Words of Wisdom

I’d like to share some jewelry wisdom with you. I’ve noticed that a lot of women often tend to miss the signs of jewelry in need of repair or proper sizing. I often compare jewelry maintenance to maintaining a car. They really are very similar when it comes to parts wearing down.

Quick story: in the past, a certain family member of my father and I bought a brand new car. It was very exciting for them as they had just completed graduate school, and this was their first big purchase. Two years go by and they mentioned to my father that the car had broken down, and they were very upset they may have purchased a lemon. My father, being a helpful guy, offered to take a look under the hood. He checked the fluids and found there wasn’t a single drop of oil in the car. He asked them, “When did you last change the oil?” Their reply? “What do you mean, change the oil? It had oil in it when I bought the car!!!” Needless to say, this didn’t go very well for this family member.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, from car parts to our human bodies to our beloved jewelry. Nothing lasts forever, but with proper maintenance, jewelry can last a very long time. Here are some helpful tips that I hope will help prevent you from losing something dear to you.

Earrings. Are the posts straight or bent a little bit? If it seems bent, come in for an adjustment; it’s an easy fix by a professional, but sometimes the post can break if you try to do it yourself. Do your backs slide on and off too easily? They may not be the right size back; there are many sizes, and we can make sure you have the right ones. There should be a tiny click when you fasten your back onto the post. When wearing hoops, the post and the catch should line up perfectly or you risk losing them, also usually a simple adjustment.

When it comes to your diamond studs, look in the mirror. Are they pointing downwards to the floor or centered perfectly on your earlobe? If they are drooping, I have a couple of simple solutions I can show you. Sometimes a larger pair of backs will do the trick, or a tiny plastic disk placed behind the earlobe will solve this problem. If they are still not cooperating, perhaps resetting them into a more modern martini setting is due. Come in for a consultation, and we can help.

Necklaces and pendants. Remove your chain and examine the tiny parts. Is your lobster claw opening and closing with ease? Is it staying open after you release the plunger? If so, the tiny stainless steel mechanism inside has sprung and you need a new clasp. Look at your end tabs on the chain. Have you worn this chain for 10+ years? These tiny little ends can wear thin and eventually break; they can easily be rebuilt by a professional. Check the bail on the pendant you have been wearing every day for years. The chain can act like a very effective saw blade over time. The bails can wear thin and we can add gold to give you many more years of wear and enjoyment.

Bracelets. Examine your catch system. Are your figure eight safety catches flopping around wildly and not clicking in place? Sometimes they need an adjustment, and sometimes they need to be replaced after a while. When you insert the plunger into the catch, do you hear a click? Does it come open without pressing the release button? If so, it is in need of repair. Put your bracelet on and lower your hand pointing your fingers to the floor. Does it slide right off, or catch on the wrist? If it slides off, it’s too big and needs shortening. When we lose weight, we lose it all over, and bracelets and rings especially can become large enough to lose them. Not good!!! One of my favorite clients had a huge loss this year after an unexpected and rapid weight loss. It was heartbreaking. Luckily, it was insured and we were able to recreate it.

Rings. Remove your ring once a day. It’s a good habit to get into. Over time, if we leave our rings on day after day, we may not notice it’s too tight. When you take it off, examine your finger. Is there a white ring around your finger and the flesh above it seems swollen? If so, it’s too tight. Or does your ring slide off with zero effort? When I size a ring, I always want the client to kind of wiggle it over the knuckle to remove it. Otherwise, the ring may fling off easily when wet or the weather gets too cool. Bring it in for an assessment and an estimate. It’s true some rings shouldn’t be cut to be sized down, but I have other solutions to that problem.

Feel the top of your ring on your center diamond. Do you feel a tiny bump of raised metal or do the prongs feel flush against the stone? You should always feel the metal holding in your center stone; when they get worn, they are prone to failure. Come in and get an estimate before you experience a catastrophic stone loss. A good cleaning and examination can go a long way to prevent this. Recently, a client brought her ring in and had two tiny diamonds missing. It was in rough shape. I asked her why she hadn’t brought it in lately for an examination. She mentioned the last time we cleaned it, a couple of diamonds had fallen out, and she didn’t want that to happen again. If we clean your ring and stones fall out, this is a good thing. If they’re going to fall out, you want them to fall out in the jewelry store because we can put them back in. Often, the dirt is the only thing holding in the diamonds and if you lose them out in the world, they’re nearly impossible to find. If they fall out in my cleaner, I can fish them out and reset them for much less.

I hope I didn’t come across too bossy, but I am passionate about wearing clean and well-functioning jewelry! I’m here to help you use our resources. There is nothing like having a local hometown jeweler. It is a dying trade, and small family businesses are harder and harder to find. Lots of familiar faces have been popping in the store this past week. It’s nice to see everyone returning to paradise! Our 10% off repair coupon is good through the month of October. Take advantage!