Losing a diamond isn’t a fun experience and can cause significant stress in someone’s life. If you’ve recently lost a diamond or found someone else’s lost one, you may wonder how to trace it.
To trace your lost diamond, the first thing to do is retrace your steps. When doing so, pay close attention to the ground, as it’s easy to miss a diamond. You can also use a bright light to make the diamond stand out. A diamond can be traced if it has a GIA number and someone finds it.
Although tracing a diamond ring isn’t always easy or possible, there are some things to help. Keep reading this article to learn everything you need to know about tracing lost diamonds!
Tracing a Lost Diamond: How To Do It and What To Expect
There are two instances where you might want to trace a lost diamond:
- If you’ve lost a diamond and want to get it back.
- If you’ve found someone else’s lost diamond and want to trace it back to its owner.
In this section, I’ll discuss how to trace a lost diamond that you have lost and need back.
Expect the process to take a while, as diamonds are tiny compared to most things. Your diamond might not be found in a day or two, so you must have patience and perseverance when trying to trace it.
Below are the main tips to consider.
Retrace Your Steps
Think about the last time you remember having the diamond and retrace your steps. The last time you had it might have been when you were at home, or it could have been when you were out and about.
For example, you might have gone for a walk with the dog, and once you got back, you realized the diamond was gone. In that instance, you should do the same walk again, keeping an eye out for your sparkler on the ground.
To make the process easier, ask a friend or family member to come with you to retrace your steps. Having more than one set of eyes is always helpful!
Be extra slow and careful, looking closely at the ground and floor as you make your way back around. If you lost the diamond in your home, retrace your steps by going into the rooms you’ve been in, looking in every corner.
Important note: if a diamond falls, it can bounce to a different location. When retracing your steps, don’t just look around the spot you walked in. Look in the surrounding areas because you might find the ring has bounced a couple of yards or meters.
Look in the Most Obvious Places
Even if you’re almost certain the diamond isn’t in an obvious spot, check again. Examples of the obvious areas include:
- Handbags
- Purses
- Coat pockets
- Jewelry stands and boxes
- Under the bed sheets/ bed itself
Don’t just have a little peek and move on–diamonds are small, so they can be extremely easy to miss. If looking in a handbag, remove everything and turn it inside out if possible, ensuring to check every pocket. The same goes when checking other items, like coats and jewelry boxes.
Also, look for the diamond in a brightly lit room. If it’s too dark, you could miss the diamond.
Check the obvious places more than once if you’ve been struggling to find the diamond for a long time. You may have missed it the first time, which is normal. Double and even triple checking is always a good idea when trying to trace your lost diamond.
Check Under and Around Objects and Furniture
If you think you lost the diamond in the home, check under different objects and furniture. Examples include couches and beds.
When a diamond falls, it can go underneath something, making it hard to detect. Therefore, you should be willing to get down on your hands and knees to locate it. Often, this involves moving furniture out of the way to get a better look. For example, you might need to move the couch to see if the diamond accidentally fell underneath.
Some couches and furniture may also have gaps where small objects like diamonds could easily fall down. Stick your hands down these gaps to feel for anything that feels like a diamond.
If there are some large objects in the home that you can’t move, get on the floor and use a flashlight to find the diamond. Be sure to shine the light in every direction to ensure you don’t accidentally miss anything.
Use Bright Lights
Diamonds shine brightly under light, making them easier to locate if they’re lost or hidden somewhere. In the previous section, I mentioned that you can use a flashlight to find a diamond if it’s under a dark space, but it’s good to use bright lights even if it’s not a dark place.
A diamond has an interesting relationship with light. When light hits a diamond, it travels through and comes out as white light. At the same time, scintillation occurs, which is what gives diamonds their sparkle. So, when you shine bright lights on diamonds, they’re more likely to sparkle and stand out.
Whether looking on the ground or in a handbag, shine a bright light to get the diamond to sparkle brightly. It could really help you locate your diamond, so it’s always worth trying!
Ask Others in the Home if They’ve Seen It
Someone in your home may have seen the diamond and put it away somewhere without saying anything. If this happens, the only way for you to find out is to ask everyone if they’ve seen it.
For example, a family member might have cleaned the house and come across the diamond. Instead of telling you, they could have placed it in a drawer somewhere and forgotten to mention it.
Whatever the case, it never hurts to ask if anyone has seen it.
Although it’s generally OK to ask family members and people you live with about your lost diamond, exercise caution when asking strangers. Of course, plenty of friendly people out there would be happy to help and keep an eye out, but some might be encouraged to look for your diamond and keep it for themselves or sell it.
