JEWELRY SNAGGING ON CLOTHING?
IS YOUR JEWELRY CATCHING ON YOUR CLOTHING?
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Is your jewelry catching on your clothes?
Snagging your sweaters?
Pulling your hair? Scratching your skin? Leaving marks on your body?
Well, they shouldn’t!
Granted, some jewelry is made to be pantyhose rippers… You know the ones, they have cute little swirls, open loops, curly cues, or hooks that protrude out from the piece… A free-form arm that grabs everything in sight. And there’s not much you can do about those, except not wear them. After all they are designed that way.
See some examples of jewelry that catches below…
NO, what I’m talking about are your prongs.
Prongs snag on clothing.
Prongs (the little things that hold your stones in – and the more prongs you have, the more you’ll probably snag) are generally the number one item on a ring or jewelry that snags expensive clothing (can’t be the cheap ones) and ruins them.
Prongs are the culprit.
So why do prongs do all the damage?
Wear and tear.
You see, prongs take a lot of abuse over the course of a lifetime. They wear down, get thin, get jagged, bent, lifted… They snap off, get sharp, and snag…
Like these prongs…
That’s what I’m talking about.
Those invite little fibers and threads to hang on them and shred your shirts, hats, scarves and gloves.
When your prongs feel rough, paper thin, or if you see them bent, gapped too far apart, or are broken off completely, then it’s time to see the jeweler.
For if you put if off and don’t do the repairs necessary on those snagging prongs, then you can actually do more damage to your ring. Like bend back the frame, lose a gemstone, or even make your diamond vulnerable to chipping, breaking or even loss.
So don’t wait.
If your prongs snag, get caught, feel rough, or look as flat as a pancake, have the jeweler fix them immediately. They’ll be able to rebuild them or re-tip them so you don’t have to worry about fraying your dog or that lovely (and ugly) Christmas sweater your Aunt knitted you (unless you just want an excuse to throw it away). :)
Cheers!
What is the typical cost to retip/rebuild a 4 prong round .50 carat diamond in yellow gold? My understanding is that the 4 prong base is replaced with a new base. Thx for the info.
Hi Glenn. Generally retipping prongs is about $15-$25 a prong. Only when the prongs get so low, thin, and flat that they can’t be rebuilt, will they get exchanged for a new head… Which is around $60-$150, depending on the size of stone you have, what type of metal you need (gold, platinum), and how intricate the process is. Check with your local jeweler for quotes. -Richard