| How
to Care for and Protect Your Diamond Ring
Preventing Your Diamonds from Being Switched
Stone
switching is less common than many people think, but it does
occasionally occur. Wondering if a stone has been or will
be switched can be just as disturbing as actually having it
switched. Use the following guidelines to help avoid unnecessary
worry or false accusations
and to prevent your diamonds from being switched when you
have it repaired or appraised.
Know your diamonds. What color is it approximately? If there
are several diamonds, are their colors the same? What types
of clarity characteristics does it have--chips, scratches,
naturals, clouds, feathers? Where are these clarity characteristics
located on the diamond? What type of girdle does it have-Bruted,
faceted, or polished? Is the girdle thick or thin? Is the
crown high or low? To determine these types of characteristics,
no special instruments are needed except a loupe.
Diamond
dealers and jewelers control stone switching by noting the
weight, the mea¬surements, and the price of diamonds.
Writing or drawing the clarity and cutting charac¬teristics
of diamonds would be too time-consuming. Laypeople rarely
have the scales and instruments needed to weigh and measure
diamonds. They can, however, ask salespeople to write the
weights on their sales receipts. The measurements of large
diamonds can also be indicated. This information will then
be available when needed.
Keep
the diamonds clean. This will help you recognize it. The color,
clarity, and brilliance of a dirty diamond can change so much
when it is cleaned that the owner may not believe the stone
is the same.
Diamonds
are natural
the
following guidelines
Exact
grades cannot
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