ARE DIAMOND GUARANTEES REALLY WORTH IT?

A lot of people are so concerned about whether or not the diamond they are buying is guaranteed for life. They want a diamond guarantee and love that diamond peace-of-mind.

But should it really make any difference in your decision to purchase that diamond?

Let’s find out…

Lifetime guarantees:

First off, large retail jewelers, and even some smaller jewelers, offer what is called a “lifetime diamond guarantee“. These guarantees normally state that the jeweler will replace your diamond for free, if you lose it out of the mounting.

WOW, now that’s a great deal…

But read on:

That guarantee also says that if your bring your ring in for the stated timely inspection (normally 90 days or 6 months), have it checked and cleaned by a professional, then if your stone pops out of the setting anytime in between those inspection dates, they’ll replace it for FREE!

But… The disclaimers:

Guarantees have a lot of little interesting disclaimers tacked onto them. Little disclaimers like this: Your prongs must be intact. HUH? What? That’s pretty funny. Think about that… Because unless you actually hit your diamond hard enough to break it out of the mounting, that diamond won’t come out unless you do damage to your prongs.

And there’s a 99% chance that the reason your diamond gets lost, is because of the prongs.

Prongs are just little posts of gold that hold the stone in place. Those prongs are always getting bent, broken, cracked, caught on things… it’s normally the prong’s fault.

In fact, it’s a fact

Prongs snap off. Channels loosen. The ring wears down. It takes a lot of abuse. But no matter what, something has to happen to the mounting to cause the diamond to come loose. It doesn’t just fall out by itself. That’s just common sense…

So your prongs will never be intact. Right?

Which sucks, especially if you’ve been taking your diamond in for cleaning and inspection.

You could also void it…

Preventive medicine will normally catch anything wrong with your prongs or mounting and keep your diamonds from falling out of the setting in the first place. Which is good, because if you MISS one of their “inspection dates” you will VOID their guarantee.

WHAT?

Yes, just miss one of those dates and BAM your diamond is no longer guaranteed.

(Now that doesn’t sound like a lifetime eh?) Chances are, sooner or later, you will miss at least one of those inspections. I mean with a busy lifestyle, running here and there, things happen. Look at how many times you have to reschedule a Dr. visit or the dentist. It’s bound to happen sometime.

Labor and setting fees:

Here’s another big kicker… the jeweler may replace your diamond (covered under the warranty) but you’re still going to pay. You’re gonna to pay for the labor and setting fees, which could get costly (Doesn’t sound FREE to me!) Now you may have purchased another plan (most call it an E.S.P. Extended Service Plan) to cover those “other” setting and labor costs… But even then, with worn out channels or new heads, even normal wear and tear through daily use isn’t always covered. So be careful and really consider if those extra guarantees are worth it.

The funny thing about diamond guarantees is this… Jewelers say it’s FREE, but it’s not! It’s actually built right into the price of the ring from the very beginning. And, whether you actually use the guarantee or not, you’re still paying for it. Normally, if you check around and compare apples to apples, you’ll find that diamonds sold WITH a FREE GUARANTEE are usually more expensive than ones that are not. So true!

Insurance:

This is what I always ask people, “Are you going to get your ring insured?” And the answer, of course, is YES! (You’d be a fool not to). Everyone insures their ring, guarantee or not, just in case it gets lost or stolen… So why do you really need an extra guarantee?

Good question

The answer: YES!

This is because diamond replacement plans don’t cover your diamond if the ring gets stolen. So what good is it? Insuring your diamond is a must. Plus most insurances WILL cover the cost of labor and setting as well. So if you lose your insured diamond, break your stone, or Chip it, it’s covered. Easy as that. No hassles, no mess, no problems… And no need for crazy inspection dates.

So to me, diamond guarantees SOUND GOOD, but in the long run, insurance is the only true guarantee.

My advice:

Get the lower priced diamond (Like these awesome diamonds here at James Allen), and just get it covered under your insurance, renters, or homeowners policy.

Only then will you have peace of mind.

And that’s the BEST guarantee.

Cheers! :)