lagravinesefall2024

By Dominique & Maxine, LaGravinese Jewelers of Pelham

Summer is coming to an end, and as much fun as it was, it takes a toll on our bling. Sunshine, chlorine, sand, humidity, sunscreens, sweat, and many other things that our more active summer lifestyles entail can make our jewelry show wear, dirt, and damage faster. All of this can also risk the security of our pieces as well. This is a great time to stop by your jeweler and have your pieces checked and cleaned. 

A dip or soak in the ultrasonic cleaner followed by steam can provide a quick spruce up by removing a lot of the dirt and build-up that get stuck in between the prongs and coats the stones, which affects their luster and brilliance. Polishing will give a smooth surface by removing most of the marks and scratches. Rhodium plating white gold and platinum pieces will bring them back to life, giving a little extra coat of protection while providing a silvery-white, bright, and shiny finish, leaving them looking brand new.

Whenever someone comes in to have their jewelry cleaned, we always loop it before we put it in the ultrasonic to ensure that stones are secure in their settings and also to make a customer aware of any damage to their pieces that might already exist. It’s important to have your pieces checked for security and damage at least every six months depending on how active your lifestyle is. Some of the things that we look for are missing or worn prongs, chipped or loose stones, worn heads or baskets, security of clasps, cracks in settings and shanks, and the list goes on and on!

Sometimes people don’t realize that a prong is missing because the stone is still there, but that makes it much more vulnerable to falling out. A lot of stones, especially diamonds, wear at the metal over time, causing the prongs or heads of settings to thin out. By catching something like this before it’s too late, we can simply re-tip the prong and secure the stone so that it doesn’t fall out. Sometimes a link in a chain or bracelet can be broken but still attached. By catching this in time, it can simply be soldered back together, removing the risk of it detaching, falling off, and getting lost. 

These are just a few examples of how a little maintenance can go a long way. 

When it comes to your jewels, ignorance is not bliss!