Wearing until failure
7th January 2021 - Customer locations: Adelaide/Townsville
Pink Sapphire earrings made 6 years ago.
I made the above earrings back in 2014. The customer loves the earrings and wears them often. This is a type of design that over time will need maintenance. If you do not check them and wear them until failure you run the risk of losing at least one of the earrings.
The jump ring that connect the domes to the shepherds hook.
Where the dome hangs from the shepherds hook is a point of friction between the two pieces of metal. Over time that will wear down both pieces of metal.
I always get asked how long does it take for them to wear down and there is no simple answer. The important things is to have the earrings checked periodically to check the rate of wear for that design with the wearers “normal” life.
The earring needing urgent repairs due to wear.
In the case of this customer and this style of earring the time to failure from new was 6 years of her “normal” wear. She wore them to failure and I believe was fortunate that one dome fell off in bed whilst she was sleeping.
Causes of wear in this case
Here are a few things that effect the time taken before repairs are needed:
the design
the precious metal used
the weight of the drop portion of the earring
the size and thickness of the jump rings - more or less metal to wear through
the activeness of the wearer - the more movement the more friction, the more wear
the amount the owner wears the earrings - more wear = more friction
I am sure there are many other factors but hopefully that gives you an idea why when I get asked “how long before they will need repair?” I cannot offer a simple answer.
How to avoid wear
The number one way to avoid wear is to take your jewellery off when you do not need to have it on. If you love to leave all your jewellery on all the time and never get it checked expect it to fail due to wear and run the risk of losing something.
Jump rings near nearly worn through totally and near failure
These earrings above are never taken off. After two and a half years of continual wear one has failed and the other (pictured) will soon fail. Here is why:
the earrings are never taken off
the wearer is an active person - lots of movement
the design is extremely small and fine, especially the jump rings so less to wear through
Heavier jump rings fitted during the repair.
This customer will be asked to read this article so that they can make an informed decision about how they wear their earrings from here and know when to expect repairs. Given she wore them to failure I have replaced the original jump rings with heavier ones to give her a longer period between repairs. Now I know they will never come off this is a change that had to be made.
The only downside is that the earrings are not as fine looking in that area but that diminished aesthetic is minimal. If she wants me to file them back to finer I can and she knows what she is doing.
How can I avoid losing my jewellery due to failure caused by wear?
A diamond ring with multiple claws missing being worn to failure. (until she loses the diamond)
1 - Have your jewellery checked at least once a year if possible especially in the first year. The amount of wear after one year will give the jeweller some idea of your “normal” wear and advise when to expect repairs to be required. Mobile phone cameras and the internet can help when distance is an issue with check ups..
Article: Diamonds are forever but your jewellery is not.
2 - Select designs and build specifications that suit your lifestyle and wear…..or expect to have issues. I try to warn customers.
Article: Oh.... so fine!
Article: Tension setting - the 7 year verdict is in
3 - Take your jewellery off when you do not need to be wearing it.
Article: Rashes and repairs
Some final words
Be realistic with your jewellery. Your car, house, clothes, bodies……..everything you use wears out as you use it. Your jewellery is the same. Here are some other common areas of wear to look out for with your jewellery:
Claws on rings wearing down
Rings rubbing against each other
Chains cutting into pendants
All the best for 2021 and may it be a year free of losing jewellery due to wearing it to failure.