Is it normal to have a loose stone in my ring? Your questions answered!

Sometimes you hear it rattling around. Sometimes you can feel it spinning. Other times you won’t know at all. Having a loose diamond is fairly normal, but it can still be stressful.

Why is my diamond loose?

When we sell a ring, or perform repair work, each item is thoroughly checked and inspected by our team ensuring stones are tight and secure. So how does a diamond become loose?

In most cases it’s from living your normal life.

Think about how often you hit your hands. You may bang into a doorframe walking into a room, hit the inside of the dryer while doing laundry, or whack your ring grabbing a banister going up stairs. Sometimes your ring can even get caught in a jacket sleeve or pocket.

Prongs are the pieces of metal that hold your diamond in place. They’re generally quite small, so any impact like that can jostle them out of position, potentially causing a stone to loosen.

Is it normal to have a loose diamond?

In most cases, yes.

While stones can loosen because of a structural issue with a ring, it’s more often impact from day-to-day life that results in a loose stone.

It’s sort of like popping a tire on your car. Tires rarely pop on their own, but if you impact an object, like a nail or a curb, they can puncture.

I’ve had one ring for 30 years, but a new ring has a loose stone after a year? What’s wrong with it?

We hear this a lot. Not all pieces of jewelry are the same. It’s totally normal for some rings to never have loose stones—you can go decades without much maintenance.

Other rings may have loose stones more often. It all comes down to how the stones are set, and where stones are located.

For example, an eternity band with gemstones all around the ring will likely require more maintenance than a ring with stones only on the top half of the ring.

Likewise, a common prong ring is far more likely to have loose stones than a channel set band with metal on either side of the stones, offering more protection.

How can I prevent stones from loosening in my ring?

The single best piece of advice: take your rings off any time you’re working with your hands.

Never work out with your rings, and do your best to take your rings off when doing laundry, or washing dishes. It’s easy to hit your hands without meaning to in these situations.

At Hingham Jewelers we offer free inspection and cleaning of your ring, so any time you are nearby and want us to check the safety of your stones, stop by!

It takes just a few minutes and will confirm your prongs are where they should be, and all your stones are secure. If we find something loose, we can address it.

Tightening a loose stone is often a straight forward repair, and it’s certainly easier than having to replace a lost stone.

If you have additional questions, or want us to inspect your ring, please stop in. Remember, inspection is always free!