Problem with engagement ring

Tails142

I'm wondering if anyone can advise me on what my options are or if they have been in similar circumstances.

I bought my fiancé an engagement ring late last year. It was priced at €1750 and the diamond was described as S1 clarity (meaning slight inclusions usually not visible to the naked eye to the uniformed )

All was well with the ring until my fiancé noticed last week that the diamond was moving in its setting, it's a round cut diamond and it was able to be rotated slightly. Then she noticed that there was what looked like a chip on the edge of the diamond It was obvious to see but I assured her that it was probably just some dirt which had built up on the diamond and was being reflected onto other facets of the stone, that diamond was one of the hardest materials on earth! - I'd say anything for an easy life

It just happened that the shop rang about a certificate we had requested for the diamond and she mentioned that the diamond was moving in its setting, so the shop said to bring it straight back in. We weren't sure whether it was normal for a round cut diamond to move a small bit which was why we hadn't contacted them about it straight away.

When we brought it back to the shop we mentioned the mark that was on the stone, thinking at that stage it was dirt. They had a look at it with their eyepiece and brought it into the back room to look at it under some machine. They were obviously surprised to see the mark, saying at first that it looked like a chip or crack after viewing it through the eyepiece. Then after viewing it through the machine they said it was an inclusion near the edge of the stone and that was why it was so visible. They said that it was probably hidden underneath one of the claws when the stone was set and that when the stone rotated in the setting it became visible. They said that sometimes stones were set like to this to hide inclusions.

Now - the issues are that the stone was described as S1 and this inclusion was easily visible to the naked eye. Am I right in thinking that this means the stone is not S1 clarity and therefore we have been sold an inferior stone to that which was advertised? What recourse do I have if this is the case? This sounds to me like some sort of scam that suppliers of rings pull in order to pass off cheaper diamonds, not necessarily the fault of the shop, but I still expect the shop to sort it, is that reasonable?

Another issue is that as the inclusion is near the bridle of the stone, it is more likely to chip or fracture in the future, the guy in the shop even said this when he thought that it was initially a chip before having a closer look with the machine in the back room. So we would be worried about the longevity of the stone in any case, with an inclusion so close to the edge.

This is not some shady diamond outlet working from an industrial estate that we are dealing with, its an established jewellers which has a branch on Grafton Street but having talked to them today about it over the phone, I am sure that they are just going to re-set the stone and attempt to hand it back to us. They had initially talked about bringing it back to their supplier to have it examined but it would seem that this is no longer the case and that their 'workshop' is looking at the ring.

Do you think I have any right to request a new ring? Or for a different diamond to be set in the ring? Now that my fiancé knows that there is a big inclusion on the stone I feel like the ring is forever going to be tainted.


I am fairly annoyed about the whole scenario as now I have an upset fiance, a €1750 ring which may not be worth what I paid for it and a headache to boot.

Any advice appreciated.

dudara

If you paid for and bought an S1 diamond, then you can reject this diamond and seek one of correct quality, or else a refund. This is, of course, assuming that the inclusion is indeed an inclusion, and not due to user damage.

Oryx

Diamonds may be hard but they are easily chipped or cracked. (Cleaving, or splitting, is one of the ways they divide larger stones). The fact that the stone was loose in its setting might point to it getting a knock. Maybe get another opinion on the inclusion. Though if the shop are accepting it may have been deliberately hidden in you should have a case for rejecting the stone.