Do you have a question about jewelry, gemstones, diamonds or anything related to the jewelry field? This is the place to come for an unbiased opinion of a Graduate Gemologist and experienced jeweler who has repaired, made and appraised jewelry for over 35 years. So, go ahead and Ask Your Question! All questions will be answered.

Ask Your Question Here

Most Recent Question:

Q: My diamond has an extremely thick girdle according to the appraisal. Someone told me this is not good. Can you explain why?

Laquita T. - Bethesda, MD

A: The girdle is the outer edge of the diamond. Girdle sizes range from extremely thin to extremely thick. As you might guess neither extreme is ideal. If the girdle is too thin the diamond is easy to chip. A girdle that is too thick is bad for a couple of reasons. A diamond with an extremely thick girdle is very hard to set so that it will stay tight. It also is bad because it can add a lot of weight to the diamond which you pay for but can’t see. This means the diamond will look smaller than it really is. Consider this: a decently proportioned one carat diamond will have a diameter of about 6.5mm while a stone with an extremely thick girdle could have a diameter of 6.0mm or less. This would appear to be the same size as your typical ¾ carat diamond instead of the one carat you paid for.

Recent Question

Q: I chipped my very expensive one carat diamond engagement ring. I thought that diamonds were the hardest thing known to man.  Why did it break?  What can I do, if anything?

Janice, New York

A: Gemstones have two properties that are often confused, hardness and toughness. Diamonds are the hardest substance we know of by a wide margin. Don’t listen to my wife. She claims my head is the hardest thing known to man, but, I digress. Hardness refers to the ability to resist scratching not the ability to resist breaking, which is toughness.  If you drag a ruby across a diamond it will not scratch the diamond.  However, if you draw the diamond across the ruby, the diamond will scratch it. A lot of people think if a gem can scratch glass it must be a diamond. What they don't realize is that glass will scratch glass, so this is not a reliable test.   Not to mention how hard it is on windows and glass countertops! Not surprisingly, diamond will scratch diamond which is how diamonds get cut in the first place.

The other property I referred to is toughness. A diamonds toughness is rated good to excellent depending on the direction. This is because diamonds have what is called cleavage.  The atoms in the diamond crystal are lined up in such a way that the crystal can actually be split in two in certain directions.

There are a few possibilities why your diamond chipped. If your stone has a very thin girdle that could be a factor. The girdle is the part of the stone where the top of the stone (the crown) meets the bottom (the pavilion). See Figure 1.

If the girdle is thin it is more susceptible to chipping. Usually the main cause for chipping is a hard bump on a solid surface.

Even if your diamond doesn’t have a thin girdle it could still be chipped by a hard blow in just the wrong place. Diamonds are pretty tough but rubies, sapphires and jade (both jadeite and nephrite) are all tougher.   One of the things you can do is have your diamond recut. Take your ring to your jeweler and have him/her inspect the damage. A gemologist can give you an estimate on the amount of weight you would lose due to recutting.  If the chip isn't too bad it will be probably be less of a weight loss than you might think. The other thing to consider is checking your home owner’s insurance policy. If you have a rider you’re probably covered for the full cost. Even if you don’t have a rider you may be able to get some of your money back. Check with your insurance agent.

Top of Page

Gem of the Week

Ammolite. Photo © 2007 Eopal Limited

This fossilized ammonite shell shows fantastic iridescent colors. Like Opal, Ammolite is too soft for wear in most jewelry (although pendants and earrings work out very well), having a hardness of 4.5 to 5.5 on the Mohs scale. These beauties come from a single deposit in southern Alberta, Canada.

Recent Question

Q: My friend told me I clean my diamond tennis bracelet too much and that I will wear it out. Is this true?

Marie H. The Big Island, HI

A: No, it is not true. In fact, just the opposite is true. When a diamond tennis bracelet (or any piece of jewelry with moving parts, for that matter) gets really dirty it will wear out much faster than if it is kept clean. The reason is that a large portion of the grime is made up of quartz. Every time the bracelet moves (and who doesn't move their arms constantly) it’s like little pieces of sandpaper grinding against all the links. So, the dirtier a bracelet is, the faster it will wear out. Just make sure that all your stones are tight before cleaning. You can use a soft bristle tooth brush and some Ivory soap -- but be sure to plug up the sink first!

Top of Page

Recent Question

Q: My engagement ring barely fits over my knuckle but the diamond still turns and falls to the side of my finger.   I have tried ring guards but they keep breaking.  What can I do?

A: Have you tried hitting your finger with a hammer? The swelling will keep the ring from spinning. Seriously, almost everyone has this problem to a certain degree.  A ring guard is a thin strip of metal (rarely karat gold) that attaches to the inside bottom of the ring shank. They are used to make a ring that is too large fit tighter on the finger but they are a temporary remedy.  They are inexpensive but they often break and can scratch the ring.  A better solution is to have your jeweler install cleats (often called beads or balls) to the inside shank of your ring.  Cleats are two or three balls of gold (or whatever metal your ring is made of) that are soldered approximately 3/8 inch apart to the inside of your ring. They work by gripping the soft skin on the bottom of your finger thus keeping your ring from turning but still allowing the ring to slide easily over the knuckle. Although they look uncomfortable most people like them. The jeweler may have to adjust them by filing them down to make them a little smaller and more comfortable.

Above: Cleats, beads or balls in a ring shank help to keep a top-heavy ring from spinning on the finger.

Another solution is to have an adjustable shank put on your ring.  These shanks open at the bottom and spread apart so you can easily slip it over your knuckle.  Once on your finger it can then be closed to a comfortable fit.  These work very well but can cost several hundred dollars. For people with enlarged knuckes from arthritis this is often the better choice.

Because cleats generally cost less than $100 they are the most economical alternative and they don’t hurt nearly as much as the hammer solution.

Did You Know?

Did you know there is only one color of gold? Bright yellow. All other colors of gold are alloys.

Above: Native Gold

Most people have heard of yellow gold, white gold (higher nickel content) and rose gold (higher copper content, also known as pink gold). Did you know that adding more silver and less copper to the alloy will create green gold? Or that adding aluminum to gold makes purple gold? By mixing 75% gold with 25% iron metallurgists can even create blue gold!