Tighten a loose prong

Nothing is more aggravating than a loose prong. It snags everything and threatens to allow your stone to escape. But here is a way you can fix it at home.
This is not meant to be something for everyone or for every situation but you may find it useful. Please, if the problem is with an irreplaceable piece of jewelry you may consider getting help from a professional with insurance.
When a prong gets raised you can tap it into place with a kitchen teaspoon. Why a spoon? well it has a good weight, it has a polished smooth surface and everyone has one handy. Using a spoon works on faceted stones as well as those of an organic shape like this one.
prong setting

Lets get started.
The goal here is to drive the prong closer to the stone and remove any gaps while protecting the stone and it’s position. Hold the prong against a light source and look for gaps. also look for any cracks in the prong. If you see cracks in the prong stop here and seek a jewelers help.
If you plan to continue grab a teaspoon and hold it in your strong hand like this.


Use a bouncing action and tap the spoon on a surface to get the feel for making light taps. This isn’t like striking with a heavy hammer it more of a flicking action or a bounce with contact.Like tapping a pencil on a table.

Once you get the feel for it grab your jewelry, lets say a ring, and hold it in your weak hand so you can tap the prong. DO NOT support the ring on a solid surface like putting the band on the table top. This can increase the closing motion greatly and could result in damage or misshape your setting. It’s better to allow your weak hand to be a shock absorber. The goal is micro adjustments until tight. You may be tempted to push the prong down and not tap but this has a greater chance of a mishap if you don’t have the right tools.

Look at the diagram below. You want to start by being sure your stone is in the right position and stays that way. Start with the loose prong and give it a few taps on the tip as shown to drive it towards the stone. After 3-4 taps look it over. Check the gap and alignment of your stone. Monitor the other prongs for movement and work in opposites as shown for a general tightening.


More is not always better. Once you have closed the offending gap stop there. Don’t press your luck :slightly_smiling_face: Hope this helps, Kyle

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