How to replace a broken diamond in your wedding ring
For anyone who discovers a broken diamond in their wedding ring, at first, it can be quite a surprise. Few people realise that despite their legendary hardness, diamonds can break. Furthermore, diamonds are brittle despite being excessively tough. A hard knock—any substantial impact, can chip, break or shatter a diamond.
How to identify a broken diamond in your wedding ring
A broken or missing diamond will appear as a darker area in the setting. This is often an indicator that a diamond has been lost or is missing from a ring. The next step we recommend involves looking closely at your ring with an eye-glass—ideally a 10x loupe. You might see part of the diamond within the existing setting.
What to do if you discover a broken diamond in your ring
If you discover a broken diamond within your wedding ring, or diamond ring, feel welcome to contact us. We usually ask for more information about your ring. Sending us a clear photograph helps enormously. In addition, it is helpful for us to know whether your ring is 9ct Gold, 18ct Gold or Platinum, etc. Don’t worry, if you’re not sure, we can identify the metal from your hallmark stamped within the ring. Your photograph helps us to determine how easy it will be to replace a diamond. Channel settings can be trickier, whereas grain and flush set diamonds are easier to work with.
How to replace a broken diamond and repair a wedding ring
As part of our work at Serendipity Diamonds, clients send us diamond rings with broken diamonds. We provide this service for other jewellers and members of the public. We repair settings and match small diamonds to the existing diamonds. Next, we re-set the replacement diamond. Finally, we re-finish the ring to restore it to its original glory. This final process involved polishing Platinum, or re-polishing 18ct White Gold before re-Rhodium plating the ring. Small broken diamonds cannot be re-cut. From time to time we receive rings with larger chipped diamonds. Depending on the damage, larger stone can often be re-cut.
How much does it cost to replace a small broken diamond
Keep in mind that you will have the cost of the replacement diamond. In addition, there will be a cost for any repair work to claws and metal. Finally, there is a re-setting cost, and finally the cost of re-finishing the ring. A small diamond will likely cost from £10-40 or more, depending on the size, colour and clarity. The repair work will be in addition to the diamond price. Expect to pay around £150.00 – £200.00 in total as a guide price. We assess each repair and replacement on an individual basis, so please get in touch if you need help.
What if the rest of your wedding ring is heavily worn, scratched and knocked?
We can refurbish your ring fully, polishing out excessive wear and scratches in addition to replacing your broken diamond. Provided there is enough metal and the ring is not too thin, we can carry out this work at the same time. The final look of your ring should be very close to as-new.
The appearance of re-polished Platinum, after re-finishing, to restore the ring back to the as-new condition. Wedding ring made via our bespoke shaped wedding ring service.
How long does it take to replace a diamond
To replace a broken diamond, it takes around 2-3 weeks to complete work. The process we follow is as follows:
What to do next
Contact us for help and if possible, include a clear photograph of your ring.
Email me at info@serendipitydiamonds.com
We will provide an estimate of the cost for the work involved.
Then, send your ring to our showroom address on our website. Include your full name, address and a brief covering letter.
Within 2-3 days you will receive an official estimate, emailed to you, without any obligation to proceed.
If you decide to proceed, we will raise your invoice by email. We require no payment until work has been completed.
Upon completion, we contact you to arrange payment and delivery.
About Mark Johnson
My name is Mark and I'm founder at Serendipity Diamonds. By day you'll find me working in our showroom—in a variety of roles. My work (which I love) ranges from photographing jewellery, to writing blog posts and helping clients with my colleagues Drina, Emily and Debbie.
