Hennick & Co has been the preferred vendor for Canadian Insurance Companies since 1984. Our professional jewellery replacement specialists are certified gemologists and goldsmiths with over 60 years of combined jewellery experience.  

Many jewellery insurance claims received involve replacing lost diamonds from ring settings. Despite regular checking and great care, this is a regular occurrence.

Our first piece of advice when selling a ring, and why we email a copy of your appraisal to you prior to pick up, is to ensure proper insurance coverage. Speak to your insurance specialist to ensure your coverage is adequate.

The following are the most common reasons why diamonds and gemstones are lost from a ring setting. 

1. Damage to ring setting

Damage to the setting can result in the loss of your diamond or gemstone. Claws can bend, break and wear over time. Claws that are thinner and therefore weaker, are far more susceptible to damage.  Claw heads can be replaced or claws retipped to secure a loose stone.

2. Damage to the stone

 Even though diamonds are hard, approximately 58 times harder than corundum, the next hardest mineral on earth, you can still chip your diamond. Hitting your diamond at just the right angle with just the right impact could chip the stone.  If that chip occurs close or under a claw, the diamond could become loose and possibly fall out of the setting. The same goes for coloured stones, especially those that are not hard on the Mohs hardness scale.  

3. Loose diamond

Diamonds can be loose within settings for a long time without the wearer knowing. Since diamonds are the hardest substance, a loose diamond will wear the setting slowly over time, becoming looser with a greater risk of loss. To confirm if you diamond is loose: gently shake the ring up to your ear (you will hear if it is loose), gently “tap” the diamond, you will see that it is loose, or with a larger stone, you can use your finger and thumb to gently check if the stone is loose.  If you are unsure, stop wearing your ring and visit with your jeweller to confirm the security of the diamond in the setting.

4. Incorrect diamond size

If your diamond is too small or too large (putting stress on the claws) for your ring mount, this can affect how secure the stone is. For this reason, we work with specific size tolerances for settings suited to the diamonds we use. 

5. Resizing

Engagement rings with tension settings or rings with diamond shoulders, are at greater risk once re-sized.  Before resizing a ring, it is imperative that you ensure the security of the setting will be adequate.

6. Cleaning and refinishing

Cleaning and re-finishing can sometimes cause diamonds to become loose. Ultrasonic cleaning and intensive polishing can disturb settings (in particular, channel set diamonds). It is very important for settings to be checked following any cleaning and re-finishing work. Over years of wear, grime can become impacted within a setting, and removal can result in diamonds that were once secure, becoming loose in the ring.