Love Bracelet Scratches- buffing before and after?

[lovellama]

This forum has been so helpful - thank you for your insights I’ve only had my love bracelet for a month and I’m completely in love with it however I do get super anxious when it gets scratched -_- I know it’s inevitable but I knocked it against my kitchen table recently and now it’s left a bigger scratch on the top side.

Do you guys think the complimentary shining service at Cartier will help with the scratch?

Also, does anyone know how long the shining service takes?
Thanks!

 

[rat_stack]

It might help. But as others have said here, I’d recommend leaving it alone. Scratches that bothered me early on when owning the Love bracelet, I literally can’t find them once the patina develops (patina is a bunch of micro scratches all blending together). Just be patient and accept the scratches

 

[Cat Fondler]

This forum has been so helpful - thank you for your insights I’ve only had my love bracelet for a month and I’m completely in love with it however I do get super anxious when it gets scratched -_- I know it’s inevitable but I knocked it against my kitchen table recently and now it’s left a bigger scratch on the top side.

Do you guys think the complimentary shining service at Cartier will help with the scratch?

Also, does anyone know how long the shining service takes?
Thanks!

Congratulations on your new love! I have a recent, similar scratch on mine (don’t recall how it happened) and honestly, it doesn’t bother me. It looks like the constant contact with sweaters etc. are buffing it out a bit over time and it’s becoming less noticeable. I am, however, careful with my things and wouldn’t risk real damage (for instance if I’m moving rocks in the garden I will wear a wrist sweatband and gardening gloves for protection). I was in a boutique recently and the SA did a (what I believe) was a shining service (with it on my arm with a paper towel between the bracelet and my skin because I didn’t want to remove it). It only took a few minutes. Although it looked nice and shiny, the small scratches “came back”. She used a cloth with rouge in it (a very mild abrasive) called a sunshine cloth from Amazon. I wouldn’t even do this too often, as over time it could reduce the depth or soften the crisp edges of the screw motif. I’ve grown to appreciate the patina of everyday wear in the 3 years I’ve had mine. Also, I keep the bottom side of the bracelet to the bottom, since it is definitely showing a more dull appearance; that way the upper, more visible shinier side shows better. Hope this helps! Top and bottom shown here…

 

[Chaton]

This forum has been so helpful - thank you for your insights I’ve only had my love bracelet for a month and I’m completely in love with it however I do get super anxious when it gets scratched -_- I know it’s inevitable but I knocked it against my kitchen table recently and now it’s left a bigger scratch on the top side.

Do you guys think the complimentary shining service at Cartier will help with the scratch?

Also, does anyone know how long the shining service takes?
Thanks!

If I'm not mistaken, what the OP did is probably the "shine treatment" as I don't think that is sufficient enough to take out any scratches; thus, the marks came back after some weeks.

I can see how you @lovellama would be bothered by that scuff as it differs greatly from the superficial, natural scratches that occur in my opinion. I got one of those on my 4 diamond a while back although mine was not as deep as yours it seems, and when I had it sent off to be engraved in NYC, I asked the After Sales Advisor to have them "buff" it away without polishing the whole bracelet, which I explicitly stressed I didn't want them to do. It is no longer visible.

I think some people, including myself, are just more bothered than others about scratches. If it really bothers you, you can opt for that. Quite honestly, I don't have any other scratches on my two classic Loves other than the superficial, natural scratches because I am extremely conscious of taking extra care, more than the average person! It's just my personality. I get extremely bothered by imperfections.

Good luck!

 

[lovellama]

It might help. But as others have said here, I’d recommend leaving it alone. Scratches that bothered me early on when owning the Love bracelet, I literally can’t find them once the patina develops (patina is a bunch of micro scratches all blending together). Just be patient and accept the scratches

I greatly appreciate your comment and also explaining what “patina” means to my newbie brain. Thanks for the advice, will work on loving the piece with every scratch that comes with it.

