DBTY Culet scratching new bangle.

[Ally T]

I woke this morning in a panic that it hadn't occured to me the culet on my DBTY might be scratching the inside of my brand new & very beautiful oval hinge bangle. So I had a peak inside the bangle (I can't get it off with one hand & Mr T was already out on a long run) & low & behold, there inside the beautiful bangle are a million little scuffs & scratches all the way around. I'm pretty horrified even though it's on the inside, so I have removed the DBTY for the moment. I know with time the outside will wear & develop patina, but not the inside.

Have you experienced this & more importantly has it bothered you? I can't see how it can possibly be prevented?

I plan to pop the bangle to my local bench & have it gently polished out, but it has really upset me that I have so absent mindedly damaged this beautiful & coveted bangle so badly in just 2 days. I always had a vision of owning these 2 & wearing them together, but obviously it's not practical.

 

[Tonks]

I’m so sorry—I can tell this is really stressing you out. Your new bangle is gorgeous and I hope this won’t interfere in your enjoyment of it!

Fwiw, I am wearing my stack with my VCA onyx and pave, and it goes all over the inside of all my bangles. I’m fairly confident it is scratching up the insides, but my decision was to wear them, enjoy them, and not to worry about it b/c it’s the inside and who will ever see it?

Others might come to a different decision, but this was what felt right for me. I love being able to wear my pieces, and that’s the kind of wear that’s ok with me.

 

[Ally T]

I’m so sorry—I can tell this is really stressing you out. Your new bangle is gorgeous and I hope this won’t interfere in your enjoyment of it!

Fwiw, I am wearing my stack with my VCA onyx and pave, and it goes all over the inside of all my bangles. I’m fairly confident it is scratching up the insides, but my decision was to wear them, enjoy them, and not to worry about it b/c it’s the inside and who will ever see it?

Others might come to a different decision, but this was what felt right for me. I love being able to wear my pieces, and that’s the kind of wear that’s ok with me.

Thanks, Tonks. I know it's the inside & nobody will ever see it, but catching a glimpse of the scratches across the hallmark really made my eyes prick. My sensible brain says just wear them as intended & not bother about it as they are forever pieces, but that beautiful hallmark all scuffed over was weirdly upsetting. One day I might make peace with it, but for now the DBTY is back in it's pouch & box.

Would you care to share a pic of how you wear your stack?

 

[MissGotRocks]

Ugh, the beauty and disaster a diamond can cause! So strong and yet destructive at times. I understand your angst and am so sorry that this is the case but not surprising I guess.
@Tonks has the right idea about wearing them and accepting the scratches but it would be hard for me as well. The good news is that the bangle is gorgeous and certainly can stand on its own. Reminds me a bit of the desire for an engagement ring and a shared prong wedding band - beautiful look but the wedding band diamonds chew up the ering setting. How can such beautiful pairings be both a blessing and a curse??? Not fair - lol!!

 

[SandyK]

So sorry!! Your new bangle is GORGEOUS, I totally get being upset by the scratches.

Can you have the DBTY reset so the culet isn’t exposed? Like a donut underneath the bezel instead of having it open?

 

[Tonks]

Thanks, Tonks. I know it's the inside & nobody will ever see it, but catching a glimpse of the scratches across the hallmark really made my eyes prick. My sensible brain says just wear them as intended & not bother about it as they are forever pieces, but that beautiful hallmark all scuffed over was weirdly upsetting. One day I might make peace with it, but for now the DBTY is back in it's pouch & box.

Would you care to share a pic of how you wear your stack?

Hope that works—we are on the road today and service is spotty.

I can get the first scratch of any kind being upsetting. When I noticed the first scratch on my JUC I was soooo wrecked. Then I smashed the nail head into a wall and nicked it. Then I remembered getting a similar gash on my wedding band a billion years ago that I hardly notice now. And I remembered how the scratches on my trinity ring have formed a lovely, almost glowing patina. So i guess at the end of the day, I decided to wear things and enjoy them and let them tell a story. I’m not careless, but I do want to wear things rather than have them sit in a box.

Sometimes this approach does require deep breathing, though.

 

[Tonks]

Hope that works—we are on the road today and service is spotty.

I can get the first scratch of any kind being upsetting. When I noticed the first scratch on my JUC I was soooo wrecked. Then I smashed the nail head into a wall and nicked it. Then I remembered getting a similar gash on my wedding band a billion years ago that I hardly notice now. And I remembered how the scratches on my trinity ring have formed a lovely, almost glowing patina. So i guess at the end of the day, I decided to wear things and enjoy them and let them tell a story. I’m not careless, but I do want to wear things rather than have them sit in a box.

Sometimes this approach does require deep breathing, though.

I will also fully admit that so far this approach of mine has not extended to timepieces AT ALL. Those, I do not stack. I baby.

But… after I typed my reply to you I started thinking and put some bracelets on my left wrist with my watch and now I am contemplating whether I would be ok with scratching my watch, because it looks freaking fantastic.

Bottom line: stacking is awesome but if you do it, pieces touch and scratch. You have to decide whether that’s ok. And man, that’s a tough call.

 

[distracts]

Jewelry gets worn. If you wear pieces of jewelry next to each other, they will get more worn. Don't sweat it. Scratches happen. The only way to keep your jewelry pristine is to never wear it. Don't bother polishing them out - just learn live with it. Polishing will be removing more metal than the scratches so imo it's not worth it to do.

