Help!! Scratched up my prongs with a nasty fall...

[justwondering]

Hi,

I managed to slip horribly on black ice yesterday and scratched two plaitnum prongs on my 6-prong solitaire. The stone seems to be secure (I can''t make it to a jeweler for a few days), but I was wondering if there are any ways to smooth out the scratches on my own? I keep snagging things...

I hope everyone here is a little safer with icy conditions than i am...

 

[strmrdr]

No nothing you should do on your own.
If the prongs moved enough too snag I would not wear the ring until its checked by a professional too be on the safe side!!

 

[Cleo]

Oh you poor thing! I hope you are ok. *hugs*

OK, please don''t shoot me other PS-ers... BUT...

I discovered that I can buff out minor scratches at home. My ring''s yellow gold, so no plating to worry about. If it was plated WG or platinum, I wouldn''t do it.

Have you ever used one of those buffers with three different surfaces that you use to buff your nails to an incredible shine? Makes it look like you''re wearing clear nail varnish, only you aren''t.

Anyway, DON''T use the two abrasive surfaces!!

But, I found the final surface, which is kind of the equivalent of a chamois leather for your nails, does a great job on minor ring dings.

Obviously you will lose some gold, like you will with a polish at the jewellers... but it does work.

I''m not suggesting ANYONE does this... only saying that I''ve done it myself with some of my jewellery.

It''s probably much more sensible & safer to go to your jeweller.

x x x

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 2/21/2008 2:05:52 PM
Author: Cleo
Oh you poor thing! I hope you are ok. *hugs*

OK, please don''t shoot me other PS-ers... BUT...

I discovered that I can buff out minor scratches at home. My ring''s yellow gold, so no plating to worry about. If it was plated WG or platinum, I wouldn''t do it.

Have you ever used one of those buffers with three different surfaces that you use to buff your nails to an incredible shine? Makes it look like you''re wearing clear nail varnish, only you aren''t.

Anyway, DON''T use the two abrasive surfaces!!

But, I found the final surface, which is kind of the equivalent of a chamois leather for your nails, does a great job on minor ring dings.

Obviously you will lose some gold, like you will with a polish at the jewellers... but it does work.

I''m not suggesting ANYONE does this... only saying that I''ve done it myself with some of my jewellery.

It''s probably much more sensible & safer to go to your jeweller.

x x x

lol I wont shoot ya, I have buffed out small spots on a band myself with a piece of leather.
But if the prongs were hit hard enough they snag there is a very good chance they are compromised in strength and need too be checked by a pro.
If its a peg head style ring the solder at the base of the head may have cracked and unless you know what too look for it can be hard too spot.
If it lets go, the head with the diamond in it falls off.

I repeat, let a pro handle it and I would not wear it until it was checked!

 

[Cleo]

LOL - I agree Storm... best to get it checked out.

If it was me, I''d still want to wear it around the house until it was though

x x x

 

[niceice]

Oooh, you have my sympathies... I hope that you feel better soon. I pulled that trick on some black ice in front of the airport departures area two years ago, it was embarrassing and it hurt.

Not much that you can do yourself to fix the scratches that are causing the prongs to snag, best to take the ring to a good jeweler for a once over as soon as you have some free time.

 

[DiamondGirlHH]

It''s always best for a qualified jeweler to inspect the jewelry after even a slightest damage. If there is even a hairline crack, it could get worst later on.

There is no harm in wearing the ring until you take it to a jeweler unless the stone is loose. An easy way of checking to see if the diamond is loose is bring the ring close to your ear and lightly tap on the on the ring while gently holding it between other two fingers. A jeweler once thought me this trick but it really works.

 

[hairgirl95]

Oh girl I hope you are okay! I did the same thing 5 years ago. Slipped on a piece of black ice that I swear was no wider than a brick. I toppled over and landed ON MY RING. When I picked myself up, I noticed blood running down my hand. It distracted me for a minute from the damage I did to my ring. I actually shattered 2 of my channel sets in my wedding band and completely mangled the prongs and head on my ering. It turned my diamond about a quarter of a turn to the left. I was so upset!! The jeweler fixed it up like new, but I still have a scar on my knuckle from eating pavement that night. Be careful with your ring till it''s fixed. I am just glad you are okay!

 

[justwondering]

Thanks all for the kind words. I will be extra careful until I can get the ring checked, and probably won''t wear it out of the house. I sure hope I didn''t hurt my diamond--would I be able to see evidence of that??? I looked through a 10x loupe, and didn''t see anything new...

grrr...maybe I should use this as an excuse to move to California?

 

[LegacyGirl]

Oh I hope you''re ok! At least you have an excuse. I just fall on my butt all the time over nothing. I swear I have little gnomes following me around with a trip wire

 

[Diamond*Dana]

OUCH! I am sorry about the fall and your ring...thankfully the damage was not worse!

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I hope you are feeling better! Ice can be so dangerous. I agree, wait til you can take it to your jeweler.