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How to Repair a Damaged Gemstone

Written by Annabelle
May 5, 2020

A damaged gemstone is no fun to look at- the visible scratches, chips, or scuffing can be a real pain in the side for a jewelry lover. Fortunately, there are ways to repair the gem and get it back to its original sparkly and shiny condition. Read on to learn how to repair a damaged gemstone.

The Damaged Gemstone Repair Process

Step 1: Assess the Damage

scratched-gemstone-dirty

This rose gold and aquamarine ring was extremely dirty.

Before the jeweler begins the repair process, the first thing to do is evaluate the stone. The jeweler easily does this by viewing it through a loupe, a special jeweler’s magnifying glass that can look at the item up close. This allows the jeweler to see exactly what is wrong with the stone and determine the next best course of action.

There are a few things that can affect a stone; surface scratches, surface chips, cracks and inclusions, and dirt. Most of the time, a stone will look visibly different due to dirt, as over time this grime accumulates underneath the stone and gets stuck within the setting. A jeweler may clean an item before examination just to get a better view of the gemstone and see if it’s actually damaged. 

Once the jeweler has pinpointed exactly what’s wrong with the jewel, he moves on to the repair.

Step 2: Repairing the Gemstone

The jeweler can work with a lapidary to repair gemstones depending on the damage. Here is a common list of repairs that a lapidary can perform.

  1. Scratched gemstone: The lapidary polishes the surface of the gem to remove any scratches.

    class-ring-polishing

    A class ring stone before and after polishing

  2. Chipped gemstone: Depending on the chip, the lapidary can buff the stone down, or re-facet the gemstone in order to remove the damage. If the chip affects the edge the stone may be polished down in that area to even out the discrepancy.

    scratched-gemstone-class-ring

    A ring before and after polishing and setting repair work. Note that the polishing didn't completely remove the damage.

  3. Cracks and inclusions: A lapidary can’t work with inclusions in the stone, but they can attempt to fix cracks provided that they don’t extend too deeply into the gem. A surface buffing will remove most of the damage on the top.

    inclusion-damaged-gemstone

    This emerald has a noticeable internal fracture.

  4. Broken gemstone: In the event that the item is completely broken, a lapidary can provide a stone replacement by sourcing a new gemstone and cutting it to fit the original setting.

Step 3: Polishing and Cleaning

stone-setting loose-stone-inspection

A diamond ring being inspected for any loose stones

Once the lapidary is done, the item is given a thorough cleaning and polishing to remove any dirt and scratches from the stone polishing or stone setting process. The stone is checked in a quality assurance process to make sure it’s nice and tight, and then the jewelry is returned to you.

Now you’re ready to get started on how to repair a damaged gemstone! If you have a gem you want to fix today, comment below and we can help you get started.

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Faheem

I just wanted to remove gem stone from metal , let me know the process !!!1

Catherine

Hi there, could you please provide a picture of the piece?

Diana Reed

Not sure exactly what kind of stone I have. But there is a significant chip. Hoping I can repair it. I love wearing the ring. But concerned that it will get worse

Catherine

Hi Diana, Could you please provide a picture of the stone?

Helen

I just cleaned a diamond ring with a few small diamonds on top then a single diamond on top of that. The emeralds changed from beautiful color to faded olive green. Help, please!

Catherine

Hi Helen, We’ll reach out to your shortly with further details!

Inmacilada

Hello! My beautiful emerald has a chip on it, not sure how it happend but it might have been my cat get he got a hold of it while I was wearing it, I have never dropped it. Wondering if you can advise me on whether it can be fixed and cost involved. Many thanks, Inmaculada

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Catherine

Hi There, we’ll reach out via email with further details!

Rayauni Torres

Excuse me, How can I remove chemicals from my gemstones?

Ryan

This depends on the chemicals and the nature of the damage to the gemstones – I’ve followed up directly via email 🙂

Jane Gibson

Hi

I have had a green aventurine bangle for 50 years. Yesterday I knocked it and a 3” piece fell out of it. How can this be fixed? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Ryan

This will depend on the nature of damage and construction of the bangle – I’ve followed up directly via email 🙂

Grace

Hi, I have a badly chipped amethyst. What are my options for repair?

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Ryan

Great questions! I don’t believe we’d be able to work with the existing stone – we’d need to replace this. Provided the oval is a standard cut, this shouldn’t be too pricey for amethyst. ​While we couldn’t preserve the original stone for the ring, if it is sentimental, then we could recut the stone to a slightly smaller size – for another ring, a pendant, etc. I’ve followed up with next steps via email 🙂