When I read the headline in one of my favorite trade newsletters last week that a woman found an 8-carat diamond in an Arkansas park. My first thought was, ouch the poor woman who lost her diamond -when was the last time had the Prongs on her ring mounting been checked!
That’s how a jewelers brain works – going on to read the article, turns out it was about a natural diamond that was discovered in Murfreesboro Arkansas at Crater of Diamonds State Park, aptly named park, that a woman from California found the large rough diamond. Park officials say the woman plans on keeping the diamond naming it “Esparanza” in honor of her niece and the Spanish word for hope. The Esparanza is the fourth largest diamond found since Crater of Diamonds became a state park in 1972.
Now back to Prongs and why they’re very important and should be checked at least twice a year if you wear your rings everyday, all day and even doing the dishes, yard work, cleaning, etc. Which I hope to convince you to take them off and place to the side while you do – diamonds may be one of the hardest materials on earth, the settings that hold your precious gems are not. They are made of gold and platinum and over daily wear the tips of the Prongs wear flat – an area that is the most vulnerable part of a ring, and a key component that holds in the stone. The more you wear a ring the faster they wear out.
The process of making your Prongs strong again is called “retipping” which adds more metal to the top of the Prong to make it round again. A round Prong is a strong Prong. And if you see a broken or bent Prong – run don’t walk to your favorite local jeweler for repair!
Stumbling upon an 8-carat diamond at the local park may not happen anytime soon-but having the Prongs checked regularly will ensure that your precious gems don’t become another person’s bounty.
Example of worn Prong tip and Retipped Prong