WHY REMOVE THE STONE FROM THE MOUNTING?

“Take It Out?”

If you’ve ever Tried to Sell an Engagement Ring, you’ll find one Common Theme:

The Jeweler will always Want to Take the Diamond out of the Mounting!

WHY?

Many People get really Upset at this Thinking the Jeweler is Trying to Steal their Diamond. They think they’ll Switch it with a Crappy, Low-Quality Diamond or even a Fake!

I Assure You…

This is NOT the Case!

There are many, many Reasons WHY a Jeweler Must (if only just Temporarily) Remove your Stone from the Setting…

Here We Go…

In No Particular Order, since they all Play a Huge Roll in the Value of a Diamond…

1) DIRT

Rings and Diamonds get Very Dirty (Picture Wearing your Clothes for 2 Weeks without Washing them). Sometimes this Dirt gets so Thick and Fused onto the Stones that they are Very Difficult to clean.

You could leave a Ring in an Ultrasonic Cleaner for an Hour and still have Dirt and Debris Stuck to the Bottom of the Stone. That Dirt will Affect the Clarity and Color of your Diamond. It Should be Removed Before an Accurate Grade can be Accomplished.

Removing the Stone from the Mounting makes Cleaning and Steaming your Stone much Easier and Faster!

2) COLOR

When a Diamond is in a Mounting, it Picks up the Color of the Prongs, Head and Mounting. It makes the Color Very Difficult to Judge, if Not Impossible.

Is it a J Color, or an E?

A Yellow Mounting will Add a Yellow Hue to the Stone.

So Unless you Remove the Stone and Test it on a Colorimeter, or Compare it with Master Stones, you won’t really know what the Real Color Grade is.

3) CLARITY

Mountings have a Special Way of Hiding or Masking Flaws and Inclusions.

You could have a Big Black Carbon Spot Hidden Underneath a Prong, and Unless you View the Diamond Loose, you may Never Know it, neither will the Person Buying it.

In Fact, it’s the Mark of a Good Jeweler to actually Try to Hide these Imperfections if they can while Setting the Stone in the First Place. Who wants to View a Black Spot for the Rest of their Lives?

Covering up those Flaws that Fall on the Outside of the Stone is Wise, and it makes the Diamond Look Prettier. No one will know that your Diamond is actually a Lower Grade than it is, until you Pull the Stone from the Mounting.

A Diamond that Appears to be VS or SI could in fact be I1 instead! The Difference in Price could be THOUSANDS!

That’s a Huge Mistake that no Jeweler wants to make. So unless they Pull the Stone from the Mounting to Scrutinize it, they’ll probably Bid Low Just in Case.

4) CARAT WEIGHT

Diamonds are Deceiving when it comes to Weight (just like People). Some are Thick and Wide, some are Tall and Skinny.

It gets Very Difficult to Gauge the Exact Carat Weight when the Diamond is still in the Mounting.

Usually Jewelers do a Guesstimation when it’s still in the Mounting by Measuring the Width of the Stone in a Couple of Places. But the Depth of the Stone is just about Impossible to Figure out because it’s Buried in the Head. You have to Guess at it, which isn’t always Accurate. It could be off by 20% or more!

To get the True Carat Weight, it should be Pulled from the Mounting and Weighed with a Diamond Scale.

That is, if you Want Every Penny you can get from your Stone!

You wouldn’t Buy a Diamond if you didn’t know the Exact Carat Weight, why should they?

5) CUT

Cut gets Difficult to see when it’s set. You’ll have a Harder Time Looking at Facets and Proportions when the Stone is Covered up by Prongs and Thick Metal.

And whether the Stone is Cut Well or Not, Affects Price a LOT!

Nothing makes a Stone Appear Better (More Sparkly) than an Excellent Cut.

Jewelers will want to look at the Girdle of the Stone. They’ll want to See if the Pavilion has Extra Facets. They’ll want to Scope the Crown Height. It all makes a Difference!

6) CHIPS!

Chips are actually a Part of Clarity, but they are Far Too Important to Pass Over…

Diamonds are Worn Daily. They take a lot of Abuse. The Edges of the Diamond can Chip or Nick. The Facets can Round Down. The Culet can even be Chipped in the Head (Usually During Setting). You don’t know what’s really being Covered up until you Remove the Stone from the Mounting.

Accidents Happen and if your Diamond is Chipped, it can Change the Value of that Stone Greatly!

I wouldn’t Buy a Diamond with a Chip in it, and I’m Assuming You Wouldn’t Either!

7) CERTIFICATION

You may be Selling a Diamond that’s Certified (like a GIA Diamond Report), but it gets Very Difficult to Compare the Stone to the Report when it’s still in the Mounting.

And if one is Buying a Certified Diamond, they’ll want to make sure!

They’ll want to Verify the Carat Weight, the Clarity, the Color, and the Cut.

And if the Stone is Laser Inscribed, they’ll want to View that on the Girdle under a Microscope (often this gets Covered up by the Mounting).

Now You See…

There are So Many Reasons why a Jeweler will Request that they take your Diamond out of the Mounting if you’re Selling it. They just want to Verify what that Stone’s Quality is. Because being off by Thousands is No Laughing Matter!

And if you’re Worried about that Particular Jeweler Ripping you off and Stealing your Stone, then…

DO YOUR HOMEWORK!

Check the Jewelry Store out with the BBB. See if they have Complaints or Problems in the Past.

Deal with Jewelers that have been around for a Long, Long Time. You Don’t Stay in Business for 100 Years by Ripping the Community off.

Ask Around. See who your Friends and Family Recommend (and why).

Check the Internet to see if there are Scams or Fraudulent Reports…

Don’t just take it to the Local Pawn Shop and Expect Everything to be Okay.

You have to be SMART!

There are Many Reasons why Removing the Stone is Necessary. That is, if you want the Best Deal you can when Selling your Stone, or Getting it Appraised.

Otherwise, like I said, the Jeweler will have to Guess at the Quality of the Stone, and if they have to Guess, they’ll Guess in their Favor. You can’t Blame them for that!

My Advice:

Go see a Reputable Jeweler! Get your Stone Removed and Appraised!

You’ll have a Much Better Shot at selling your Goods and Getting More for your Stone.

Plus, the Real Value is in the Actual Diamonds, not the Mounting. The Mounting is generally just Scrapped and Melted Down Anyway. The Diamonds are the Real Buy!

So there you go… Good luck! :)