PEARLS KEEP COMING LOOSE?

Why does your pearl keep Falling off?

Why won’t that pearl stay on your ring?

Pearls and the “lost and found” are always hand-in-hand. So why won’t those pretty little orbs ever stay put? Well, if you’re sick of looking down and seeing your pearl missing, then listen up:

Pearls absorb!

Pearls are made in the sea, which makes them, by nature, absorbent. They will expand and contract just like asphalt does in the Winter. When you see all those road crews out in the Spring fixing all the potholes, you’ll understand. Water has a damaging effect on things.

And there’s a good chance that’s the reason why you keep losing your pearl, too.

You got your pearl wet!

You may accidentally have taken a shower with it, went swimming or washed the dishes.

In fact, some people just leave it set in the jewelry cleaner overnight. Not good! No matter what happened, I bet something with water or liquids were the cause. Your pearl only had to expand, loosen up and fall off!

Pearls are sitting pretty…

Plus, most pearl rings are constructed so the mounting sits the pearl up high (above the mounting to show it off).

This makes the pearl stand out and say “look at me“, which may be beautiful, but not always practical!

Pearls usually have a small hole drilled in the bottom of them. Most of the time the hole goes about half-way into the pearl. Glue or epoxy is then applied to this hole, then it’s pushed onto the ring’s post to hold it down. Any excess glue is wiped away. Not much security there.

You could probably just look at your pearl and it would roll off it’s peg.. I feel sorry for those little suckers, because it really doesn’t take much to POP it off the post.

June’s birthstone:

If you’re trying to make a decision for a gift (like a mother’s ring) and are deciding on a June birthstone, I would advise to go with the created alexandrite instead for June. That is, unless you want to keep replacing it all the time.

But what if you really wanted a pearl?

Well, with many people, who are dead-set on a pearl ring, there is a solution…

For you already know that it doesn’t take much to make the pearl come off, so what needs to be done is to buy the safest mounting possible.

And there is an easy way to do this…

Prong the pearls!

It’s wise to purchase a pearl ring that actually has prongs holding the pearl in (not just a peg). Prongs that come up from the mounting, fold gently over the pearl and keep it secure in the setting. Prongs like this make it very difficult for the pearl to fall out.

Even if the pearl was loose, it wouldn’t matter. Because prongs are covering it, holding it down. That Pearl isn’t going anywhere (Unless you hit the pearl hard enough to physically break the shell in half)… Your pearl will remain in the mounting until you snap a prong off, or break one.

Now, you can glue the pearl back on…

If you’re one of the lucky ones who actually found the severed pearl, you can do what jewelers do:

Glue it back!

Jewelry stores will scrape away the old glue, put some new glue on the peg, and stick it all back together again. It’s not insurance that it won’t happen again, but it’s something.

And, you still could…

Have the jeweler put prongs on it!

Most of the time mountings can have prongs added, built up, to protect the pearl. Jewelers can custom make these to blend into the mounting and help secure the pearl.

It really depends on how much money you want to invest in the ring and if it’s worth it. If the ring’s not substantial enough to have prongs added to it, then maybe it’s time to look at a new mounting. One that does have prongs, and one that will hold your pearl in.

Pearls are beautiful, but they are brittle and precious at the same time.

Cleaning pearls:

When you clean your pearl, gently take a moist, (not wet) paper towel to dab it. Let the ring dry overnight.

And wear your pearls often. For pearls absorb oils from our hands and those oils will actually keep the pearls looking beautiful and full of luster. Natural oils tend to enhance the outer surface of the pearl and give it life.

And lastly, stay out of the water, or soon you’ll be fishing for a new oyster!

Cheers! :)