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Jewellery Care

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The Beauty of Nonreactive Precious Metals

The Beauty of Nonreactive Precious Metals

Jun 03, 2021

Many people believe that jewellery should be durable and able to withstand being worn everyday, without thought or removal.  To a certain extent, this can be true.  Gold and Platinum are quite durable and nonreactive.   They are often used in medical devices and implanted inside the human body, without fear of corrosion.  Gold is also used in dental work, where it is more resistant to cracking and wear than its porcelain and ceramic counterparts, but in this situation, your gold filling, won’t come into contact with something of a greater hardness, like stainless steel, or titanium for example, at least not with great force, and if it does, well, you will definitely have greater things to worry about than the condition of your filling.  Our hands however, are a different story, they grip, pull, catch, hold, lift, and touch a number of items and chemicals throughout a day.  As your rings come into contact with materials of greater hardness, your gems and metal can scratch, indent, and/or break.   Chemicals can break down some of the materials found in solder, making the connections weak and potentially causing junction points such as settings to break off. 

To Preserve the Longevity of your Jewellery

  • I recommend removing your rings before
  • Doing a messy jobs, such as dishes, food prep and gardening, just imagine the gunk build up 
  • Coming into contact with chemicals.  This includes chlorine and common household cleaners such as bleach 
  • Strenuous activities or heavy lifting, such as moving furniture
  • Handling steel with force, shovels with steel handles, weights and bars, swinging in playgrounds, pulling a cart etc.
  • activities where the possibility of finger injury is greater, such as sports, or construction

 “What about those Tungsten Rings?  Or Titanium?” 

Hearing this, you might think “ Oh man, I just want to buy a ring I can wear, and not have to worry about it.  What about those Tungsten Rings?  Or Titanium?  They come in black, and are super cool and don’t scratch or break, do you make those?”  The answer to that is, unfortunately not.  Jewellery made with alternative metals are often machined and cannot be sized, soldered or repaired.  These metals are of similar hardness as tool steel, which makes them so scratch resistant, but this same property makes them extremely difficult to cut off using standard tools.  In a situation where you injure your fingers and your ring needs to be removed before you lose circulation, time is very critical.  If possible, I would recommend that you act quickly and remove the ring before the swelling starts.  If you are considering an alternative metal ring, a bit of research is suggested.  Be sure to look into the removal process in an emergency situation.  Tungsten rings need to be broken off, and once they are they cannot be put back together.   Gold and Platinum rings are easily removed using a coping saw, or ring remover tool, which is like a small can opener.  The beauty of precious metals is that the jewellery can always be repaired or the metal reused or recast into a new piece of jewellery.    

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