Hi Arthur
Your post on “What are Diamond Accents?” is great. It’s educational and provides me with a lot of information.
I have a question.
I have a loose diamond. I set it in a simple ring with diamond accents as provided by a known goldsmith locally.
How would I know that all the diamond accents are real diamonds?
He might be using glass or other imitation stones as diamonds.
Thank you
Karen H.
Hi Karen
Diamond accents are small stones that are set around the center stone of a ring. Or they are set on the shanks of the ring.
Usually the small stones are between 1 – 10 points. 100 points being equal to 1.0 carat in weight of a diamond.
On occasions I have come across that some of the diamond accents are not real diamonds. They are Cubic Zirconia (CZ), which is a type of synthetic stone. CZ has almost the same sparkle and shine as a diamond. To the unwary eye, a CZ set among some diamond accents may not be easily detectable.
To a trained eye, as a gemologist, we can however pick them up using a 10X loupe.
The best way to check whether all the diamond accents are real diamonds is to use a diamond tester to check each of the diamond accent. Most goldsmith or jeweller setters will have a diamond tester on hand.
Swapping 5 pieces of 0.03 ct diamond in an array of about 20 small diamond accents may mean an additional small profit of perhaps $60. Usually, a proprietor will not do this. It is the bench worker that might swap the stones.
When your ring is handed to you from the goldsmith, you can request him/her to use a diamond tester to check on each diamond accent.
Arthur
