Fabric and prongs

[Independent Gal]

On another thread, some of the ladies have been talking about how fabric can damage prongs. I''m curious: how does this work? Is it still the case if the prongs are platinum?

 

[door knob solitaire]

Great thread to begin,

Indie...I was wanting to do the same...just couldn''t decide what forum.

Call me crazy...but I was wondering if fabric can damage metal so much, why is it necessary to forge carbon bits and blades to cut through metal...The metal smith could just as easily get out his favorite Queen size percale sheet, and get the job done quicker.

Or his hanes t shirt. Everyone knows fabric damages metal. That is why we use fabric polishing cloths...to ugh...cut a metal pipe. No, wait...I believe we use fabric to POLISH our jewelry. I am totally lost on this one.

Back to the metal forging business...for some strange reason men are determined to make this metal thing rocket science. Sorta like rock scissors paper. Wonder if fabric can be used on a chain saw?

DKS

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I remember Lady Karma commenting on this before. She said she does A LOT of sewing and went through three head VERY quickly. If my preggo mush brain remembers correctly she said once she switched to a PLT head she didn''t have any more problems.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I think that was Lady Kemma, Tacori. I do remember saying that she had to replace her setting a couple of times.

Here is a great link about care of diamond rings, but I will quote the part about fabric:

http://crossjewelers.com/learn/wcg.htm

"Fabric... Many years ago, we reset a family diamond into a 6 prong solitaire for a woman who worked in a local department store''s yardgood department measuring fabric. Within 60 days she was back, holding her diamond in one hand and her new mounting in the other hand. The prongs holding the diamond had completely worn off. Upon discussion we learned that when she measured fabric, she would set her left hand on the counter and pull the fabric from the bolts across her hand. Molecule by molecule the gold was slowly but repeatedly, all day long, being pulled from the surface of the prongs until they were worn flat.

Another example of wear caused by contact with fabric: A woman requested we attach an adjustable shank to enable her to wear her ring. Six months later she returned for a cleaning and safety examination. The tips holding the diamond were worn flat, the shank was wafer thin. The ring appeared to have 20 years of wear. Questioning her, we learned that she made beds at a local hotel. Tucking sheets in, dozens of times a day, had accelerated the wear on her ring."

 

[door knob solitaire]

Great find and post DS.

In both instances the repetitive action was to blame. Wouldn''t have mattered if it were silk I guess. My problem is someone taking this information and throwing the baby out with the bath water.

Fabric is not the culprit here. Clothing, bed linens, napkins aren''t an enemy of your jewelry. The action of what you do while wearing your jewelry is the issue. If fabric were the enemy, Tiffany''s and Cartier would have long ago told us all to be naked while wearing jewelry. (I think there is a time for that

...but that is another thread.)

That is the beauty of Platinum. You can''t wear it down. So those of you afraid of your cotton percale pillow case...don''t be afraid, it isn''t going to miraculously eat the metal of your ring. Putting your hand in a pocket isn''t going to damage your ring. Or sliding on a glove. Have no Fabric Phobia. Lets stand together on this issue and BAND FABRIC PHOBIA!

DKS

 

[Tacori E-ring]

DKS, I think it is only an issue for avid sewers or someone who works with fabric for a living (which was the problem in the other post about his FI who works in the garment industry) I doubt anyone *REALLY* thinks it is an issue for daily, normal contact with fabric (clothes, sheets, etc...) I still think it is valid information for those who might have this issue. Lady Kemma''s problem was solved with a PLT head. So maybe it is just an issue with WG. I am not sure.

DS, I knew it was Lady something! Haha! I was close.

 

[door knob solitaire]

Tacori,

We have several members here that remove their rings before bed because the sheets would hurt them! There are posts that I knock all these jewelry lovers as they only wear them a few hours a day!!

That is what I meant.

It seems funny to me that we all are in agreement of the love and passion for the bling...but the REAL LOVERS such as myself

...never remove them!! Oh boy...here comes the mud pies!!

I read your first line SEW- er as sewer you know where the toitey stuff goes...it read totally different. Too funny.

