You have heard the stories, a friend, a friend of a friend, or a relative lost their diamond because it fell out of the ring. Some were very lucky to have found it. For others it is lost forever. This unfortunate incident may possibly not have happened if periodic inspection was done to insure its security.
It is best to have a professional inspection done at least once a year. You should do it more often if you had inadvertently hit it pretty hard and can feel that the diamond is loose or you are just afraid something is wrong. A microscope is the best tool to use for inspection to check for missing prong tips, bent prongs, fractures and cracks in the ring, previously poor attachment of the head or poor mounting of the gemstones. It is also good to inspect for worn out prongs and thin channel set mountings. Inspection is especially important with four prong settings because if one of the prongs is broken or moved far enough the diamond will fall out. With a six prong head the diamond is a lot more secure and you will have second chances. If one of the prongs is broken you still have five more still securing the diamond. With six prongs you would have to break three on the same side before the diamond is lost. Taking the precaution of inspecting the ring will help to catch any potential problem before it becomes a heartache. Some jewelers will even polish your ring after inspection and give it back to you looking like it was brand new.
Crack in the head holding the diamond
In between the yearly professional inspections you should do your own inspection. It is best to clean it first. Usually doing it weekly will make cleaning it quicker and easier. The weekly cleaning will take only about a minute and your jewelry will also look much nicer. Use ammonia, Windex or Simple Green or any non-abrasive grease cutting solution. Squirt it on your ring and with a soft toothbrush scrub the recessed areas. Rinse and wipe with a soft cloth. Do not use the cleaning solution on emeralds, opals or pearls. It is now a good time to inspect your ring. A clean ring is much easier to inspect
Missing tip of prong
To do an inspection at home it is easier if you had some sort of magnifier. Look and inspect the prong tips, see that they all cover the diamond or gemstone. If they are all there look for appearances of cracks anywhere on the ring. Look for signs of wear, where the metal that is holding the gemstone appears to be very thin. Look at the base of the prongs where it attaches to the ring, see that it is a solid connection with no gaps or cracks. If you notice anything unusual take it to a professional jeweler and have it checked. It is always better to be safe than sorry.
If you checked your ring weekly and had a professional yearly periodic inspection you will have drastically reduced your risk of ever losing your precious keepsake. Taking the time to inspect your ring will insure and assure that you will enjoy your jewelry for a very long time.
Mahalo,
Russell Oshita
The Diamond Specialists Inc.
www.thediamondspecialistsinc.comrussell@thediamondspecialists.cominquiries@thediamondspecialists.comwww.SweetMomentsRomance.comwww.Jewelry411Help.com
