lost diamond
 

Wife just called... just noticed her diamond is missing from her engagement ring. It is/was a really nice princess cut just under a carat.

Any special suggestions on searching for it? Would special/different lighting help spot it?

Next step is checking the warranty on the ring...

I would think dark room w/bright flashlight. If you have a cannister vac you can use a method for finding contact lenses. Take a very thin sock (or panty hose) and put them over the biggest vac tool.

When I was a kid my mom lost a diamond out of a heart pendant. We had been to the local high school where she had run around the track and played tennis. We looked for quite some time and were about to go home since it was getting dark. Dad pulled the car around and shone the headlights on the tennis courts. I looked down and there it was. This was a phonograph needle compared to what you're looking for, so have hope.

Warrantee on diamond rings usually require that you come in 1 or 2 times a year to have the prongs inspected. Have hope though, you never know.

I had the same problem with a different stone. Use a black light to search. I think that when it hits diamonds, it gives off a different pattern that regular glass.

Also, I would be REALLY cautious about reporting it to your insurance company unless it was an expensive stone. I called my insurance co. to simply find out if I was covered for the loss. I was, but the stone was small and probably right around my $500 deductable. I decided not to make a claim. Not long after it was fixed, my wife had her engagement and wedding ring stolen out of a locker at the gym. (I love my wife, but I think those damn rings were cursed.) I did file a claim for that one. Anyway, two years later, I called my insurance co. to get homeowner's insurance for a house we were buying. I WAS DENIED COVERAGE!!! Why? Because they counted my QUESTION about coverage as a claim. With two claims on my record, I couldn't get coverage. Sorry, I'm ranting now.

Good luck finding the diamond.

Never, ever insure valuable jewelry on your homeowners plan. There are specialist companies that are inexpensive and excellent. Try Jeweler's Mutual or Chubb.

More sentimental than $$.. cost $3k new 6 years ago, but that was before princess cut diamonds became popular. Fortuantely, the ring was custom made so there is a workmanship warranty on it specifically for stone loss. Gotta dig out the paperwork tonite after I'm done searching the bedroom...

Re: lost diamond
 

Most likely. Not all diamonds fluoresce, but a large percentage do. So, I would definitely try the UV (black light) technique if it is feasible, and you can narrow down the search area. Good luck!