Congratulations on your new love! I have a recent, similar scratch on mine (don’t recall how it happened) and honestly, it doesn’t bother me. It looks like the constant contact with sweaters etc. are buffing it out a bit over time and it’s becoming less noticeable. I am, however, careful with my things and wouldn’t risk real damage (for instance if I’m moving rocks in the garden I will wear a wrist sweatband and gardening gloves for protection). I was in a boutique recently and the SA did a (what I believe) was a shining service (with it on my arm with a paper towel between the bracelet and my skin because I didn’t want to remove it). It only took a few minutes. Although it looked nice and shiny, the small scratches “came back”. She used a cloth with rouge in it (a very mild abrasive) called a sunshine cloth from Amazon. I wouldn’t even do this too often, as over time it could reduce the depth or soften the crisp edges of the screw motif. I’ve grown to appreciate the patina of everyday wear in the 3 years I’ve had mine. Also, I keep the bottom side of the bracelet to the bottom, since it is definitely showing a more dull appearance; that way the upper, more visible shinier side shows better. Hope this helps! Top and bottom shown here…

Thank you so much @Cat Fondler. I’m definitely going to buy a wrist sweatband for when I do exercise and housework. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that sooner. Your bracelets look so beautiful on your wrist! Thank you for sharing

If I'm not mistaken, what the OP did is probably the "shine treatment" as I don't think that is sufficient enough to take out any scratches; thus, the marks came back after some weeks.

I can see how you @lovellama would be bothered by that scuff as it differs greatly from the superficial, natural scratches that occur in my opinion. I got one of those on my 4 diamond a while back although mine was not as deep as yours it seems, and when I had it sent off to be engraved in NYC, I asked the After Sales Advisor to have them "buff" it away without polishing the whole bracelet, which I explicitly stressed I didn't want them to do. It is no longer visible.

I think some people, including myself, are just more bothered than others about scratches. If it really bothers you, you can opt for that. Quite honestly, I don't have any other scratches on my two classic Loves other than the superficial, natural scratches because I am extremely conscious of taking extra care, more than the average person! It's just my personality. I get extremely bothered by imperfections.

Good luck!

Thank you @Chaton. I’ll see how I go at the Cartier this weekend. Damn I didn’t think the scratch was that deep I was trying my best to capture the scratch on camera. I think I will get better with time when I add a few more to my collection ☺️

 

[Chaton]

Thank you @Chaton. I’ll see how I go at the Cartier this weekend. Damn I didn’t think the scratch was that deep I was trying my best to capture the scratch on camera. I think I will get better with time when I add a few more to my collection ☺️

Well, pictures can be deceiving. If it doesn’t bother you that much and you don’t think it’s that deep, then you should probably leave it alone and wait for the patina to form.

 

[Cat Fondler]

Thank you so much @Cat Fondler. I’m definitely going to buy a wrist sweatband for when I do exercise and housework. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that sooner. Your bracelets look so beautiful on your wrist! Thank you for sharing

Aww, thank you @lovellama. Enjoy the journey!

 

[Lux.]

I don't recommend sending it in because scratches are inevitable and what are you going to do, have them buff/polish it out every time it happens and wear your bracelet down over the years?

 

[shazzy99]

My SA said she has had her Love bracelet for 10 years and refuses to polish it, even though she can have it done anytime. As others have mentioned, a bit of the gold is polished off each time, and in her words, each scratch is a memory, she doesn’t want to erase her memories. I thought that was a really nice way to think about enjoying the pieces you have…

 

[elizapav]

My SA said she has had her Love bracelet for 10 years and refuses to polish it, even though she can have it done anytime. As others have mentioned, a bit of the gold is polished off each time, and in her words, each scratch is a memory, she doesn’t want to erase her memories. I thought that was a really nice way to think about enjoying the pieces you have…

My SA said the same and she had an arm candy worth of memories. My LB is only 3 years old, has some patina and shows the daily love and wear, but this is my preference, no shine for me (yet)!

 

[Lillianlm]

Not a Love but here is a mother of all scratches on the nailhead of my 8 month old diamond JUC. I’ll try to buff it out with a cloth but if it doesn’t come out, it’ll be a gentle reminder of the scars and imperfections we add as we live. (And that’s what I’ll keep telling myself!)