Top 10 Enemies of Gold Jewelry: #6

Swelling.

Now, there are many ways your hand can suddenly swell up. There are even a few ways it can do so gradually. No matter the cause, swelling endangers both the ring and the finger if the ring isn't removed before it's too late!!

The first thing that comes to mind when we think of reasons for a hand to swell up like someone blowing air into a rubber glove is injury. You smash your hand in a door, hit it with a hammer or have something heavy fall on it and suddenly, amidst howls of pain, your hand is rapidly increasing in size!

While removing your ring is not likely to be the first thing you think of, it should be!!

As your hand swells, the ring will restrict blood flow to the finger and could cause serious damage or loss of the finger depending on the extent of the swelling! If a trip to the hospital is necessary and the ring doesn't slide off easily, they will cut it off and they will not worry about the integrity of the setting or whether they cut through the engraving on the inside!

On a side note, if your ring is Tungsten, they will not cut it off- they will smash it off... with a hammer!

Another emergency reason to get your rings off quickly is an allergic reaction, although the swelling is temporary it is still crucial to remove your rings while you still can.

More mundane and less threatening reasons for swelling include heat, humidity, excercise, and even eating too much salt! While these won't usually result in any danger, they can cause discomfort and it is usually better to have your rings off until they fit better!

Long term swelling resulting from weight gain (yes, no one likes it, but it does happen!) or pregnancy is a common cause of rings being cut off. Since it happens gradually, many times you don't realize until too late that it isn't coming off!

Especially when you are pregnant, this can be a very traumatic experience and one that could easily be avoided. We always recommend removing your rings before bed (and for many other things, but that's a big one) and this one simple habit will allow you to notice if your ring is getting to where it doesn't come on or off so easily. If you reach this point, the best thing to do is to either have it resized or stop wearing it until it does fit!!

Resizing a ring is a lot faster, easier, cheaper and better looking than trying to repair it once it has been cut off!

Top 10 Enemies of Gold Jewelry: #7

Welding.

Maybe there aren't a large number of welders out there reading this, but there are two ways to seriously hurt yourself while welding if you are still wearing your jewelry!

Since the principal danger when welding is getting a nasty electric shock from the live parts of the welding circuit (the electrode and the workpiece), it is never a good idea to have something metal touching your skin- especially if it is close to the area where you are working!!

The arc can transfer to the ring and a horrendous burn will ensue. (We looked up pictures, but they're pretty graphic, so will not be making an appearance in this post!)

The other danger is from slag. If a piece of molten weld or slag launches and gets caught up under a ring, the several thousand degree chunck will super heat your ring, and the ring will make it difficult to get it off- Get It OFF! GET IT OFFFF!!!!!!!!

So, Ladies (or Gents!), if your special someone is a welder- don't freak out if they take their wedding ring off for work! If they forget to put it back on later, or leave it in the toolbox, that's between the two of you!!

Welding isn't the only work-related danger to rings, either! Construction has a whole list of reasons to take your rings off first, mechanic work (at home or on the job) is best done ringless, as well as anything to do with concrete! We mentioned concrete/cement in #8, but only in its hardened form. While still wet, it can get wedged into and all over your ring and this is very hard to remove once it dries!! (Trust us, we DO know this from experience!)

The best thing you can do to preserve that sacred symbol of your love is to take it off whenever you do hard and/or dangerous work. We can fix rings, but we can't fix fingers!!

Top Ten Enemies of Gold Jewelry: #8

Dirt, Rocks, and Cement.

We're lumping these 3 together, but each of these abrasives can attack your jewelry in a wide variety of ways!

Dirt:

Gardening is a major no-no while wearing your jewelry. Rings especially can get incredibly scratched or even lost in the soil, not to mention dirty!! Take them off.

Consider removing your rings before going to the beach. Sand is, oddly enough, what sandpaper is made from. This will have a detrimental effect on any gold jewelry!

Rocks:

Though it might sound like common sense, don't wear gold jewelry while rock climbing. In fact, you might not want to wear any jewelry during this or any rock-related activity! Rocks are both hard and abrasive, meaning they can bend and scratch gold far too easily. We also don't recommend wearing jewelry for any activity that involves hanging- getting your jewelry caught on a rock could result in the breakage and/or loss of the jewelry, or worse- yourself!!

