you want to Protect your Stone, have it set as Low as Possible in the Mounting. Set it Low, like in a Basket Head, and your Diamond won’t get Banged as much.
4) Get your Diamond INSURED!
Life Happens!
Life Sucks!
No matter how you look at things, STUFF is going to Happen to your Beautiful Diamond. Not to mention your Hands, the Prongs, the Band… So get your Diamond Ring FULLY Insured JUST IN CASE!
That way whatever Happens is Covered:
- If your Ring gets Stolen
- If your Diamond Falls out
- If you Chip your Stone
- If you Lose your Ring
- If it gets Damaged in a Fire
- If it gets Smashed in a Car Door
- Run over by a Train (YES, we had this happen to a Customer before… REALLY!)
Whatever Happens, make sure that have Renter’s Insurance or Home Owners Insurance that Covers the Ring and Diamond from Top to Bottom!
You never know what Life will Throw at you, and it’s Great Protection to know that your Diamond is Covered!
5) Check the Prongs on your Diamond!
Prongs are the Little Metal Fingers that hold your Diamond into Place. They Fold up over the Stone and Keep it from Moving, Rotating, and Falling out of the Mounting.
But Prongs DO WEAR DOWN (Just like Tires on a Car). They Thin out, get Flat, get Brittle, Crack, Bend, Break off…
If you don’t notice it, get it Maintained, or Catch it in time, you’ll Certainly LOSE your STONE!
That’s why it’s so Important to look at your Prongs. Buy yourself a 10x Jewelers Loupe and USE IT! Look at your Prongs really good. Make sure that they are not Flat as a Pancake. Make sure that the Prongs aren’t Bent, and that they’re Spaced Evenly Apart. Look for Hairline Cracks, Pits, Sharp Jagged Edges…
Even if they’re Lifted up off the Stone (they can Get Caught Easily and Snapped off!)
If you notice any Defects, or Questionable Prongs, take it to a Jeweler for Expert Advice.
Also check to see if your Diamond is Loose in the Mounting. See if it Spins around. Use the Tip of your Fingernail against the Edge of The Diamond and Gently see if it Rotates
in the Head. It Shouldn’t!
If it does, GET IT FIXED!
Next take some Tweezers and Gently Tap at the Top of your Diamond to see if it Wobbles, or Tilts in the Head. If so, it needs FIXING!
Lastly, you can also do the Hearing Test. Hold your Ring up to your Ear and Gently Shake it. Can you Hear any Stones Rattling around? If so, get them Fixed! :)
See the Illustration below for more help…
6) Identify your Diamond!
As much as I Advise Buying a Diamond that’s Certified, many Diamonds SOLD are NOT Certified! So how do you know if you’re Getting your Diamond BACK from the Jeweler after a Repair or Ring Sizing??? You Identify your Diamond!
To Identify a Diamond, you’ll need to Microscope your Diamond when you Drop it off at the Jewelry Store. You’ll need to look at the Flaws and Inclusions inside the stone. Mark them down on a Diagram so you can Refer to them later, when you pick your Diamond up again.
These Flaws and Imperfections are a Blueprint, Fingerprint of your Diamond. Each and Every Diamond is Different, so the Flaws will all look Different from Stone to Stone.
Mark them Down, Draw them out, Memorize where they are and what they look like. That way, a Week later, when you go back into the Store, you can view your Stone again under a Microscope and see your Flaws and KNOW that you got your Diamond back, and that it Wasn’t Switched out or Swapped for a Lower Quality Stone.
See an example of a Hand Drawn Diamond Plot below…
IT’S SO Important to do This! Take the Time. Study your Stone. Know what it looks like so you can Identify it later! :) You’ll be Happy you did.
7) Keep your Diamond Ring Clean!
Here’s something you don’t even Realize…
If your Diamond Ring gets really Dirty, of course it will make your Diamond look Dark, Dull, and Sparkle Less… BUT, did you know that it also can Erode, Wear Down and SCRATCH your Prongs, Baskets, Heads, Channels, and Mounting? It can!
Dirt and Debris is like Sandpaper to a Ring! So if you want to keep your Ring as long as possible, KEEP IT CLEAN!
That way you won’t have to worry about Acids eating away at your Gold. Plus, your Diamond will BLING BLING! :)
8) No Bleach!
Bleach won’t Harm or Damage your Diamond in any way (after all, Diamonds are the Hardest Natural Substance on the Face of the Earth), BUT, it’s MURDER on your Ring!
Bleach will Eat your Ring ALIVE!
It will Pit your Gold, make it Brittle, Crack, Tarnish, and do Horrible things to your Prongs that will make them Break and Lose your STONE!
SO NO BLEACH!
Period!
Take your Rings off when Cleaning, or doing Laundry!
You’ve been Warned!
9) Cleanings and Inspections!
People always get Lazy (or just don’t Care) when it comes to Cleanings and Inspections. They either Forget to do it, do it for a Couple of Years, or just don’t do it AT ALL!
Don’t be this Person!
Inspections are Vital to Maintaining your Ring and Diamonds. The Jeweler can check the Integrity of the Mounting. Look for Pits, Cracks, Weakened Prongs, Thin Shanks, any Problem Areas that may need Repaired or Fixed!
Plus, they can Check to see if your Diamond is Safe and Secure and NOT Chipped or Cracked!
Preventive Medicine really can Protect Diamond LOSS and Heart Break!
Which brings us to #10…
10) Keep up on your Diamond Warranty!
If your Diamond is Covered under a Diamond Warranty, make sure you Fully Understand your Requirements!
Most Main Jewelry Stores Demand that you bring your Ring in for Cleanings and Inspections at least Twice a Year! That way if something Needs to be done, they can Send it out for the Required Repairs (which can Cost a Pretty Penny – Unless you have a Service Plan).
The Store will Sign off on your Warranty Papers, and your Diamond will still be Covered for another 6 Months (So make sure you take your Warranty Papers with you, or else the whole Ordeal is Useless!)
Doing this Keeps your Warranty CURRENT!
Otherwise, you could Lose your Diamond and the Store would NOT Cover it, all because you forgot your Cleaning and Inspection!
It’s a Sad lesson to learn!
So keep your Warranty Up-To-Date. Write down your Inspection Time on a Calendar or set a Reminder in your Smart Phone.
It really is as Easy as that!
Take your Rings to the Jewelry Store (the one you bought it from), and get them Inspected Soon!
Last Word of Advice
If you Hit your Diamond Ring, Whack it on the Filing Cabinet, or Forget to take it off when you’re Boxing…
Grab a Jeweler’s Loupe or a Microscope and Inspect your Ring well!
It only takes a couple of Seconds, but one good look could really, truly, Protect your Diamond!
Cheers! :)