scratches on 14k gold pendant

[whotheyare]

i have a pendant and there seems to be scratches on it now, i was told to take it to jeweler to get it buffed but someone said by taking out scratches they are taking off layer of gold and that will decrease the thickness of the pendant, is this true? any home remedies for getting out small not deep scratches? the jewelry cleaning solution didnt help

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 1/26/2008 9:59:56 PM
Author:whotheyare
i have a pendant and there seems to be scratches on it now, i was told to take it to jeweler to get it buffed but someone said by taking out scratches they are taking off layer of gold and that will decrease the thickness of the pendant, is this true? any home remedies for getting out small not deep scratches? the jewelry cleaning solution didnt help

Take it to a jeweler that you trust. I have never heard this before, have had a wedding band buffed that was 14K yellow gold with no problems. How deep are the scratches?? I don''t know of a home remedy that will remove them. Hoping the experts will chime in... Good luck.

 

[whotheyare]

i dont think the scratchesa are deep and i dont even know how they got on the pendant at all....
keep in mind this aint no 4gram ring, its a 50g pendant so not sure if someone will fix for free

 

[JohnQuixote]

Date: 1/26/2008 9:59:56 PM
Author:whotheyare
i have a pendant and there seems to be scratches on it now, i was told to take it to jeweler to get it buffed but someone said by taking out scratches they are taking off layer of gold and that will decrease the thickness of the pendant, is this true? any home remedies for getting out small not deep scratches? the jewelry cleaning solution didnt help

If they are very light scratches they could possibly be buffed out. If they are too deep such treatment would change the way the piece looks. For deep scratches a jeweler would fill with the same metal, file and polish. If white gold the piece will need re-plating of course. As Kaleigh thought, it would be best to have a trusted professional examine it and give you guidance.

 

[whotheyare]

what is considered a light or deep scratch? I can only see scratch when tilted at an angle most times

 

[Asterism]

Date: 1/26/2008 9:59:56 PM
Author:whotheyare
i have a pendant and there seems to be scratches on it now, i was told to take it to jeweler to get it buffed but someone said by taking out scratches they are taking off layer of gold and that will decrease the thickness of the pendant, is this true? any home remedies for getting out small not deep scratches? the jewelry cleaning solution didnt help

Hi, I''ve been lurking on the forum for a while and fianally thought I should contribute.

Any polishing will reduce the thickness of a piece of jewellery, but usually only by minute amounts. If you had a piece polished every day you would soon notice the difference, but, generally a once a year light polish should not cause any harm. From my own experience of jewellery retail and dealing with manufacture and repair, most jewellers will only lightly polish a piece (removing light scratches only) unless requested otherwise. I will always advise customers if a scratch looks either too deep to remove or is borderline too deep to remove (without excessive thinning). Usually even a scratch which is too deep to remove fully, is improved in appearance by a light polish.

I would seek advice from a jeweller, because each piece is diiferent. Ie a fine detailed carving of an animal, flower etc you would probably polish less that a flat polished piece because the polishing will reduce the amount of detail.

 

[JohnQuixote]

Date: 1/28/2008 7:20:56 PM
Author: whotheyare
what is considered a light or deep scratch? I can only see scratch when tilted at an angle most times

I would not feel comfortable commenting without seeing it firsthand. As mentioned, the best advice is to have it examined by a professional if you want proper guidance.

Date: 1/29/2008 12:08:07 AM
Author: Asterism

Any polishing will reduce the thickness of a piece of jewellery, but usually only by minute amounts. If you had a piece polished every day you would soon notice the difference, but, generally a once a year light polish should not cause any harm. From my own experience of jewellery retail and dealing with manufacture and repair, most jewellers will only lightly polish a piece (removing light scratches only) unless requested otherwise. I will always advise customers if a scratch looks either too deep to remove or is borderline too deep to remove (without excessive thinning). Usually even a scratch which is too deep to remove fully, is improved in appearance by a light polish.

Welcome to the forum Asterism. One clarification regarding your comment & the difference between gold and platinum jewelry: Because of its density scratches on platinum jewelry are different than gold: The metal is merely displaced as ridges are raised on the edge of the scratch. As platinum is worn the patina-like appearance it gets is actually microscopic dings and scratches... As it relates to wear, platinum can be polished again and again because this is largely just moving the metal around and not wearing it down. Other precious metals such as gold lose material over time - gold prongs wear down and rings can get thinner with wear - but platinum can be re-polished with much more frequency.

 

[Asterism]

Welcome to the forum Asterism. One clarification regarding your comment & the difference between gold and platinum jewelry: Because of its density scratches on platinum jewelry are different than gold: The metal is merely displaced as ridges are raised on the edge of the scratch. As platinum is worn the patina-like appearance it gets is actually microscopic dings and scratches... As it relates to wear, platinum can be polished again and again because this is largely just moving the metal around and not wearing it down. Other precious metals such as gold lose material over time - gold prongs wear down and rings can get thinner with wear - but platinum can be re-polished with much more frequency.

Thanks John, you are correct. I had neglected to consider that point as I was only thinking about gold, but without your clarification my statement is somewhat misleading.