This is something I'll never understand. A Woman comes into the Jewelry Store and says she has a broken prong on her ring and wants to get it fixed. I say
"Okay, can I see the Ring?"
She then flips her hand over and takes the ring off her finger... I stand there and look at her stunned. She just told me her ring had a broken prong on it, but yet she proceeds to still wear it??? Is she crazy?
The funny thing is, people do this all the time and I don't get it. I tend to think people don't realize the severity of the situation. Either that, or they just don't care if they happen to lose their diamond or not.
So let me clear up this whole dilemma for you... If your prong is broken; If your Diamond is loose; If your prongs are bent or worn or cracked: Then don't wear your ring! Take it off immediately!
Prongs are there to not only hold in your diamond, but to protect it from chipping or breaking. And trust me, you need ALL of your prongs intact for your diamond to be secure. Wearing a ring with damaged prongs puts your diamond at risk also. All it takes is one good hit, one strike on the counter, one bump on those delicate prongs and your diamond could break, shatter or fall out of the mounting. You could lose it forever and not even realize it.
Don't be silly. Take it off! Put it in a little baggie and take it to a Jeweler to get it fixed.
I've actually had a lady bring in a Diamond Engagement Ring that had 3 out of 4 prongs broken right off. 3 out of 4!!!! Yep, it's true. She got so lucky her diamond didn't fall out. I still can't believe it. The only thing holding in her diamond was dirt caked around the last surviving prong. WOW!
And it's not only prongs either. People bring in rings with diamonds loose in the channels. So loose they just wobble around in the ring and with just a gentle tap of the finger those diamonds would pop right out. I've seen people bring in rings where the shank is broken on the bottom, and where it snapped it is sharp and the sliced metal is cutting into the customer's finger. Crazy eh?
I've seen people bring in watches where the stem and crown are busted right off. They don't realize that this is letting moisture into the watch and causing the movement to rust!
It's like this with all types of jewelry. People bring in chains where the clasp is broken and they're still wearing it around their necks. Hello! They bring in rope bracelets where the rope is broken and unraveled and it's only holding on by a single thread of gold. It's silly! Earrings come in with no backs. What's keeping them in the customer's ears? I don't know!
But the bottom line is; If your jewelry is broken and needs repair, don't wear it. Take it off. Get it fixed. Don't leave it on your fingers and arms where you can continue to bump it or damage it or lose it. Be smart!
Jewelry is fragile to begin with. It doesn't take much to bend a prong or loosen a stone. If it spins or rattles, get it tightened. If the bracelet is too long, get it shortened. If the crystal on your watch is cracked, get it replaced. Don't let water in. Don't lose your diamonds. Don't lose your charms. Don't wait for the inevitable to happen. Just take it off!
I about laugh when I see customers remove a ring that's on the verge of losing a $5,000 Diamond! I want to say "Are you insane?" People just don't get it.
Recently a Woman came in with a 14kt Gold and Diamond Movado Watch (Probably worth $3500) and one of the screws in the Gold Bracelet was sticking half out of the hole. Her entire watch was being held on her arm by sheer luck. All it would take was a gentle bump of that pin and her watch would have fallen off her wrist and smashed to the ground. It probably would have ruined the movement, cracked the crystal and broken out the diamonds.
Sigh!
It's just not worth it, insured or not, play it safe. I can't say it enough, (sorry if it sounds like I'm scolding you, but I am) if it needs repaired, or even if you think it may need repaired, (Say you bumped it really hard and are concerned) put it in a safe spot (not on your arms or fingers) and get it checked out by a professional Jeweler.
If not, I'm afraid one day your vacuum is going to suck up your beautiful diamond. That's just the way it goes... And that really blows!
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