Cement:

In any self-propelled wheeled sport or recreation (ie. cycling, long boarding, roller-skating, etc.) the goal, of course, is to remain upright. This isn't always what happens, however!! When the pavement is coming towards you a little too fast, the natural reation is to catch yourself with your hands. If those hands are wearing rings, those rings will get damaged! Once again, concrete is hard, abrasive, and your momentum is significant! Perhaps it would be best to leave the rings at home or on a sturdy neck chain?

As with the other entries about "Enemies of Gold," these types of damage are repairable, but are also preventable with a little care. We're here to help you if you need it, but we'd rather you lived a long and happy life having minimal problems with your jewelry!

Top 10 Enemies of Gold Jewelry: # 9

Sweaters. (And turtlenecks!)

Sweaters, and especially turtleneck sweaters, are a common winter nemesis to your jewelry. With winter lasting at least 9 months in Laramie, they are a necessary item in everyones' closets! However, with the open knit pattern and super high neckline, it is no wonder that our jewelry is in harm's way every time we put on that comfy sweater.

Rings and bracelets can easily get their prongs snagged, which could lead to losing stones or costly repairs, leaving you without your jewelry for a short time. Few people believe that something as strong as gold could be bent out of place by yarn or fabric, but a fairly significant proportion of the repairs here claim cotton as the culprit!

The other common mishap while wrapped neck-high in cashmere is snapping pendant chains. The turtleneck top is a classy wardrobe essential- especially when paired with a long station necklace or pendant! The trouble with wearing a necklace over your top is that when you go to change into your PJ's at the end of the day, often you forget to take your jewelry off first. Sweaters are designed to stretch to go over your head; gold however, is not.

The best solution for keeping prongs and chains in good shape, is to look them over yourself every so often. Prongs are designed to be symetrical, if they aren't- bring it in!! When you notice that a prong is snagging or catching on things, bring it to us to clean and check (and repair if necessary)!

Most times with prongs, if they are just slightly bent, it is a quick, no-charge fix, but if not fixed soon, it could get worse and that's when stones get lost, chipped or settings need to be replaced and that can run up the bill quickly!!

As for chains, there isn't really much preventative maintainance that can be done, other than trying to remember that you are wearing it and taking it off before anything else. NEVER wear a necklace to bed unless you are prepared to have it repaired often!

Try as you may however, you probably won't always remember, so Alexander's Fine Jewelry is here to help, and we can certainly repair broken chains, prongs, or just about anything else!

Top 10 Enemies of Gold Jewelry: #10

Giraffes.

Yes, you read that right. Giraffes (and other heavy things) can exert a significant amout of pressure on a ring or other piece of jewelry.

One customer actually brought in a ring that was significantly smooshed, and the reason really was that she worked in a zoo, and the giraffe sat on her hand, and nearly flattened the ring!!! (Her hand was fine, fortunately!)

Other sources of high pressure on gold jewelry include slamming your hand/ring in a door, running over your earring with an office rolling chair or car, and some guy at the bar using your jewelry instead of an iron bar to demonstrate how strong he is. (No, we haven't heard that one...yet!)

A much slower way to accomplish a less-than-round ring is to carry heavy objects, smack mosquitoes against a hard surface, or really grip onto a handle or bar (think: shopping cart, bucket full of water, or pull-up bar). All of these things and more put pressure on the back of your ring.

Over time, most people notice that when they take their ring off, it looks a bit flat along the bottom. Most often this is an easy fix for a jeweler, but PLEASE don't take your shop pliers to it and try to do it yourself!!

Although gold is a strong and malleable material and very little that is done to it can't be fixed with enough time and skill, there are a few good reasons to make sure you don't let your ring get too out of shape:

*The first is that when a ring's diameter changes, any stones set into it are compromised and can either break or fall out!!

*The second is that constant bending weakens the molecular structure of the ring, and eventually it will break. If you have ever bent a paperclip or soda can tab back and forth until it breaks, you are familiar with how this works.

The best solutions for your rings and other gold jewelry, are to take them off if you are working with heavy things (like giraffes!) or at least be aware of how you grip things, and bring them in for regular check-ups with a professional jeweler who can check for dangerous signs of wear and tear, as well as fix many of the problems before they become a huge disaster!!