A gemstone falling out of a ring, earring, bracelet or necklace is every jewelry lover’s biggest fear. And it occurs often — although not usually during a live TV broadcast.
Yet that is what seems to have happened during the Golden Globes on Jan. 7 as Keltie Knight, E! News’s chief correspondent, suddenly realized that the four-carat diamond in her anniversary ring was missing. She didn’t react on air, but one of her Instagram posts declared “a Golden Globe emergency,” and another showed her, on her hands and knees, searching the red carpet.
There are signs, several jewelry experts said, that might have warned Ms. Knight the diamond was in danger.
Listen for a sound, said Eva Zuckerman of the Eva Fehren jewelry brand in New York. “If you put the jewelry up to your ear and hear rattling or the stone moves, that is a telltale sign it’s compromised,” she said. Also, “round diamonds will rotate in the setting.”
Stephanie Gottlieb, who designs her namesake brand in New York, noted that diamonds can chip or even crack, which could loosen the stones in their settings. “I run my finger across the edge of a stone to check for chips, especially if it is near a prong,” she said. “I chipped my first diamond engagement ring — it was set high up and got caught in a drawer.”
And, she stressed, don’t delay if something seems to be wrong. “Go immediately to the brand or jewelry store if you notice anything,” she said. “It’s when you are thinking it will be good for a few more days that it’s lost.”
