Removing Pearls from Stud Posts

[portcitygal]

Is there a safe way to take the pearls off of earring studs? I assume they must be glued onto the peg, but is there anyway to safely remove them? I would like to make them into pendants and use new pegs with a bail. They are Mikimoto pearls. Many thanks for your advice ~ V.

 

[R&B]

Gidday portcitygal

1. Get an electric jug ready with a bit of fresh water in it.
2. Get a strainer and a couple of tea towels ready.
3. Have a pair of pliers ready. (preferably small jewellers pliers and not a big pair of fencing pliers).
4. Put one of those stainless steel strainers in the plug hole of your kitchen sink.
5. Put your stud (no not the boyfriend) in the jug and boil the jug.
6. as soon as the jug stops, pour the contents through the strainer.
7. grab the pearl with the tea towel and ever so gently turn the stud back and forth.
8. the pearl and stud should now be separated. The glue will flick off the pearl and with a little care off the stud as well.
9. I suggest you do a few dry runs of the above to syncronise yourself with the order of things. After the water boils, you only have a couple of seconds to remove the pearl or you will simply break the peg off in the pearl.
10. Don't tell anyone because this is one of my fave secrets.
P.S. I only speak on behalf of genuine South Sea Pearls. Some of the "Pearls" you can find on ebay may either melt or explode if you follow the above steps.
P.P.S.S Boiling water can burn or cause harm to all people.

 

[portcitygal]

Oops--too late--the stud went into the jug! Nevermind, plenty more where that one came from...

Thank you for your precise directions. Gidday Rusty!

P.S. It never ceases to amaze me how in a matter of minutes we can connect to interesting people half way around the world...it doesn't seem that long ago I was talking on my pink princess rotary telephone!

 

[Amrita]

Thanks for sharing your secret process there, Rusty. That will be helpful to people in similar situations as portcitygirl, but may need some practice first to get it perfectly right without any burns...

.
5. Put your stud (no not the boyfriend) in the jug and boil the jug.

I found this hilarious! Thanks for the laughs!

 

[lisa c]

Hi Portcity, you said it went into the jug, but how did it come out?

When I've done the hot water treatment I've found it's better to bring the pearl temperature up gradually along with the water temperature, not to drop the cold pearl into hot water, especially if it's beat nucleated. One can't guaranty even a warmed pearl won't crack at the sudden temperature change. I've had better luck with freshwaters.

There's also a solvent called Attack that you can try.

 

[pattye]

Rusty,

thanks so much for sharing your secret! I have just that kind of electric jug. Usually used for boiling water for tea. Yes, mine has an automatic shut off, too.

I've used "attack" several times successfully, but it took days, and the fumes are quite dangerous.

 

[lisa c]

Hi Pattye! Where do you get an electric jug? Does it have a brand name? Does it shut off before the water boils?

 

[pattye]

My jug is called an "electric kettle" by Chef's Choice. It shuts off automatically after the water comes to a full rolling boil. I bought it at Bed, Bath and Beyond, one of those chain kitchen, household bedding misc, stores.

I also use boiling water to kill weeds (on a small scale), and it doesn't harm the environment. I can take the kettle outside and keep refilling it.

 

[lisa c]

Thanks Pattye, and thanks for the suggestion about the weeds.

Thanks Rusty for the step by step, and you sure got it right, there isn't much time to work.

 

[Amanda]

Rusty,

thanks so much for sharing your secret! I have just that kind of electric jug. Usually used for boiling water for tea. Yes, mine has an automatic shut off, too.

Surely absolutely every household has an electric kettle?!

 

[Amanda]

Hi Pattye! Where do you get an electric jug? Does it have a brand name? Does it shut off before the water boils?

Surely it's just a normal, household kettle? They all, always, switch off just after the water boils.

 

[imanit]

Surely absolutely every household has an electric kettle?!

Reading this statement made me remember funny story. I happened over ten years ago. We did have an electric kettle at home back then too...
We went camping with our daughters. We arrived to the place, set the tents, I pulled out our camping stove, put a kettle of water on and wanting to go for a short walk I showed my 14 years old daughter how to turn the stove off when water boils.

Her answer was: "No problem.... but how do I know when water boils ???"

( electric kettle turns off by itself .....my teenage girl didn't know how to boil water..)..

 

[pattye]

Ivona, That is toooo funny!

Amanda, lol, I'd say here in the US fewer tea drinkers, so many more coffee pot varieties! My Daughter In Law had the first electric kettle I saw, her Mother is English. I do drink tea also, and find the kettle wonderfully useful in other ways too. I truly love the way some of these topics diverge!

 

[pattye]

portcitygal, a big welcome!

 

[lisa c]

The first I heard of an electric kettle was reading a WW2 British novel. I thought a tea cozy was a particular kind of ceramic.

We had a gas stove, Miss Amanda Smartpants!! LOL until we switched to electric because my dad was afraid of explosions. I still can't cook with anything electric, used to burn and scrape constantly trying to. Thank God for Gas!

I love your story, Ivona. Tell her if she marries a man who cooks, she'll never have to know how to boil water!

 

[Amanda]

Well, you live and learn! I've never been in a house which didn't have a kettle, unless it had just broken and someone had been sent out urgently to get a new one (-: I sort of think of it in the "utterly standard" list of things such as toasters, or door bells, or loo rolls.

But it's not just for making tea - if I want to cook, say, rice, or pasta, or anything which needs boiling water, I'd always use the kettle. It's much quicker to boil the kettle than wait for it to heat up on the hob.

I've only ever cooked on electric stoves in rented ski-ing flats in France. You do get electric hobs here, but I'd say gas is far, far more standard. The only houses here which don't have gas are usually the ones in the arse end of nowhere - like my parents' house. And they have bottled gas for their stove. But I reckon the standard (and considered better) method of cooking-and-hot-water-and-central-heating here is gas. Cheaper, too.

 

[Amanda]

Ivona, That is toooo funny!

Amanda, lol, I'd say here in the US fewer tea drinkers, so many more coffee pot varieties! My Daughter In Law had the first electric kettle I saw, her Mother is English. I do drink tea also, and find the kettle wonderfully useful in other ways too. I truly love the way some of these topics diverge!

Blimey, sorry to diverge, I was just very surprised (-:

 

[lisa c]

Well, I guess we'd already handled the business end of the thread, so we're good. Plus, who can resist a good story? You guys brightened my day!!! Love you all!