How can one be sure that the jewel that went to the jeweler is the same stone I'm getting back?

Question

I have my mom's old wedding rings she gave me several years ago. The set is from about 1958. The diamond is beautiful, appears to be about one carat, with several other smaller diamonds in the band part of the ring. It is in a white gold setting.

I'm considering having this beautiful diamond made into a piece of jewelry for myself. I have my own wedding ring, so I don't need a wedding set. I've thought of having a nice pendant or some type of ring in a more modern setting.

If I take this in to the jewelers, how can I be sure I have the same diamond when I retrieve it? I'm no jewelry expert, so how can I be sure the jeweler won't switch stones on me before I get the piece back? There is a jeweler in town who designs his own stuff and is reputable. But I'm wondering if I, as a novice, can tell the difference in stones.

Also, do you think the piece would have more value as is, in the old original setting, or in a newer more modern piece of jewelry?

Answer 1

If your ring was made by some famous crafts shop, such as Tiffany, then the value not only lies in the diamond but also the ring itself. Otherwise, the most value is the diamond itself.

There are a few things you can do to help you identify whether the diamond is yours or not. One is try to take close up photos of the gem. Of course, you should consider the lighting and back ground to help to show the cut. The idea is that cutting a gem look like yours isn't easy. This is something you can do yourself, but this isn't the best way to do it.

You may also take it to a different jeweler and have them grade the diamond, which gives you information on its color, clarity, and defects information. With these information at hand, if your diamond is switched, unless it match all the descriptions, you will know, and if it matches these description, even if it's switched, it's a diamond at the same grade and just as good, you are not really losing anything (and if it's as good, there's no benefit for the jeweler to switch it at the first place).