{"id":4881,"date":"2011-10-24T10:20:13","date_gmt":"2011-10-24T14:20:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/?p=4881"},"modified":"2016-09-08T12:05:23","modified_gmt":"2016-09-08T16:05:23","slug":"cutting-polishing-damaged-diamonds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/cutting-polishing-damaged-diamonds\/","title":{"rendered":"CUTTING & POLISHING DAMAGED DIAMONDS"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Cutting<\/div>\n

Many people have heard the line “Your Diamond is Worthless!<\/strong>” when they’ve tried to sell their stone at a Jewelry Store.<\/p>\n

It’s Pretty Unsettling!<\/h2>\n

The reason some Jewelers say this to people is because their Diamond is Chipped or Broken<\/strong>. Jeweler’s can’t sell Chipped or Busted Diamonds… no one would buy them<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\nThe only thing a Jeweler can do with a Damaged Diamond is send it out to a Diamond Cutter to get Recut and Repolished<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\nThis takes time and money<\/strong>. And many times, depending on the size of the Diamond, it’s not worth it.<\/p>\n

\nIf your Diamond is small in Carat Weight<\/a>, or has a low Clarity<\/a> or Color<\/a>, it may not be worth the time or effort.<\/p>\n

\nJeweler’s have to look at how much it will cost them to get the stone recut and ultimately, what size the Diamond Carat Weight will end up being. Because everytime you cut out a Damaged or Chipped area, you will lose Carat Weight<\/strong>. You may even have to reshape or recut<\/strong> the entire stone.<\/p>\n

\nCheck out some different types of breaks, fractures, cracks and chips below…<\/p>\n

\n\"Damaged<\/p>\n

\nSometimes cutting a stone to remove a tiny chip can result in just one point difference<\/strong>. See the image below of a Brilliant Cut Diamond before and after a quick Facet Polish to remove the chip…<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\"Polish<\/p>\n

\nOften, it can be more like 10-20% stone loss<\/strong>. That’s a mighty drop in Carat Weight and Value.<\/p>\n

\nTake a look at the difference between the Pear Shaped Diamond below. The end of the stone is heavily damaged and the stone will have to be recut resulting in a 7% drop in Carat Weight<\/strong>, from 100 points to 93 Points.<\/p>\n

\n\"Recut<\/p>\n

\nOne of the most vulnerable parts<\/strong> of a Diamond is the points on either a Marquise Diamond or Princess Cut Diamond. These corners or points can get chipped, and sometimes are even chipped by the Jeweler upon setting the stone in a mounting<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\nSee the Princess Cut Diamond below and the 5 point difference in Carat Weight after recutting<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\n\"Recut<\/p>\n

\nYou have to determine if a smaller Carat Weight, plus the cost of recutting the Diamond and getting the stone reappraised and recertified<\/strong> is worth it. It all adds up!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nTake a look at the Damaged Brilliant Cut Diamond below. To save the stone<\/strong>, it had to be recut into a Heart Shaped Diamond and went from a 1.00 Carat Diamond all the way down 71 Points. It’s quite a drop<\/strong>, but at least it preserves the quality of the stone and the stone can still be worn<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\n\"Recut<\/p>\n

\nAny Diamond .50 Carat (1\/2 Carat) and up would probably be a good candidate for recutting<\/strong>. Diamonds less than that can still be done, but it gets questionable <\/strong>because of the cost involved. It all depends on the quality of your stone and how you feel about it.<\/p>\n

\nIf your stone is a VVS or VS Clarity Diamond<\/a>, with a great Color, like D-E-F<\/a>, then it’s probably wise to do…<\/p>\n

\nBut if it’s I Clarity, J Color, you’re better off skipping the cutting process unless the Carat Weight is Grand<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\nAnd of course… <\/strong><\/p>\n

The Amount of Damage to the Diamond is the Real Key!<\/h2>\n

\nIf the Diamond has a huge chunk<\/strong> taken out of the Girdle<\/a> (Weakest part of the Diamond<\/strong>), then sending your Diamond to a Diamond Cutter for further evaluation may be the best bet.<\/p>\n

How do they Recut a Diamond?<\/h2>\n

\nDiamond Cutters recut a Diamond using the same principles and tools (saws and lasers<\/strong>) as they did when they first cut the Diamond.<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n