What Does it Mean When My Ring Needs a New Head?

Just as any luxury item you own, your rings need regular maintenance. Just because a “diamond is forever,” it doesn’t mean the metal on your jewelry is forever without regular

care.

But, what does it mean when your jeweler says your ring needs a new head?

This ring has a head with four prongs on the center diamond

Prongs and Heads

In order to tell you what it means, I need to explain what a head is first. 

Your diamonds and gemstones stay in place on your ring because they have individual prongs holding them tight.  A gemstone in a ring can have four, six, and in rare cases of large gemstones, more prongs.  A head refers to a single unit that has four or six prongs together. 

A bezel head is another way gemstones are held in place. Instead of prongs holding them in, a strip of metal outlines a gemstone, giving it a modern look.  Even though there aren’t individual prongs, the whole unit is called a head, as well.

Why Do Prongs and Heads Need Fixing?

When your prongs & heads are brand-new, they have a good amount of gold on top of your gemstone. With time, that gold wears down to become very thin and flat, so much so, a thread can pull up the flat prong, causing a gemstone to potentially fall out. 

They only way to keep your gemstone secure is to add additional gold to that prong.

Why Does My Whole Head Need Replacement?

Sometimes, just one prong needs to be rebuilt, and in that case, a trained jeweler can do that.

More often than not, there is heavy wear on the other prongs in that head. While they may not be as significant in damage as the single prong, the rest will continue the damage sooner than you think.

Instead of coming in multiple times to your jeweler and risk a gemstone being lost, your jeweler will recommend that the whole head unit be replaced. 

I would love to help you with jewelry! Angela Cisneros Jewelry Concierge brings back the joy and confidence of jewelry shopping, so that you can celebrate with ease! My by-appointment approach means:

• One-on-one appointments (personal attention and no crowds!)

• Discretion and privacy (surprises remain surprises!)

• Expert help from a Graduate Gemologist with 28 years of experience (yep, that’s me!)

Learn more about me and my process: www.AngelaCisneros.com 

Book your FREE appointment with me today! www.AngelaCisneros.com/book-appointment