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HELP!!! Diamond cracked vs feather? Cushion cut 1.78

I'm so sorry this has happened to you. It looks like something imploded on impact :| It's certainly a cautionary tale when choosing insurance companies. I hope someone higher up can help.
 
Who hired this gemologist?
Who made the ring and when?
Who wrote the original appraisal (upon which the insurance contract is based)?
Where are you?

I haven't looked at your photos and couldn't give an opinion based on them anyway but this is a pretty odd story. USAA, in general, is a pretty good company.
 
Thank you everyone!!!! This has been so immensely helpful. It doesn't help my emotions that were going through all of this while training to prepare for our wedding next month.

This has certainly been an uphill battle. They keep circling back to "wear and tear" and then saying that there's no crack. They also said it's a "feather that has reached the surface and that this is noted in the GIA report", but if you look at the diamond it's clear that the damage is on the surface. And my GIA report notes that all inclusions are internal. I also thought feathers that reached the surface are called cavities?

It wasn't treated or filled after the GIA report, he proposed immediately after he had the diamond set!

We have a USAA home owners policy, and then a valuable personal property policy added on for the diamond. We had it appraised and that amount is what they used for my premium.

I think it's pretty clear that the stone was damaged, just from the before and after pictures! We plan on fighting this as hard as we can. It's such an odd damage though that it doesnt seem like many have seen anything like this before.

Here are the specs of the stone:
Stone: 1.78carat
Color: H
Polish: Excellent
Fluorescence: None
Clarity: Sl1
Girdle: Medium to thickIMG_2891.PNGIMG_2895.PNGtempImageLkzmCj.pngtempImageanpPyZ.pngtempImage3B6Ezj.pngtempImagehyzIn6.png
 
Also - I'm located in NYC and definitely looking for some gemologists to take the stone to!! I want to get as many eyes on it as possible.

I know it's such a strange story - but I ran into the doorway HARD. like my entire bodyweight and my hand/the ring was right between me and the corner of the doorframe.
 
Mreader said:
Oh yeah for some reason I didn’t see the first couple of photographs and the later ones look like chipping. What is that ? What does it feel like when you touch it? That is so strange looking!
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It feels like a lump!! almost donut shaped, with it caved in in the middle
 
Where did you buy the diamond and ring?
 
MillieLou said:
Where did you buy the diamond and ring?
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from a local family jeweler here in NYC. It was such a gorgeous ring and I didn't have any issues with it over the past 3 years until now
 
Who hired this gemologist?

Take it back to the jeweler where you bought it if they’re still in business. Have them write a report about it. In the case of the center stone damage, the strategy is going to be to take it out, which will be required for all of the other repairs, like the prongs, anyway. They can send it to GIA and have THEM compare it with the previous report. USAA will almost certainly agree with this plan if you make a stink. They’ll probably even pay for it as part of the damages. In any case, don’t have the jeweler take it apart (yet).

I see no pits or scratches noted on the GIA. Pits are not caused by concrete.

The gemologist and their report is the heart of this, not the adjuster.
 
I will admit, that is the strangest damage ive ever seen! Again so sorry, I cant image how you must feel. I have the exact same policy as you, so THATS worrying me. If someone damages their diamond, should they just flush it down the toilet and say it was lost???
I am soooo hopeful that if you escalate this, it will get resloved to your satisfaction.
I agree with a lot of the other posters. I would get at least 2 appraisers to give you letters saying it is damage, not wear in tear, and take it higher.
 
Is is very disturbing to see a well loved insurance company become unwilling to pay for a diamond broken in an accident. If the stone had major problems, inherent vice, then they should not have insured it in the first place. An Si1 would nearly never be a good example of such a risky and problematic diamond.

Here is a very good appraiser in NYC: Robert Aretz. https://robaretz.com/contact.html

There certainly are several other great choices for independent and qualified appraisers in your region.

The main issue may be that the last expert to see the diamond was the GIA Gem Trade Lab when the report was made. Everything relies on what the diamond looked like originally and when the "damage" occurred. It does not look like a wear and tear issue to me.

A couple points:
Would the damage have happened if you never had the accident?
Would such damage have occurred in regular daily wear because the diamond is a faulty diamond?
I believe the answers to both are "no", but the photos are just not good enough alone.
Lastly, had you hit the doorframe just a tiny bit harder and the diamond shattered, broke into two parts, or totally fell out and became lost, would USAA have agreed to a replacement?
I believe "yes" would be the case.

I find it nearly incomprehensible that you are meeting resistance unless you have a history of iffy claims and doubtful losses. That can be a contributor to problems with replacement issues, of course. I sincerely hope you have no problems in this regard and the USAA looks at this case closely and thoroughly one more time.