 

[yssie]

Can I coax you to reconsider having the interior polished? Removing a layer of metal to eliminate the scratches is so much more damaging than the scratches themselves.

I think a patina on everyday pieces is beautiful, honestly. It shows that those pieces have been worn and loved. A piece that looks new might be treasured, even if not used, but a piece that shows off years of wear can’t ever not be something beloved

I’d say give yourself a couple of days without stacking. Let the sting of brand new scratches fade. Then you might just decide to keep right on stacking. Or not. No wrong answers.

 

[Ally T]

Ah, thank you, everyone. And I agree with everything you've said.

I won't get the inside of the bangle polished, as you make a very good point about that @yssie and @distracts

@Tonks You are rocking those stunners! I love what you are saying about wearing & enjoying them. And as Yssie says, the wear on them will tell a story & show how loved they are. I have missed my DBTY today. It's the first time I've removed it since I got it - I even clean it on my wrist with a soft brush, washing up liquid & warm water, as I figure it's better to do this than put constant wear on the clasp. It was my niece's birthday party today & both my sisters' pounced as soon as I arrived, looking forward to seeing the new combo only to find just the new bangle (which they adored).

Yesterday Mr T & I had a lovely day out for lunch & drinks & whilst sitting outside a bar in the sunshine, a friend I haven't seen since pre covid came over. After we hugged she casually held both my hands & like a hawk, noticed the bracelets straight away. She was like wow, what a beautiful looking set!

I think I will try to let go of the angst. It won't be instant, but I would like to think that those little scuffs Do Not Matter. Perhaps it might help if I remove the diamond at night, as I suspect having them pressing together during the night might be the most harmful part? Urgh! @MissGotRocks you are SO right about beautiful diamonds being both a pleasure AND a curse!

 

[distracts]

Oh yeah I definitely would not sleep in at least the DBTY - that'll put so much strain on the chain as well. Don't worry about the clasp. Clasps are easy to replace if you notice it starting to wear out, and if you're worried that it'll wear out without you noticing, you can have a safety chain added.

 

[RunningwithScissors]

I'm sorry you are feeling sad about the wear on your new beautiful bangle.

Tiffany's, at least here in the US, will do a light buffing of your Tiffany jewelry for free. My understanding from them is that it doesn't harm or wear down your piece -- they know their own jewelry and are experts in caring for it. I personally would not have my own Tiffany pieces serviced by a non-Tiffany's jeweler, no matter how much I liked the bench.

What about living with the small scratches for a time to see how you feel about them after the shock of discovering them wears off, and plan to take them to Tiffany's the next time you are near one, perhaps several months down the road?

 

[AuntKiki]

I’m sorry this happened! I wear a 7 stone Dbty and do not stack it with anything. Those culets will dull the high shine on your bangle. Quickly. Personally I would not wear them together. Both bracelets are beautiful.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Of course you are upset--you've had the bracelet a short time and to find it scratched, already, is unnerving.

But it is not life altering. Scratches happen (car door dents--you know the like) and while we don't like it, we accept it. Fact is, the bracelet remains stunning and a present of note--nothing changes that.

cheers--Sharon

 

[Ally T]

I thought I'd share a pic of the scratches. This was from the teeny culet over just 2 days I have done some reading & it seems the first scratches on any shiny new bangle are the hardest to bare. I have cleaned my DBTY & will pop it back on & wear them together as intended, but will remove the diamond at night going forwards. The scratches are slight & will never be any deeper than this (though I can feel them with my fingernail, so are deep enough) & I've decided to suck it up, enjoy them, love them & know these scratches will never do any real harm long term.

Then I will never look inside the bangle again!!!

 

[yssie]

I thought I'd share a pic of the scratches. This was from the teeny culet over just 2 days I have done some reading & it seems the first scratches on any shiny new bangle are the hardest to bare. I have cleaned my DBTY & will pop it back on & wear them together as intended, but will remove the diamond at night going forwards. The scratches are slight & will never be any deeper than this (though I can feel them with my fingernail, so are deep enough) & I've decided to suck it up, enjoy them, love them & know these scratches will never do any real harm long term.

Then I will never look inside the bangle again!!!

It looks like your DBTY just rubbed all over her new arm-mate - like a cat headbutting your leg

 

[yssie]

It looks like your DBTY just rubbed all over her new arm-mate - like a cat headbutting your leg

Ugh. Wrong emoticon attached. I *meant* to end with because anything involving cat headbutting is automatically -worthy. Blasted phone!!

 

[Ally T]

Ugh. Wrong emoticon attached. I *meant* to end with because anything involving cat headbutting is automatically -worthy. Blasted phone!!

Haha! I have two cats & am very familiar with the headbutting! And I love the analogy too - perfect words as always.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I had a dbty bracelet but I didn't wear it with anything else because I wouldn't like the scratching. I generally wear one bracelet alone to keep them all in excellent condition. I really would recommend considering not sleeping in bracelets, as well.

 

[Ally T]

I'm annoyed that the culet is exposed to be honest. My 2 platinum ones, both Tiffany & both very, very many years old, have a full donut. They sit flush on my wrist & always look pretty, as they're never pivoting around like a spinning top.

When & why did they change it? I wonder if I can find an older pre-loved one with a solid donut?

 

[Ally T]

 

[RosieR]

Is it likely the setting is different to accommodate different carat weight diamonds?

P.S I adore both bracelets especially the DBTY