Table of Contents
Advice on how to Prevent Earring Backs From Falling Off
Don’t you just wish that there were actually earring backs that don’t fall off? Both men and women who wear earrings know the pain of losing earring backs constantly due to loss of friction.
Of course, you have the option of buying separately locking earring backs, secure earring backs, and you can also improve your chances of not losing your earring backs when you tighten butterfly earring backs.
Preventing Earring Backs From Falling Off
The number one thing that you should realize right now is that screwbacks and friction-type earring backs are the most prone to falling off. Screwbacks tend to lose their earring backs due to the loss of threading, which naturally occurs when you are dealing with any kind of screw.
Either the post or the earring back will lose their former grip, and when this happens, you have a limited number of options. If the post is losing its grip, you can add a bit of plumbing tape to the post to tighten the grip once again. However, this is more of an emergency method of fixing loose threading, so it should be considered a permanent fix.
On the other hand, if the screwback is the problem, you can just purchase a pack of spares so you can tighten your earring properly again. But then again, you’d have to find the right size of screwback so the earring backs will fit the posts of the earrings properly.
For lever back earrings, the main problem here is the tong that holds on to the post loosens eventually from natural wear and tear. What you can do if your lever back earrings keep flipping open while you are on the move is tighten the tongs once again with a pair of pliers.
The best type of pliers for lever back earrings is the smallest pair of long-nose pliers you can find. If you can find something with a smaller tip, then that’s fine too. Basically, you are going to gently squeeze the tongs that grip the post, so they will grip the post more tightly.
You have to be extra careful though: if you squeeze too hard, you may weaken the metal. Moving small joints of metal to and fro can cause them to crack and break free from the longer piece of metal.
When this happens, you’d have to use a soldering iron to fuse the broken pieces together. Just give the slightest squeeze to the gripping parts of the metal so the earring will not flip open when you wear it.
What about friction-type earrings? Friction-type earring backs are the most prone to loosening issues precisely because it relies on friction to maintain a grip on the post of each earring.
If your friction-type earring backs keep falling off, it is highly likely that the friction is gone, and you need to retighten the metal scrolls. Here are the steps to retighten the scrolls.
- Take a good look at the affected earring backs and insert the earrings to see if the metal is still gripping the posts properly. If your earrings keep falling off, it’s likely that the answer is no, and you need to modify the metal.
- With a pair of long-nose pliers, grip the outer layer of each of the metal scrolls and twist to the right, to bring the outer part of scrolls inward. Basically what we want to happen is for the metal scrolls to come closer to each other again. Perform the same twisting motion with the other metal scroll. Eyeball the distance between the scrolls and stop when you think that it’s too tight a fit for the earring posts. Feel free to use the earrings to check if the tightening is sufficient.
- In the event that you cannot twist the metal scrolls inward, grab any pair of pliers and give the earring backs a good squeeze, with emphasis on the metal scrolls. A good squeeze should bring the metal scrolls closer, thereby giving the earring backs a new lease on life. Try them on and see if they provide the right amount of friction now. If you feel that they are still too loose, then simply repeat the process (either step one or step two), until you get the right amount of pressure when you put on the earrings.
Tips for Not Losing Earrings and Earring Backs
We know: it can be gut-wrenching when we lose earrings and their earring backs. This can be especially problematic if you have expensive earrings like ones made of gold and gemstones. Who’d want to lose an expensive pair because of loose screwbacks or earring backs? No one. So here are a couple of expert tips to help you keep those earrings, longer:
- Keep a small pouch or box for storing your earrings. Keep this in your purse or in your bag, and make sure that when you remove your earrings, you keep them immediately in the pouch or box.
- Check your earring backs regularly. If you feel any of them loosening, either perform a manual tightening (the way we described the steps earlier) or purchase a separate set of earring backs that are compatible with your earrings. Packs of earring backs in pristine condition can be purchased online and you will never have to worry about loose earring backs ever again.
- For smaller earrings like studs, always pair them with their earring backs before putting them back into storage. Some people already do this because it’s easier to store them when paired, but others are less attentive and what happens is they tend to lose either the earrings or the earring backs. We all know that we can’t use earrings without the earring backs, so if you are the type of wearer who constantly loses any of the two, pair them instead.
