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!!