Bad luck with La Pousettes... go to friction?

[MsP]

My first set of la pousette earring back rusted out and the spring snapped after 2 or 3 years. I replaced with protector backs, received a defective set, finally got a decent pair and after two weeks, the spring mechanism failed. In both cases, the failure was quick and the earring could have fallen out had it not been when I was paying attention--very scary. I am thinking that instead of replacing them again(at a rate of ~$80 :-/ ) that I would try large friction backs.

I hear all about heavy friction backs... what are these exactly? I have really thick posts. Nearly 1mm. Are they "jumbo" or "heavy weight" or "quality weight" or what? http://www.gsgold.com/cart/search_result.asp?CATEGORY=04WhiteBacksFriction

I just want them to be nice and secure... and while I hear that these la pousettes are the best, I''m not having the best of luck with them. Should I switch? I''m used to the thicker post so screw backs aren''t out of the question but I hear that the threads wear and fail over time. Seems like trouble.

Thoughts?

 

[PinkTower]

I had my earrings redone in platinum and chose that kind of back. I like them. I had thick screw backs before and found them to be unsanitary.

What are yours made of that they "rusted?"

 

[miraclesrule]

Okay, so now I am a little paranoid because both my daughter and I have La Pousette backs.

MissP- Did you wear your studs in the shower? Include the backs when you cleaned the studs?

I don''t do either, but I know that my daughter does and she has more to lose...carat wise. Perhaps I should tell her to take them out of her ears.

I wonder if this is an aberration, or if this is indicative of the "shelf life" of a LaPousette back.

Hmmmmmmmmmm, waiting for more input.

p.s. I would suggest the Supabacks that Bliss uses. Perhaps those will work out for you.

 

[Kaleigh]

I call them monster backs, they are over sized Friction backs and love them. I have La Pousettes on a pair of earrings, I only wear for dressing up, so don''t use them very often...

 

[MsP]

Date: 12/31/2009 8:22:54 PM
Author: Pink Tower
I had my earrings redone in platinum and chose that kind of back. I like them. I had thick screw backs before and found them to be unsanitary.

What are yours made of that they ''rusted?''

The actual la pousette(protector, protektor etc) are gold/plat/whatever but the springs inside that actually work the mechanism are steel. My jeweler opened mine up for me to see it and it was completely rusted out. I have seen other posts about people having rust colored liquid actually drip out of them.

 

[MsP]

Date: 12/31/2009 8:35:15 PM
Author: miraclesrule
Okay, so now I am a little paranoid because both my daughter and I have La Pousette backs.

MissP- Did you wear your studs in the shower? Include the backs when you cleaned the studs?

I don''t do either, but I know that my daughter does and she has more to lose...carat wise. Perhaps I should tell her to take them out of her ears.

I wonder if this is an aberration, or if this is indicative of the ''shelf life'' of a LaPousette back.

Hmmmmmmmmmm, waiting for more input.

p.s. I would suggest the Supabacks that Bliss uses. Perhaps those will work out for you.

I usually do not wear in the shower however I DO and DID include them when cleaning--why? I was told that the grime from skin oils, products, etc get in the spring and can mess it up and make it stick. So the moisture may have caused some rusting but who knows how much icky stuff it removed from the springs. I don''t really know... I was told never to wear in the shower though.

As for shelf life, I was told by my local jewler that replacement every couple of years should be expected with these--and I figure that if I''m wearing them heavily, ie daily, and cleaning them equally as much, I should expect this.

 

[AmberGretchen]

Hmmm...I just have the friction backs, so can''t comment on the la pousettes, but I wear my studs every single day, and clean them regularly, and so far (2.5 years) I haven''t had any problems whatsoever.

 

[neatfreak]

I have large/heavy friction backs and I think they are great. I got mine from WF with my w-prong studs and I wear them almost 24/7.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

We have used these oversized ones for several years and several hundred pair with not one problem

http://www.wrcobb.com/ProductListing.aspx?qualid=F06

You can see the size from the scaled photo's - the Jumbo ones are really BIG!

edited later - the 14K are the best alloy - most springy, and not had any allergy problems in white gold.

 

[pearlsngems]

Hi, I'm posting for the first time, though I've read on this forum occasionally.

I just had my engagement ring diamond and my mother's diamond reset as a pair of studs and got a safety back that I absolutely love. It is one that I have not seen on these forums. I took a few photos which I will try to put on here-- I have to run out on an errand but will be back soon to try posting photos (bear with me).

Basically this clasp from the side looks a little like a regular butterfly clutch but has 2 overlapping metal plates, the holes of which do not mach up (to insert the post) unless the clutch is squeezed a bit. Then when the clutch is released, the tension in the clutch makes the plates move apart a bit, catching and holding the groove in the post. I found this much easier to handle than the Lapoussete and it is very secure.

edit:

I'm having trouble attaching the photo. I get to the page that says "File successfully received. Click this button to attach the file to your post" but nothing happens when I click it. *sigh*
Suggestions?

 

[Ali]

Date: 1/4/2010 2:12:11 PM
Author: pearlsngems

I''m having trouble attaching the photo. I get to the page that says ''File successfully received. Click this button to attach the file to your post'' but nothing happens when I click it. *sigh*
Suggestions?

Welcome to Pricescope pearlsngems

You must upload your photos directly to the forums. You can find directions in the FAQ section https://www.pricescope.com/forum/faq1/how-to-upload-reduce-pictures-for-posting-t41381.html

 

[pearlsngems]

Trying again:



(it says "You attached the following file to this post: [my file]" but doesn't show on preview. Maybe it will show up in the post itself?-- trying.

I sized the photo small to be sure it uploaded, and what you can't see is that the post has 2 grooves. One of the grooves is held by the the overlapping metal plates, and the other corresponds to the back of the clutch where the post goes through the hole. The post thus passes through 2 holes, so it's extra secure, held at 2 grooves. (Does this make sense? I can post larger photos if desired.)

 

[pearlsngems]

Okay, I guess I had thought it would be in the preview. Here is the same clutch from the side:

 

[pearlsngems]

One last photo showing how the holes don''t match up (until it is squeezed.) They then spring apart to grab the post, and the clutch can only be removed by squeezing it so the holes line up again. Very secure and easy to manipulate.

 

[MsP]

Date: 1/4/2010 3:27:06 PM
Author: pearlsngems
One last photo showing how the holes don''t match up (until it is squeezed.) They then spring apart to grab the post, and the clutch can only be removed by squeezing it so the holes line up again. Very secure and easy to manipulate.

Very interesting! Thanks for posting.

I ordered some "jumbo friction backs" and am going to replace the one failed protector. I decided it was worth the $40 to try out the friction backs. I will post photos/experiences when I get them.

 

[miraclesrule]

Date: 1/4/2010 3:27:06 PM
Author: pearlsngems
One last photo showing how the holes don''t match up (until it is squeezed.) They then spring apart to grab the post, and the clutch can only be removed by squeezing it so the holes line up again. Very secure and easy to manipulate.

Those are very interesting. Does anyone know what they are called?

 

[pearlsngems]

The goldsmith didn''t mention a specific name for them; we picked them out from his box of findings.