It’s an accident that has happened to the best of us. A piece of jewelry, like a necklace, ring or earring accidentally falls into the sink drain. First, don’t panic although that would be your initial reaction.

There are a few methods you can use to retrieve that necklace (or whatever piece of jewelry fell down there).

Method 1 – Suck It Up

Using a wet/dry vacuum or a shop vac is effective but with caution. If the necklace is made out of delicate material or has pendants on it that you don’t want to damage, you may not want to use this method.

Also, if the necklace has now entwined itself on something in your drain it may not be able to come loose enough to be vacuumed up.

This method would work best for rings, earrings, cufflings, etc.

Method 2 – Hook It

You can use a fishing line with a hook or even a straightened out wire hanger (with a hook on the end) to pull out the necklace.

This works great if that piece of jewelry has not fallen down too far or is beyond the reach of the hook that you are using.

Again, you want to be careful to not damage the necklace.

Method 3 – Magnets

In order to use a strong magnet to get the necklace up out of the drain there has to be some iron in that necklace, otherwise it won’t work. And just like the vacuum method, if the necklace is entangled on something in the drain then the magnet may not be able to pull it up either.

Method 4 – Disassemble The Pipe

If none of the methods above worked, then you will have to disassemble the pipe that is under the sink. Of course this is assuming that you can get to those pipes.

Okay, so here are the steps…

  1. Turn off the water to the sink. There are two turnoff valves (one for cold and one for hot). Turn both of them off by turning them clockwise. (Righty tighty, Lefty loosy)
  2. Place a bucket under the p-trap (the curved section of the pipe).
  3. Use pliers or a wrench to loosen the two large nuts that are joining the p-trap and the pipes together.
  4. Pull the trap off the pipes (there should be water in that p-trap so be careful).
  5. Your necklace is most likely caught in that p-trap so you can now retrieve it easily.
  6. Once you are done, re-install the p-trap, tighten the two nut bolts and turn your water back on.

Any one of these methods can work for you but if you are still unable to retrieve your necklace or other piece of jewelry, call in a professional plumber to help you.

If you have any problems or questions about your sink drains, call Atlantis Plumbing today at 770-443-8229. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.