What Happens to Diamonds and Gemstones in Your Jewellery: Our Written Policy

The short answer

The three things that can happen to a stone

There are only three possible outcomes for a stone you send us, and you choose which one before anything is touched.

1. The stone is priced into the offer. The usual route. We buy the piece complete. Diamonds are assessed in-house on carat weight, cut, colour and clarity; coloured stones on species, size, colour and condition. The stone appears as its own line alongside the XRF-confirmed metal.
2. The stone is removed and returned to you. If you would rather keep the stone and sell only the metal, say so. We unset it at our own bench, return it loose by tracked post, and offer on the metal alone. You see the metal-only figure in writing before anyone touches the setting.
3. Nothing happens and the whole piece comes back. If you decline, the piece is returned intact and complete, free of charge, by tracked, signed-for Royal Mail Special Delivery.

Who removes stones, and what it does to the setting

Unsetting is done in-house at our own bench. It is not sent out to a third party and it is not done by whoever opens the parcel.

You should also know the honest downside. Opening claws weakens them, and on a rub-over or channel setting the metal has to be worked back and frequently will not sit true again. A ring that has had its stone removed is no longer a saleable ring, it is scrap metal with a hole in it. That is fine once you have decided to sell the metal, and a poor idea if there is any chance you want the piece back as jewellery. We will not unset anything speculatively, and we will say so plainly if we think you are about to spoil something worth keeping.

Stones too small to return, said plainly

Not every stone can be got out of a setting in one piece. Melee, the small accent diamonds set around a centre stone or down the shoulders of a band, is typically under 0.02 carat and held in tight grain or pavé work. Removing it intact is often not possible, and stones that size have little resale value loose in any case.

What a stone is actually worth, honestly

• The four factors. Diamonds are valued on carat weight, cut, colour and clarity. A laboratory certificate from GIA, IGI or HRD firms the figure up. Stones without paperwork are still assessed and still bought.
• Size beats total weight. Half a carat spread across twenty accent stones is not worth what a half-carat solitaire is worth, and no honest buyer will pretend otherwise.
• Damage counts. Chipped girdles, abraded facet junctions and stones knocked about in a past workshop repair value below expectation.
• Lab-grown stones are bought. They are worth materially less than natural diamonds of the same size. The metal is read by XRF; the stone is assessed for type and priced for what it is.
• Coloured stones vary enormously. A good sapphire or emerald can carry real value. A synthetic ruby or a garnet in a Victorian mount usually will not, whatever it looks like across a room.
• Stones are not metal weight. Nothing that is not gold is paid as gold, which is exactly why the stone gets its own line rather than being quietly absorbed into a weight.

What we cannot do

• We cannot give a firm figure for a stone from a photograph. A photo tells us whether posting is worthwhile. The offer follows inspection and depends on item weight, purity, hallmarks, stones, non-precious-metal components, condition and the live precious-metal market.
• We cannot issue laboratory certificates or independent valuations for insurance or probate. We are a buyer, not a laboratory. If you need a certificate, obtain it before selling.
• We cannot re-set a stone once it has been removed, or restore a setting to its original condition.
• We cannot buy anything where ownership is not clear. We ask about provenance on stone-set, estate and inherited pieces as a matter of routine.

Sending a stone-set piece, step by step

1. Ask first. Send a photograph on WhatsApp, top-down and from the side, with any certificate or receipt you have. Tell us at this stage if you want the stones back.
2. Free label. We send a prepaid Royal Mail Special Delivery label, usually within 30 minutes during working hours. Royal Mail cover may be available up to £2,500 depending on the postal method and cover level used.
3. Assessment. Your instruction about the stones is recorded against the parcel on arrival. The metal is weighed and XRF-assayed; the stones are assessed at the bench.
4. Written offer. Metal and stones itemised on separate lines, with the assumptions behind each stone set out. No countdown and no pressure.
5. Your decision. Accept and we aim to pay by Faster Payments within one working hour of your acceptance. Decline and the piece is returned complete, free of charge, by tracked post.

Why this page exists

Whether your stones are safe is a fair question to ask out loud. Ask us anything about it before your parcel goes anywhere, and if the answer does not satisfy you, do not send it. See also how we handle your parcel and security and safety.

Common questions