| Repairing and recutting a diamond does not happen | | | | diamonds rub together, the sharp edges are worn |
| often, but it does to diamonds that have been | | | | down. Diamonds are known as angry stones because |
| damaged or those that were not well made when | | | | when they rub together they injure each other, thus |
| originally cut. It is not too often that a jeweler needs | | | | loose diamonds should be kept apart. Worn diamonds |
| adequate knowledge in the repair or recutting of a | | | | can of course be repolished, but doing this a number |
| diamond, but there are some losses due to the lack | | | | of times will cut down on the weight of the stone. |
| of a complete understanding of the possibilities. | | | | Another type of injury that happens to diamonds is |
| The most common of all diamond injuries in the trade | | | | excessive heating, as in fire exposure. If a diamond is |
| is the chipping of the edge, or girdle, of the brilliant | | | | heated to a high enough temperature, it can unite |
| during the operation of the setting the stone. It is | | | | with the oxygen from the air causing blemishes. The |
| the popular opinion of the public that diamonds are | | | | damage to the stone can be substantial and fixing it |
| too hard to suffer mechanical injury. However this is | | | | will result in a loss of weight. |
| not the case, the use of a careless file can lift tiny | | | | Recutting of diamonds is also worth a lot of |
| flakes from the upper surface of the brilliant. While | | | | attention. Recutting is usually an option when |
| the diamond is much harder than a file it is not as | | | | Antiquity of the existing make |
| tough. Most often when a file is misused a thin layer | | | | Over thickness, or lumpiness exists |
| of diamond splits off. The split forms a perfect | | | | An overspread condition of the diamond |
| cleavage of the diamond, which causes it to split | | | | Diamonds in the old-fashioned square or cushion |
| easily in certain directions. The rough cleavage will | | | | shape, with overthick make and with a large cutlet |
| reflect in every part of the stone. This type of | | | | are known in the trade as old-mine stones. These old |
| serious injury can ruin the stone. | | | | mine stones are becoming a bit scarce, most of |
| Whenever a stone owned by a jeweler or customer | | | | them have already been cut to modern form. Often |
| is injured, it should be sent to a competent diamond | | | | old-mine stones end up in the hands of pawnbrokers |
| cutter, who, unless he is instructed to remake it to | | | | because most jewelers will not give them the time |
| the ideal proportions, regardless of loss of weight, will | | | | of day. Often times the old-mine stones are left too |
| use his best judgment in repairing the injury so as to | | | | thick and are considered lumpy. |
| leave the stone in the best salable condition. | | | | Not every old mine stone has the remakings of a |
| When an injured stone is offered for sale, and there | | | | fine gem. It pays for jewelers to study cutting and |
| is not an opportunity to have it studied by an expert, | | | | remaking of old gems. Having this type of knowledge |
| the jeweler must look at the stone and decide how | | | | will almost always help the jeweler in detecting faulty |
| much the stone will sell for repaired. When purchasing | | | | make in modern cut stones. |
| a damaged stone jewelers will often give low offers. | | | | In the case of overspread stones the central |
| The risk of buying a damaged stone is that, when | | | | weakness or fish eye effect can be corrected by |
| the repaired stone is sold it will not yield the type of | | | | recutting to reduce the spread. Spread is a very |
| return the jeweler would have expected. | | | | desirable feature in a diamond, care must be used to |
| Diamond injuries also occur in the hands of a careless | | | | not reduce it unnecessarily. |
| setter, or while being worn as jewelry. When | | | | |