DKS

 

[diamondseeker2006]

DKS, actually it is true that sleeping in rings can cause extra wear, particularly if they are gold. Quote from the same site:

"Sleep... Certainly it would seem that wearing rings and jewelry to bed would be safe, and yet prongs on rings can wear out in half the time if worn at night. How? Gold against fabric. Time lapse photography shows that most people move hundreds of times during the night while they sleep. A few molecules of gold here, a few molecules of gold there, multiplied times hundreds of nights over the years, represent a considerable acceleration of wear on your fine jewelry. This wear can be substantially increased if the bed sheets include even the slightest trace of a cosmetic, which is often comprised of microscopic substances possessing a hardness of 7 or more. These substances act like fine sandpaper against gold, causing accelerated wear. All jewelry should be removed prior to going to bed."

http://crossjewelers.com/learn/wcg.htm

I can't speak specifically about platinum, but I know my jeweler told me that 95% platinum is soft and they see rings come in all the time with flattened prong tips and lost melee. Not to mention the possibility of slinging your hand against the headboard, or worse, your husband!

(Just for the record, I wear my rings all my waking hours. I rarely do the things they say to take them off for other than the beach and some cooking!)

 

[mrssalvo]

I don''t doubt the info from cross''s website at all. I just don''t get why some ladies, like my mom, who has worn her yellow gold wedding set, 24/7 for 22 years have never had a loose prong or one wear down. She swims, sleeps, gardens, cooks, basically everything your not supposed to do with a gold ring. She does have her ring checked about once a year but never had one problem. she also has the 80''s style wrap with diamonds in it and has not had any problem with them either.

I wore my plat. set 24/7 for 5 years and never had a loose prong either, never hit the bed or hubby thank goodness..hehe. I just didn''t know any better because in my family the rings are worn all the time. I did wear a plain WG band when I worked at a pool b/c of the chemicals which is funny b/c now I know the chemicals actually hurt the WG more than they would have my plat. rings.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I had to have my wg prongs retipped after 25 years. If I hadn''t, I might have lost my diamond. I''m surprised I even noticed it at the time. I know my mother doesn''t pay that much attention to her rings. She also wears hers all the time and rarely cleans them.

But I guess we have insurance in the event we do have worn prongs and lose a stone.

 

[door knob solitaire]

DS...you could have blown me over with a feather!! Don''t know exactly what is practiced at these examples homes...I mean within the percales...but I sleep.

I keep my arms and legs and appendages in the place I leave them...and fortunately the headboard is the original with no gouges, dents, or scratches. Hubby has managed to sleep unscathed for over 20 years. We are fortunate! Whew.

MrsSalvo...ME TOO! I had that cheapo yellow gold solitaire setting...spent every other day in a lap pool at the Y at least one hour each time. Public pools have a ton of chemicals...wore it as I scrubbed the tub, washed the car, sanded crafts, mowed, gardened, cooked. Not one bit of metal disappeared. I never knew I was supposed to have it checked, so only my eyes looked at it. I used a metal polish used for cars called mothers...I used toothpaste

and a toothbrush to clean the stone...I NEVER took it off. I could clean it to sparkly fresh while wearing it. No need to soak in some super sonic time warp speed machine. Anytime I went into a jewelry store, they always said they offer a free cleaning...but it is obvious I didn''t need it.

My mothers rings HAVE NEVER SEEN A JEWELER. She HAS never removed them. Has white gold engagement set, and a platinum "Dinner ring". She has worn them for at least 43 years. I am not kidding about no jeweler EVER inspecting them or cleaning them...Oh she doesn''t have high thread count sheets. 180 to 200tc sand paper!!!!

All in all, I guess we are not typical. I wonder in that study...if there was an underlying alloy that was added and was the culprit?

DKS

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Lol! Well, I have never injured my husband either! But I have probably scratched him accidentally with a fingernail! I do sleep through the night, but I definitely turn over a time or two! I didn''t know anyone slept the whole time in the same exact position!

As the Cross site said, wear your rings all you want! Insure the diamond. Then you can replace the setting if you damage it or if the prongs wear out. My jeweler said he has seen expensive settings like Tacori damaged because people do not realize how fragile the rings are.

 

[gladyskristen]

I received my 18k WG e-ring 2 months ago, wear it everyday, and the tips of 2 of the prongs have already been worn rather flat! I have a habit of putting my hands in and out of my pocket (average of abt 15 times a day).

 

[Stone Hunter]

For 15 years I wore my WG ring while I slept no problems. The prongs may be plat though. I''m more worried about a fire/hurricane/tornado in the middle of the night and my rings getting left in the house/hotel ''cause I wasn''t wearing them!!

 

[Hest88]

Yes, I think the real problem here is friction. Doesn''t matter if it''s because of fabric or something else--if you repeatedly rub the exact same spots against something it''s bound to wear the metal down.