Why Do Stones Fall Out?

Understanding why a stone was lost is the first step to ensuring it doesn’t happen again. Jewellery is built to last, but even the strongest metal wears down over time.

1. Worn Claws (Prongs): This is the most common culprit. The small metal claws that grip your stone are constantly exposed to friction—rubbing against clothes, surfaces, and skin. Over years, the tips of these claws wear thin, like the soles of a shoe. Eventually, they become too weak to hold the stone, or they snag on a jumper and peel back, releasing the gem.
2. Accidental Damage: A sharp knock against a doorframe or dropping a ring on a tiled floor can shock the metal. Even if the stone doesn’t fall out immediately, the impact can fracture a claw or distort the setting, leaving the stone loose and vulnerable to falling out later.
3. Compromised Settings: Sometimes, the issue isn’t the claws but the “seat” underneath the stone. Dirt, oils, and lotions can build up under a gemstone, acting almost like a lubricant that helps it slide out of a loosened setting.

Our Restoration Services: More Than Just a Quick Fix

At Monty’s, we don’t just glue a new stone in and hope for the best. We use traditional goldsmithing techniques combined with modern technology to ensure your new stone is secure for the long term.

• Retipping and Re-clawing: If your stone fell out because the claws were worn, simply putting a new stone in the same setting is a recipe for disaster—it will just fall out again.
  • Retipping: We add fresh molten metal to the tips of the existing claws, rebuilding them so they are thick, strong, and capable of gripping the stone securely.
  • Re-clawing: If a claw is completely missing or too damaged to save, we can remove the old one and solder a brand-new wire claw in its place.
• Bezel and Channel Repair: Not all stones are held by claws. Many modern and art deco pieces use “rub-over” (bezel) settings or channel settings where the stones are sandwiched between two walls of metal. Restoring these requires exceptional skill. We carefully rebuild the metal walls, re-cutting the channel to fit the new stone, and then hammering or lasering the metal back over the edge of the gem for a smooth, snag-free finish.
• The Laser Advantage: Our workshop is equipped with state-of-the-art laser welding technology. This is a game-changer for stone replacement. Traditional soldering involves heating the entire ring, which can crack heat-sensitive stones like opals, emeralds, or tanzanites. With the laser, we can melt the metal at a microscopic point next to the gemstone without heating the stone itself. This allows us to retip claws on delicate antique jewellery that other jewellers might consider “unrepairable.”

Prevention is Better Than Cure: The “Shake Test”

You don’t have to wait until a stone is lost to visit us. We recommend a professional “check and clean” at least once a year. Try this at home: Hold your ring up to your ear and tap the band gently. If you hear a faint rattling or clicking sound, your stone is loose! Bring it to Monty’s immediately. It is far cheaper and easier to tighten a loose stone than to replace a lost one.

Sustainability & Sentiment

In a throwaway culture, repairing your jewellery is a radical act of sustainability. By replacing a missing stone, you are extending the life of precious materials that have already been mined and crafted. You are keeping a family heirloom in circulation rather than letting it sit broken in a drawer. We also understand that sometimes, you might have the stone but not the jewellery. Perhaps you have a loose diamond from a grandmother’s brooch that you never wear. We can take that loose stone and “reset” it into a brand-new design—a modern pendant or a contemporary ring—giving you a piece of the past that fits your future.