PS: I insure my home, and automobiles with USAA and feel loyal to the brand. To hear your side of the story is worrisome.. USAA is very tough on appraisal completeness especially with diamonds in the past couple of years. There is some underlying set of issues with covering jewelry through USAA that have arisen which most appraisers have become aware of. We are unsure why, but it is the right of the company to make such policy decisions. We have the right to go elsewhere for coverage if we don't agree.

I hope you can make a fair settlement.
 
Thank you!

My families used USAA for over 40 years with no issues, so all of this really has caught us off guard. We actually have the case escalated to management because we've had two different adjusters tell us misleading information. This is also my first personal claim with them ever.

I have absolutely no knowledge when it comes to diamonds - what causes pitting? I can understand scratching, I used to get my ring polished and cleaned every 6 months until COVID hit. so there definitely may be scratches on the ring since its been over a year and a half since the last polish. But I just don't understand what causes "Pitting" as they say.
 
denverappraiser said:
Who hired this gemologist?

Take it back to the jeweler where you bought it if they’re still in business. Have them write a report about it. In the case of the center stone damage, the strategy is going to be to take it out, which will be required for all of the other repairs, like the prongs, anyway. They can send it to GIA and have THEM compare it with the previous report. USAA will almost certainly agree with this plan if you make a stink. They’ll probably even pay for it as part of the damages. In any case, don’t have the jeweler take it apart (yet).

I see no pits or scratches noted on the GIA. Pits are not caused by concrete.

The gemologist and their report is the heart of this, not the adjuster.
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USAA is using their own personal gemologist and also will not give us the report, so once we get the ring back we are 100% taking it to gemologists here in the city to get our own reports done
 
Ericaannehamilton said:
Thank you!

My families used USAA for over 40 years with no issues, so all of this really has caught us off guard. We actually have the case escalated to management because we've had two different adjusters tell us misleading information. This is also my first personal claim with them ever.

I have absolutely no knowledge when it comes to diamonds - what causes pitting? I can understand scratching, I used to get my ring polished and cleaned every 6 months until COVID hit. so there definitely may be scratches on the ring since its been over a year and a half since the last polish. But I just don't understand what causes "Pitting" as they say.
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My family too, about 40 years....my father was in the military so he is my sponsor. We've never had any issues either. Ive never had to make a claim (knock wood), but my parents have made several on their home, personal, and auto policies and never had any issues.

I believe when they say "pitting" they mean tiny chips on the surface of the diamond....which, i do not see in your images at all. I see something that something cataclysmic happened!! My issue is if they are saying the damage happened bc of wear and tear, and the diamond was "faulty" to begin with, then they never should have insured it in the 1st place. I mean, isn't that one of the reasons why we need to submit paperwork on our diamonds before insurance is issued?
 
even though they've already told us the claim is denied, after we provided more pictures and evidence they now want to bring in a forensic gemologist. which to me, feels like they're fishing for additional ways to deny the claim
 
Ericaannehamilton said:
even though they've already told us the claim is denied, after we provided more pictures and evidence they now want to bring in a forensic gemologist. which to me, feels like they're fishing for additional ways to deny the claim
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Not necessarily. It could merely be a specialist gemologist that they have on staff or retainer that is brought in to analyze and determine the probable cause of damage when there is such disputes and evidence presented.

You still need to do your part to have at least a couple local certified gemologists (including the original dealer you purchased from as @denverappraiser mentioned), and perhaps hire a certified gemologist appraiser. If all of their individual conclusive summations synch up to prove that the accidental impact caused the resultant damage, then you have a rather strong reason to tell your insurer that this should be an undeniable claim, placing the burden of proof on them if they want to stay their present course.
 
Can the forensic gemologist be someone you and the insurer agree on so you can know if they are unbiased? Someone on their staff may not be.
 
Im not sure if hes in your area, but you might want to try Barry Block of the Jewelry Judge? Hes in NY. I used him for an appraisal and he was so knowledgeable and thorough, a bit pricy tho. He might be able to help with one of the reports you need.
 
They just reopened the claim. :)

For the gemology part, use GIA. They have a lab on 46th street in NYC. That's who graded it the first time and they are in the best position to know if it's different. They keep copious notes. Note that they do not say WHY things are different on their usual reports. The fact that the insurer asked you to do it probably makes their fees part of the claim, by the way.

A comment on the above discussion. Feathers, by definition, break the surface. Fully-internal feathers are called crystals on their reports (no, I'm not kidding. I didn't make the rules). Feathers are among the most common inclusions you'll see in diamonds. 'Crack' is not a recognized inclusion type in the GIA system.
 
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