Sale PSA: A very adorable cable turtleneck sweater from Madewell, now 30% off with code OHJOY, a cute cotton sweater from Nordstrom, now $60, and FYI I noticed a lot of classic Roger Vivier styles on The Outnet, which would not be the case 3-4 years ago!
My favorite item of jewelry is my engagement ring, for sentimental reasons (obviously) but I haven’t worn it much in the last 6 years. When my kids were babies I always worried I’d scratch them with the prongs or edge of the stone, and then once Covid rolled around I mean…I wasn’t leaving the house! Anyway, I went to get it a few months ago, and remembered the comforting feeling of it, and have been wearing it on and off ever since. A few weeks ago, I was in the car sitting next to my husband, and I was shaking the ring next to my ear.
“Why are you doing that?” he asked.
“I like the sound,” I said. “There’s an ASMR thing to it.”
“Are you….listening to a noise?”
“Yes! There’s a teeny tiny rattle.”
“Okay.” He was silent until we got to a stoplight. Then he said slowly: “It is NOT supposed to do that.”
Alright, so it turns out my stone was slightly loose. In retrospect I think this should have been obvious to me, but remember, I had not worn the ring for quite some time! I guess I was thinking about it like one of those Chopard Happy Diamonds items…a pleasant little shake. Anyway, I liked the sound so much and thought the ring would be fine, so kind of sat on it for awhile until I decided to randomly Google what it means when your ring rattles…and apparently it is quite bad, as in, you might lose your stone bad, and so I went to the store. The very nice woman at customer service took her loupe and examined it and said yes, I had two prongs that had gotten lifted somehow. And apparently the longer they are loose like that, the more the stone can hit against the metal, loosening it even further.
I left the ring there (very sad to do this) and got a call back last week that it was ready, to be fixed. It was as good as new! But I actually kind of miss that little rattling sound…but I’d rather have a secure ring.
And I share this with you all to remind you of two things:
1) Check your rings! Shake yours next to your ear, look for loose/missing stones, etc.
2) Take your rings in to your jeweler to get checked periodically…I was reminded that I should have been taking mine in for an annual inspection. How many times had I done this? Zero. So. Now I know better.
Have you ever had to repair your wedding rings (or any other jewelry)?
7 Comments
Anna
November 22, 2021 at 10:32 amOh yes, I recently sent my ring for repair after losing a small diamond in the band (presumably) while making bread. I was quite upset by that since the ring is only a couple of years old, but was told I had to bring it in for biannual inspection.
What a drag, isn’t it? I mean, the ring means the world to me as it’s a symbol of the strength of our marriage (my husband and I had an awful two years – and only partially related to COVID), but coming in every 6 months is entirely too much.
MMM
November 22, 2021 at 10:42 amI don’t have nice jewelry, but I have heard that annual maintenance is suggested. Seems kinda intense!!! I was more scared that you were going to say that they switched the diamond! I have heard horror stories of sketchy jewelers (including the major mid tier retailers) replacing fantastic diamonds with less expensive ones.
Maria
November 22, 2021 at 6:18 pmGood thing you brought it in before something happened to the stone!
Even if a wedding ring came out of a Cracker Jack box, it’s the emotional attachment and symbolism that means so much. You add the price of a diamond and any loss would be all the more a pull on the heart.
My mother had a vintage setting as her engagement ring. Over fifty years on her finger and she never needed a prong replaced or tightened. She brought it in regularly (well, every few years) to have it checked just in case. Perhaps that was an insurance requirement? It is a rather nice sized marquise stone with baguettes on the side and small round diamonds underneath the main stone above the band. I’m the wearer now, and I still check it. I’d be heart sick if anything happened to it.
Years ago a family friend in the jewellery business said it depends on the setting, the type of metal, and how well it is made. We took that as a nod for my mothers ring. But any setting should be well made when you buy it from a reputable dealer. At least I hope so.
Anonymous
November 22, 2021 at 7:51 pmI wore my engagement ring for perhaps 5 years before I accidentally banged it on a hard table. I realized the prongs had shifted and weren’t evenly spaced. I had the prongs adjusted at a highly regarded independent jeweler, only to make the same mistake within a week in a public bathroom when reaching quickly into a paper towel dispenser to dry my hands. When I picked up the ring for a second time I realized the prongs were now deformed, with some having very little metal and shaped oddly. I took the ring to a different highly rated independent jeweler to have the prongs re-tipped and upon picking up the ring I realized they were not precisely spaced apart. I gave up, since the diamond is secure and no one looks at my ring that closely. I’ve barely worn my rings during the pandemic, since the main place I used to wear them were to the office and social events, neither of which apply to my current life.
S in the US
November 23, 2021 at 7:06 pmI have found so much joy in jewelry lately (even though I really don’t go anywhere these days) – so glad you got your ring fixed!!
I do check the settings when I clean my pieces – it’s really satisfying for me to see them sparkle nicely again 🙂
Sara
November 25, 2021 at 7:39 pmOh man, YES. I was with my aunt on a trip, when she offered to have my e-ring cleaned along with some of her pieces. The SA came back with my ring and said they wouldn’t be able to clean it due to the fact that one of the diamonds in the band was loose. I had *no clue*, but when I tapped the stone with my fingernail it was *very* loose. I stored it in a pouch for the rest of the trip and took it for repair as soon as I got home. I’ve heard you should check your jewelry every 6 months or so. Have I done that since? No. I’m living on borrowed time, baby.
Anonymous
November 29, 2021 at 11:13 amI learned my lesson about jewelry maintenance when I lost diamonds on a trip. I was given a vintage custom ring with diamonds set in a bow with dangling ends. I knew that the ring had not been worn for some times, years even but didn’t think of taking it to the jewelry prior to wearing it on an overseas trip. On the second day, after leaving a small street food stall, I realized that one of the bows had broken off! I went back to the store to look but of course, I couldn’t find the missing. I think the meal was maybe US$5 but I paid for it with three diamonds. Doh. Till today, I have not taken the ring out of storage. My poor husband had no idea of the value so he did not nag but I learned my lesson. I only travel with fashion jewelry now. I still wonder about the lost end with its diamonds – whether it’s hidden in a crevice waiting to be found!