Despite their reputation as one of the hardest materials on Earth, diamonds can suffer damage such as cracks, chips, and scratches. They can even suffer burn and smoke damage. Something as expensive as a diamond shouldn't be tossed away, however. A jeweler trained in diamond cutting may be able to help restore the diamond in a couple of ways. The process depends on the type of damage and how badly the diamond's shape was affected.
See if the Damage Can Be Removed or Hidden
Surface damage, such as a light scratch or smoke damage, could be removable. Diamond cutters can grind down and repolish a facet that has a very tiny rough patch, and smoke and burn damage shouldn't affect the interior of the diamond (unless the diamond was subjected to flames for an extensive amount of time and is now encased in the molten remains of the jewelry it was in). The jeweler should be able to clean the diamond and remove soot and other dirt after a fire.
It may also be possible to hide the damage if it's close enough to a prong holding the diamond in the jewelry. The jeweler may be able to manipulate all the prongs just so so that the damage is hidden by a prong, but nothing looks out of place. However, this is not that common a fix because it really depends on the damage being very small and positioned just so. It's also not a fix you'd want to make on jewelry that has to have super-precise lines; it's better on pieces with a rougher, more bohemian look.
Ask About Recutting and Resetting the Diamond
For more extensive damage, recutting the diamond may be the best option. The diamond cutter can create a new faceted stone and place it in a new setting. This would mean your diamond would be smaller and the jewelry would look different, even if the setting was designed to be similar to the old one. But it's better than tossing a piece of jewelry that could have been very valuable and held sentimental value.
Also, see about having any diamond chips or dust from the recutting placed in a miniature charm bottle or hourglass charm for a necklace. You may as well get as much out of that diamond as you can.
The diamond cutter will let you know what's possible and how long the work would take. It's a shame that the diamond was damaged in the first place, but restoration is possible.
Share24 October 2019
Hi there, I’m Gillian Clancy. Welcome. I am here to talk to you about jewelry. I am enamored with all types of jewelry from plain gold rings to huge diamond pendants. I love to look at jewelry made from silver, gold or even bronze. I spend my free time looking over gems and rating their quality for fun. I want to help other people gain knowledge about jewelry and learn to love this amazing art form. I will talk about famous pieces of jewelry from history and discuss the way the art form will change in the future. Please come back again soon.
