Like it says on the tin … there’s a Zuni piece available locally that I’m thinking about buying, but the prongs (sawteeth?) holding one of the turquoises are bent back for about 1/3 of the turquoise’s circumference. I don’t think the stone is in danger of falling out, but I would be leery of buying/wearing it unless I can either fix it myself or find someone locally who can (note: I’m in Canada).
Is it generally possible to push the sawteeth back into place very gently, and if so, what’s the best method? (I once did it using the back of a spoon, but that was a single sawtooth that had gone skewiff, not 5 or 6 of them!)
The burnisher. An inexpensive tool. I’m sure there are YouTube videos out there on how to use it. There is also a bezel roller and pusher. I find the burnisher useful for what you need. Check them out. Keep in mind if they are brittle with age some might break off.
I think you should be able to fix it without any problem. A spoon would probably work great too. Nine times out of ten (if i’m not mistaken) bezels are made of pure silver as opposed to sterling and therefore are softer and easier to bend.
First, the risks. If the individual tines of the sawtooth are fatigued from force and bending, they can break off if not expertly handled.This is almost bound to happen if they stay the way they are too because they’ll 100% catch on clothing and deform and bend even more. Additionally, if needlepoint or petit point stones, too much, or the wrong kind of pressure on the bezel can break, fracture, or even pop the stones completely out.
If you’re not completely comfortable doing this yourself (which is naturally understandable if you’ve never done this before) consider having a fine jeweler who specializes in repair work take care of it for you. They’ll know exactly what to do, and how to avoid (if possible) damaging the bezel in the process of burnishing it back into place, and gently polishing, post burnishing, to microscopically smooth sharp edges and micro burrs which can catch on things and cause more problems.
ETA: This shouldn’t cost much (it’s an exceedingly easy professional repair), and I would leverage the splayed bezel to drive a hard bargain on the purchase price.
