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| Below you will find a photo reference page of images relating to fraud investigations. Very often it is difficult to prove fraud when it comes to damaged and lost jewelry...at least from a gemological viewpoint. However, the photographs below should help clarify some of the issues that you confront in your investigations. There are also some definitions immediately below that might be of service in your investigations. | |
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| A damaged jewelry item is much like a crime scene. Not because there has necessarily been a crime, but because the jewelry item itself will often tell you what happened and how. In the case study below, we have a ring that was reported to have lost a rather large diamond, with a claim for over $20,000.00 being filed with a major insurance company. On first inspection the ring does not appear to have any damage, and it is possible for a diamond to break in such a manner that it will come completely apart and fall out of a ring without leaving any actual damage to the ring. | |
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Here is a close up view of the ring. By all appearances this ring is in good condition. The prongs are solid enough to hold a diamond, there does not appear to be any damage to any part of the prongs or undercarriage to the ring, and the gold appears to be in overall good condition. As a result of this inspection, there does not appear to be any reason for the loss of this diamond other than a traumatic damage event that caused the diamond to completely break apart of fall out. However, on closer inspection, the story starts to unravel..... |
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Upon closer inspection this mark was found on the prong which is at the lower left in the photograph above. You will notice an ever-so-slight bending of that prong, which caused the closer evaluation to be done. The photograph at left is that closer inspection. Notice the square shaped indention in the middle of the prong. This is the mark of a jeweler's prong tool. And not where the tool mark would go to set the diamond, but the place where you place the tool to slightly pull back the prong to remove the stone. If there was pressure applied to pull the prong back, there has to be a leverage point further down the prong where the tool was braced to pull the prong back.... |
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Here is that mark. Notice the indentation about 2/3 the way down the prong. This is where the bottom of the prong tool was placed to leverage the prong tool to pull the prong back just far enough to get the diamond out. In this case, the diamond was professionally removed and a claim for the missing diamond was filed. Based on the evidence you see here, the claim was denied and withdrawn. |
| Each year insurance fraud takes a heavy toll on insurers and insureds. And in most cases where fraud has been committed regarding a jewelry item as seen above, there will always be tell-tale marks that give the act away...just like a crime scene. And while most cases end up proving that there indeed was damage or failure to maintain involved, in a significant number of cases fraud was involved. The key is to be able to identify what is fraud and what is not. For that we have provided a quick look overview of some of the conditions you may see during your investigations. We will be adding more of these as they come to light. | |
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Poor Workmanship Here you see a place where a jeweler has performed a poor job of repairs. The solder joint is very porous which makes the solder weak. This could be an area where a break could occur as a result of this poor workmanship, and could be a cause for subrogation. |
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Poor Workmanship Once again, you have porosity in the repair joints. What is particularly disturbing about this photograph is the weak and porous repair done on the prong tip at the upper arrow. This is an area that could easily break and cause this diamond to be lost. |
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Poor Workmanship A classic case of trying to squeeze in diamond that are too big into a ring not designed for them. The jeweler set the diamonds overlapping each other, causing one to inflict a severe chip on the other. This is a clear case of faulty workmanship and diagnostic proof of jeweler error. |
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Unknown Damage Here is a situation that is often called fraud because the prong breaks are so clean that it appears that the prongs were cut with pliers. However, these prongs have been subjected to a caustic substance like chlorine, which caused them to become brittle and break off. See below... |
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Unknown Damage Here is a close up of one of the prongs. Notice the grainy texture, and the perfect break. This is a classic case of a prong or ring being in contact with chlorine or other caustic liquid, which caused the prong to break. This is usually a case of unknown damage because the specific event is rarely identifiable. |
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Fraud Notice the point of the arrow. And notice that this prong is bent to the side. This is a classic case of someone taking a pair of pliers and bending a prong over to purposefully remove a stone. Normally, a jewelers prong tool will pull the prong back away from the stone (as seen in the case study above), and leave tool marks. Those trying to use pliers must move the prong sideways, and the leverage of the pliers on one side always leaves this tell-tall mark. |
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If we can be of assistance to you with a fraud or Special Investigations Unit evaluation, please give us a call at 210-877-5816. |
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