If it gets to that point, you’re better off going straight to the police to file a lost item report.
Report the Lost Diamond to the Police
If you lost the diamond in a public place and have already retraced your steps, it’s best to go to the nearest police station to file a report.
The more detailed you are, the better. You can note things like the color and value of the diamond.
If the diamond is ever found, the police will see that you made a report and should be able to get it back to you. If it’s GIA certified with a serial number, it’ll be even easier for the police to get the diamond back to you if found. I’ll discuss GIA serial numbers in more detail in the next section.
Also, police might get details from jewelry stores that sell second-hand jewelry in case someone tries to sell a ring that’s been reported as stolen. Many jewelry store owners will check for GIA certification. If they find the diamond had a different owner from the person trying to sell it, they can report it to the police.
Tracing Someone Else’s GIA-Certified Lost Diamond
If you’ve found someone else’s diamond in a public place, there could be an easy way to trace it. However, it’s only possible if the diamond is certified with an engraved GIA report number.
Unfortunately, you won’t be able to trace the diamond back yourself—you’ll need to hand it into the police. The police can then have the diamond checked for certification and a serial number by a GIA specialist.
How Does It All Work?
Let’s look at how this process works in the sections below.
The Diamond Must Have a GIA Number
Firstly, the diamond must already have a GIA number. All expensive diamonds should have one because it makes them easily traceable. GIA stands for the Gemological Institute of America, and it is the leading authority for diamond jewelry.
GIA certification gives a detailed account of a particular diamond. It proves the following characteristics of a diamond:
- Carat weight
- Clarity
- Cut
- Color
When someone sends their ring to be GIA certified, they can do so by going to a jeweler. The jeweler will then send the diamond to a GIA specialist, who will examine it to determine its clarity and other aspects.
They can also engrave it with a serial number for an additional fee. The serial number should trace right back to the owner of the diamond if it’s ever lost, which is why getting a serial number is a good idea if you have a rather expensive diamond!
Some people have concerns about the physical effects a GIA serial number can have on a diamond, but the number is not easily visible.
Special Equipment Is Used To Check the Diamond
If you find someone else’s lost diamond (or if someone finds yours) and you/they bring it to the police, the police will have it checked for a serial number. A GIA specialist can find a number engraved somewhere on the diamond that’s only visible with special tools.
When they find the report number, they can connect it with the owner’s personal details. From there, the police can contact the owner to get the diamond back to them.
If a diamond doesn’t have a GIA serial number, the GIA specialist won’t be able to trace it back to the owner.
The Owner of the Diamond Is Contacted
The GIA specialist will generally report back to the police to let them know the results. For example, if they were able to find the name and phone number of the owner of the diamond, they could give that information to the police. The police can then contact the owner directly rather than going through a GIA member.
The police will likely ask specific questions about the diamond before handing it over to ensure they’re giving it to the right person. A photo ID could also be required, especially in the case of a costly diamond.
Will I Get My Lost Diamond Back if It Has a GIA Number?
You’re not guaranteed to get a lost diamond back if it has a GIA number, but having a number engraved makes it a lot more likely to be traced back to you. For example, if someone tries to sell it, the person buying it may decide to have the diamond checked to ensure it’s legit.
During that princess, they will likely find out that there is a different owner, and you could get the diamond back that way.
How To Get a Diamond GIA-Certified
Getting a diamond GIA-certified is easy, and you may want to do it with any diamonds you don’t want to lose in the future.
Here is how to do it:
- Go through a fine jewelry retailer. Explain that you want to receive a GIA report on your diamond. You can also request to have the diamond’s report number engraved, meaning it will be easier to locate if you ever lose it in the future.
- Give the jeweler your diamond. The jeweler will need to send the diamond away for GIA certification.
- Wait until the GIA certification is complete. It can take weeks to be completed, so be patient.
- Speak with the jeweler to discuss the detailed report. Once the certification is done, you can visit the jeweler to discuss the report and get your diamond back. They can answer any questions you may have. At this point, your diamond should be engraved with the number, meaning it’ll be forever traced back to you.
Conclusion
Tracing a lost diamond is challenging, but the results will be more promising if you follow the steps in this article. Remember to retrace your steps and look under furniture where the diamond may have fallen.
If you’ve tried everything and still can’t locate it, file a report with the police.
Tracing a diamond is easier if it is GIA-certified with an engraved number. A GIA specialist can check the number and connect it to its owner’s personal details.
