Prong retipping

With wear, prongs thin out and the stone can come loose. Retipping restores the metal at their tips before that happens.

How it is done #

1. The piece is cleaned and each prong examined.
2. Metal is added to the worn tips (solder or laser).
3. They are cleaned, rounded and closed again over the stone.
4. It is polished.

When #

When prongs are flat, thin or bent, or the stone moves.

Prevention #

An annual check (professional maintenance) catches wear in time.

Cost #

It is a cheap repair compared with losing a stone.

Step by step #

1. Clean. And examine each prong.
2. Protect the stone. From heat.
3. Add metal. To the worn tip.
4. File. And round.
5. Close. Over the stone.
6. Polish. And check.

Tools and materials #

• Torch or laser (laser)
• Files and burs
• Pusher
• Loupe (loupe)

Common mistakes #

• Heating with the stone in place.
• A prong left higher than the others.
• Closing too hard: the stone cracks.
• Not checking the other prongs.

See also #

• Prong setting
• Laser and spot welding
• Professional maintenance: what a jeweler checks and how often