Glue to repair pearl earrings?

[Kay]

I have a pair of gray fresh water pearl earrings I bought years ago for about $35. The pearl is attached to the ear wire with a tiny silver cup and very short post that goes into the top of the pearl. I haven''t worn them in a long time because the one pearl fell off the metal part. They are inexpensive earrings, so I am not going to take them for a professional repair. Is there a good, readily available glue I can use to reattach the pearl?

 

[K9]

Kay,

You could try using E3000 glue. It''s available at most craft stores.

 

[pearlie]

you can also try a two-part epoxy. Readily available at home depot type stores.

whatever glue you use, clean off the old gunk as much as you can. If you''re using an epoxy, mix it well. Regardless of the type of glue, apply with a toothpick and try to get some glue into the drill hole of the pearl AND apply it to the earring peg/cup, too.

After setting the pearl and earring together, clean as much of the extra glue off the pearl before it begins to harden (I wipe off excess glue with a wet finger). Place the earring in a shallow dish filled with sand, or some other type of material that will hold the earring post side up and prevent it from falling over while the glue dries and hardens.

You may want to check the other earring. Tug and pull on the setting, as long as you''re repairing one, you may as well repair both.

Good luck and let me know if you have any other questions/concerns.

julie.

 

[Lovinggems]

I tried GS Hypo cement and it doesn''t work, am I using the wrong type of glue or is it my gluing skills?

 

[pearlie]

Hypo tube cement won''t work for this application. I only use it for glueing the end knots on pearl strands.

The best glue I have found is a jewelrs epoxy, available from Rio. It has a strong hold and dries clear. But for Kay, who didn''t want to go to great expense, any epoxy will do.

julie.

 

[Kay]

Thanks for the suggestions pearlie and k9. Will one of these glues work?

http://www.amazon.com/JEWELERS-EPOXY-FAST-1-FL-OZ/dp/B000HVPLX8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1263870128&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Eclectic-E-6000-Adhesive-0-5-Ounces/dp/B002AI46C8/ref=pd_sim_dbs_hi_1

What is the best way to remove the old glue residue before doing the repair?

 

[pearlie]

Hi Kay,

for what you're trying to do, go with the epoxy. The 5 minute stuff won't dry as clear as the 1-hour type, just so you know.

There's an epoxy remover that's safe for pearls, again sold by Rio. You could try using a fingernail, or an exacto knife - being extra careful not to scratch the pearl surface.

are you going to be reusing the post itself? If you're not able to clean that, you may consider getting a new one. Craft stores and bead shops have them. What's the metal?

julie.

ps.....I've heard of people nuking the pearls to loosen the glue. I have never tried this, but if you're adventurous you may want to give it a go. Place the pearl in plenty of water, and microwave it on high for about 3 minutes. The idea is to boil the water, which is supposed to loosen the glue.

 

[Lovinggems]

Date: 1/18/2010 10:33:38 AM
Author: pearlie
Hypo tube cement won''t work for this application. I only use it for glueing the end knots on pearl strands.

The best glue I have found is a jewelrs epoxy, available from Rio. It has a strong hold and dries clear. But for Kay, who didn''t want to go to great expense, any epoxy will do.

julie.

Thank you for the info pearlie!

 

[Kay]

Date: 1/19/2010 8:52:03 AM
Author: pearlie
Hi Kay,

for what you''re trying to do, go with the epoxy. The 5 minute stuff won''t dry as clear as the 1-hour type, just so you know.

There''s an epoxy remover that''s safe for pearls, again sold by Rio. You could try using a fingernail, or an exacto knife - being extra careful not to scratch the pearl surface.

are you going to be reusing the post itself? If you''re not able to clean that, you may consider getting a new one. Craft stores and bead shops have them. What''s the metal?

julie.

ps.....I''ve heard of people nuking the pearls to loosen the glue. I have never tried this, but if you''re adventurous you may want to give it a go. Place the pearl in plenty of water, and microwave it on high for about 3 minutes. The idea is to boil the water, which is supposed to loosen the glue.

Thank you! I do plan to reuse the post, as the metal bits have no residue on them. There is just a little bit of dry glue on the pearl, but I will try to gently scrape that off with my nail.

 

[HHPmom]

I am not a jeweler. I''ve used Vigor strictly so far. Most of the earrings I''ve glued to findings are drop style and they''ve stayed on. I haven''t try gluing studs to test how strong Vigor can be. But I''ve read that for studs, it''s best to use 2 part epoxy because they stay put.

 

[Callisto]

Haha so funny that you mentioned gluing pearl earrings back together...

Funny story:

So I tried to glue some of mine back together last year using crazy glue. I was at my parents house and their thing of crazy glue had the tip glued closed but my mom told me to just poke a hole in the side of the glue, use a little with a toothpick and throw the glue out. So I started bending the glue to try to get a little hole to break and my dad started talking to me... stupid me stopped paying attention to listen to his story and all of a sudden I feel liquid all over my hands... the glue had gotten a big hole in it and flowed all over my hands. That stuff dries INSTANTLY so I just separated all my fingers and ran to the sink... to no avail. After scrubbing them with acetone (which I''m sure is great for your skin, btw) I ended up even using sand paper to get the glue off. Not a good night.

Moral of the story is krazy glue does work but pay VERY close attention with any glue you are using.

Hope you have better luck fixing your earrings that I did haha.

 

[laurenfischer5]

good luck!