What To Do If A Diamond Falls Out Of Your Engagement Ring?

DX examines the common dilemma which is losing a stone from a diamond engagement ring (or other ring). We discuss how to sort out the situation and make suggestions around how to prevent this from occurring.

THE GOLDEN RULE: THERE’S NO NEED TO PANIC.

It happens to thousands of people around the world every year. Losing a diamond (or other precious stone) from an engagement ring (or other item of treasured jewellery) is a very common accident, it’s no-one’s fault and it’s an easy fix!

WHY DID A DIAMOND FALL OUT OF MY ENGAGEMENT RING?

Stones can come loose and fall out of jewellery - including diamond engagement rings - for several reasons. Usually, the explanation is quite uncomplicated. The most typical cause of gemstones coming out of rings and other jewellery is old fashioned wear & tear.

To put it in a context which is perhaps more relatable: if you bought a shiny new vehicle from a showroom one day - then down the track scraped it against a pylon in a carpark - there’s going to be damage. It’s got nothing to do with the way the automobile has been made, and even the cars of the most careful drivers eventually get a bit of wear & tear. Cars that are driven more often will most likely show signs earlier than those left in a garage more often.

It’s the same thing with jewellery. Although many gemstones and precious metals are strong materials, they are not indestructible. It’s inevitable that rings are going to get knocked around a bit; that’s life. Particularly given that rings are worn on our fingers - on our hands - which we use for everything. Hands are regularly bumping up against surfaces, from keyboards to kitchen sinks, doorknobs to desks, mugs to mobiles, etc. Using our hands for so many things every day whilst wearing rings is going to amount to some attrition. This is why an annual service for your jewellery is a great idea. In fact, we think that it’s essential.

To revisit that motor vehicle metaphor: if you don’t get it serviced, and change the oil, rotate the tyres etc., your car is not going to cruise so smoothly, is it?

That’s why, for all of our custom diamond engagement ring customers, we offer an annual service package – which is complimentary. We check everything: tighten those prongs if needed, clean & polish and generally give your cherished ring a thorough going over. Diamond Exchange rings are exceptionally high quality, but like everything else, not indestructible.

Believe it or not, one of the most common ways rings get bent is by carrying shopping bags. That’s right, an excessive load of groceries in your hand will put a whole lot of downward pressure and force right where you wear your rings. We might be talking about 25 kilos in some cases, hey? Getting back to those automobiles again - that’s like taking your car four wheel driving every weekend – there’s going to be consequences. So, a little/big tip from us: make the extra trips with your shopping bags and spare your precious jewellery.

Sometimes there are issues in the manufacturing of jewellery causing flaws which can lead to stones coming loose from settings. However, this only occasionally occurs in pieces which are mass-produced in factories overseas, which are not individually custom made around a unique centre stone, as ours are. Factory made rings are often produced using metals of lesser quality also, which is more porous and thus can break more easily. Porous means tiny little holes, which occurs when manufacturers try to cut costs by pumping air into the metal mix in order to increase volume. It might make their dollar and the metal stretch further, but ultimately it means that those rings are of inferior construction, and buyers will be forking out for that cost cutting, down the track. So be warned, if you’re considering buying a ring from one of those sorts of retailers – what might seem like a bargain initially will potentially be a bust later on.

ALRIGHT, I GET WHY A ROCK FELL OUT OF MY RING, WHAT NOW THOUGH?

Easy, if you’re a DX customer, contact us and we’ll take care of everything. We can assist you with arranging to send it back to us to assess the damage. It doesn’t matter if the ring is not covered by warranty, so don’t sweat it. The truth is that most repairs are actually not very expensive and can be done fairly quickly. While we’re at it, we will give the ring a good once over; as mentioned – tighten everything, give it good clean & polish…

BUT I’M NOT A DX CUSTOMER.

We recommend you check with the business from whom you bought the jewellery, to see what they advise.

CAN DX FIX MY RING?

 If you purchased the ring at DX, absolutely! If you are not one of our clients, generally speaking, we cannot, because there are implications around the voiding of warranties and related issues. However, we are open to discussing the potential upgrade of a setting or using the existing stone(s) to create a new ring.

HOW TO PREVENT DIAMONDS FROM FALLING OUT OF YOUR ENGAGEMENT RING.

Prevention is better than cure, the old saying goes. Jewellery is no different. Make a point of having your rings and jewellery serviced regularly. Ideally your jeweller should take a look at your diamond engagement ring once every year.

It helps to make checks yourself at home from time to time. Have a look around the ring, does everything look to be as it should? Hold it up next to your ear and give it a light tap. Is there any unusual tiny rattling? If so, it could mean a stone is loose. If this happens, don’t continue wearing it; keep it contained in a safe vessel and get your jeweller to inspect it.

Use common sense. Take your rings off when you’re doing manual work around the house and garden. If your job involves such tasks, remove your jewellery beforehand. Don’t wear your rings when playing sport or boisterous outdoor activities. Try to protect your jewellery from life’s hard knocks!

At the end of the day, you can be super careful and excellent at prevention, but accidents can still happen, as we all know. Our final car reference (promise!): no matter how cautiously you drive, the chance of a having a ding is always there, no matter what you do.

In other words, having a diamond fall out of your ring is potentially a scenario you may need to contend with at some stage. If or when this happens, you want the firm you purchased your ring from to be there for you. At DX, we take after sales service very seriously and you can count on us.