Fluff catching in prongs

[MsKaren]

Hi All
I've joined specifically for your expert advice...please help! I've had a ring made by a jeweller, it's a simple 6 claw solitaire. The problem I'm having is that fluff keeps catching in the claws. This is their second go at it. The first ring I could clearly see under a loupe that the claws were very sharp and there was a gap between them and the stone so was no surprise at all that fluff and things were catching in there. They have redone the ring and while the claws this time look much better and aren't catching as much fluff, they are still from time to time.

I previously had a four claw setting from Blue Nile and I also have a custom right hand solitaire. Neither of these ever once picked up fluff or got it trapped in the claws. Was I just lucky? Is it just one of those things that a claw set ring will pick up fluff from time to time or is this poor workmanship and I should look elsewhere? I'd really appreciate some advice as I don't have very long to decide on whether to keep the ring or not. Thank you in advance

 

[chrono]

Fluff caught in the prongs regularly is a sign of poor workmanship / finish of the prongs. However, to get a piece of lint stuck once a while is normal. That piece should be so incredibly small that you would have to peer very closely to see it though. The transition of the prong to stone should feel smooth to the touch. I usually don't see the lint unless I photograph it under high magnification.

 

[Michael_E]

Take it back and tell them about it. Having to pick fluff out of prongs is a pain and sometimes impossible. With diamonds or sapphires, it's pretty easy to take care of the problem by tapping the tip of the prong at the correct angle with a hammer handpiece while viewing the movement of the metal under a microscope. Once the tips are tight, they get reformed and polished. The polishing is done with a little loose fabric buff and if anything is ever going to get caught under the prongs it will happen during polishing, (meaning no effect from polishing equals no fluff under the prongs later). If it's bugging you, and it should, take it back for re-work.

 

[priya123]

Ask the gold smith to make the claw of the ring tighter and polish it wisely to significantly conceal the gap so that fluff cannot accumulate any more.