Help Please! Earring detached

[BWise]

Yesterday I posted about diamond quality in the PP earrings. Last night I tried to clean them to make sure that the dullness was not caused by dirt. I noticed one of the findings was popped above the pearl, I tried to push it back, the whole pin came out of the pearl. What do I do now?

At least this happened at home, or I could have lost the pearl!

 

[Fly Girl]

I would take it to my local jeweler and have the pearl glued back in. It is a simple job. You could also do it yourself, if you are the crafty type.

 

[ennui]

It's super easy to do it yourself -- you will need two-part epoxy. I bought mine on Amazon, but you can get it at craft stores, I imagine.

 

[BWise]

Thank you both, Fly Girl and ennui!

I am comfortable to give it a try myself. Can you please be more specific on what type of glue to buy? How to avoid dripping glue on pearl surface? Thanks!

 

[ennui]

It's actually called "two-part epoxy." There are two ingredients that you mix together. It's fairly thick and not at all drippy. You would just coat the post, stick it back into the pearl, and allow it to set.

I've also used Krazy Glue to repair jewelry, even though that horrifies the experts. I wouldn't use Krazy Glue on pearls. You need something water-soluble.

 

[NacreLover]

Clean the post and the pearl to remove all glue residue. Mix equal parts and with a pin put some glue in the drill hole and a small amount on all sides of the post. Install the post in the hole and wipe all excess off. Set aside overnight.
http://www.riogrande.com/Product/Epoxy-330-Bottles/206044?Pos=5

 

[bsomlo]

It's super easy to do. This happened with a souffle pearl ring I had and I reattached the pearl easily. You can do it!

 

[Pearlescence]

We use gel superglue these days after some epoxy fails. It seems to be working well, is easy to use - and, even better, has a simple release liquid .
The trick to re-setting is to make sure that every scrap of the old glue is removed. You can use a needle tip to pick and flick off the bits. Use a magnifier to make sure you get every bit.
This is how we make all our earrings.
Use a tiny spot of glue - about half what you think you need - on the end of the post, put the post into the hole and bob it up and down and around a few times to make sure the glue is distributed evenly and thinly. check that there is a smidge of glue around the crown as well. Add a tiny bit more if necessary and then hold the finding down for a few seconds.
Sometimes air trapped in can push the post back out before the glue sets.
Wipe quickly around the top to remove any excess and allow to dry in the open.

 

[pearlsngems]

Before glueing it back in-- was the dullness caused by dirt after all?

 

[katbran]

Well you were lucky to have found that problem ..would have been an expensive loss.

Do some reading to make sure you clean it correctly . Wendy gives a good explanation and she makes a lot of earrings . I have to say though.. .. If they were not expensive I'd say give it a go .. But they are expensive and matched so you don't want to take a chance of doing it wrong and losing one. If it was my earring I'd probably take it to a proper jeweller ...someone who makes jewellery ..not just sells it ...someone who does pearl earrings or rings.



You could contact the seller and ask advise.

 

[ennui]

I think gluing a pearl is pretty simple. It doesn't require any expertise.

 

[BWise]

Thanks everyone for the very helpful info and all the tips! (sorry I am not listing everyone here, but truly appreciate every comment)

Pearlescence - you rock! I found this gel superglue, is it the right kind?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003TP2TBQ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A1UEW3GW612BDQ

 

[BWise]

Before glueing it back in-- was the dullness caused by dirt after all?

Not really. Cleaning (I cover the pearls carefully) made the diamonds brighter, but there is little fire - maybe I expect to much from them. I checked them using a 15X loupe, and found that the cuts are inconsistent (table size varies), some are set deeper than others, some are little crooked.

I then compared to a pair of diamond earrings that I bought from Costco.com, which has very similar dangle part. Costco earrings clearly sparkle more. Well, I've learned my lesson.

 

[ennui]

If you're going to return them to PP, you may not want to glue your pearl onto the post. They'll just have to un-glue it again, if they want to change the setting.