Permanent Jewelry Guide · Published · Updated September 2026
How to Remove Permanent Jewelry (MRI, Surgery and Airports)
Here is how to remove permanent jewelry: snip the jump ring with small scissors or clippers and the chain comes away in one piece. You do not need a special tool, and the weld does not lock you into wearing it. The chain stays yours.
The sections below cover taking a chain off yourself, medical scans and surgery, airport security and getting the chain put back on afterward. They also explain why the welding itself puts no heat on your skin.
It comes off whenever you need it to
Permanent jewelry is permanent in how it is worn. It is not permanent in how it is built. The chain is closed with a tiny jump ring, and that ring is the only part that has to be opened. To take the chain off, you cut through the jump ring with small scissors or clippers. The two ends of the chain come free and the chain is left whole.
Cut the jump ring and not the chain. The ring is the small closed loop that joins the two ends, and it is the easiest part to find. Once it is cut, the chain slides off your wrist, ankle or neck like any open chain would. You keep it, and you keep its full length.
If you do it yourself, go slowly. Keep the blade on the ring and away from your skin. Small clippers work as well as small scissors. Catch the pieces of the ring in your palm or a dish, because a jump ring is tiny and easy to lose, and it is worth keeping with the chain.
Most people never need to do this. The ones who do usually have a reason: a scan, a procedure or a change of plans. None of those is a problem, because the way out is always the same. If you would rather not use scissors on your own chain, come to the showroom and we will cut it for you.
Medical scans and surgery
Follow your doctor’s or technician’s instructions. That is the whole rule. They know the equipment and they know your case, and we do not. If they ask you to take the chain off, cut the jump ring and bring it back to us afterward.
We make no claim about what a chain does inside a scanner. That call belongs to the person running it, and we would rather you ask them than take our word for it. Anything on this page about your body is a question for your doctor and not for us. We are jewelers.
The practical step is to ask early. Mention the chain when your scan or procedure is booked, so nobody is surprised on the day and you have time to have it cut beforehand if you want. A chain that comes off with a snip is about the simplest thing on any list of items to remove. It is not lost when it comes off. It is kept, and it can be closed again.
If you arrive at an appointment still wearing the chain, say so at check-in. Tell the technician what it is and where it sits, then let them decide. Staff handle questions about jewelry all day, and a chain that comes off with a snip is not an emergency for anybody.
Airport security
Fine chains are rarely an issue at airport security. A permanent bracelet or anklet is a thin chain, and screening staff see thin chains all day. Screening is still their call, so follow the staff on the day. Equipment and rules differ from one airport to the next, and a checkpoint officer can ask for anything to come off.
If an officer asks you to take a piece off, the jump ring is what you cut. The chain goes into your bag and comes home with you. Nothing about the weld changes how you move through a checkpoint. You wear the chain as you normally do, you answer questions politely and you do what the officer asks.
It helps to carry a small pouch in your bag when you travel. If a piece does come off, the pouch keeps the chain and the cut ring together until you are home. Do not leave a chain loose in a screening tray, where small things go missing.
Getting it put back on
A removed chain is not a spent chain. Bring it to the showroom and we close it again. A jeweler joins the two ends with a jump ring and the chain goes back on your wrist, ankle or neck the way it went on the first time.
Walk-ins are welcome during showroom hours, which are Monday – Saturday 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM and Sunday 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM. You can also book a welding appointment if you would rather have a time set aside. Either way the chain has to come with you, so keep it somewhere safe once it is off. A fine chain is easy to lose in a bag or a bathroom drawer, and a small pouch or a jewelry box is all it needs.
We look at the chain before we close it. A chain that was cut at the jump ring is straightforward. A chain that was cut through a link is shorter than it was, and we will tell you what that means for the fit before we do anything. That is the reason to cut the ring and not the chain when you take it off.
Is the welding safe?
The welding is set up so that nothing hot touches you. The weld happens on a tiny jump ring, and the jeweler holds that ring away from your skin. The spark is small and a small leather or rubber shield sits under it, between the ring and you. There is no heat on the skin because the skin is not where the work happens.
The jump ring is very small, and the weld is a brief spark and not a flame. That is why it can be done with the ring held clear of you. The chain is fitted around your wrist, ankle or neck first, so the jeweler sizes it on you and closes it there. You are never handed a chain that was closed somewhere else.
The appointment takes minutes per piece. You sit down, the chain is fitted to you and it is closed on you instead of being sent away. Ask us anything before we start. If your question is about your own health, put it to your doctor as well, because that answer is theirs to give.
Whatever comes up later, the way out is the one this guide began with. Snip the jump ring, keep the chain and bring it to us whenever you want it closed again.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related guides and pages
- Permanent jewelryChains, metals and how a welding appointment works.
- Permanent necklacesWelded necklace chains, sized on you.
- What is permanent jewelryThe weld, the chains and what to expect.
- How much is permanent jewelryWhy we quote at the counter.
- Gold karats explainedWhat 10K and 14K mean when a chain is solid gold.
Permanent jewelry
Bring the Chain In
Walk-ins are welcome during showroom hours. Book a welding appointment if you would rather have a time set aside, or call the showroom with a question first.
Prefer to talk? Call (704) 684-7530