On examining the remaining earring, she allegedly found that its lock was loose and did not work properly. The remaining earring was sent to the manufacturer for inspection but was returned more than a month later with the response that the issue could not be fixed. Panel checks earringRejecting the defence, the commission noted that during the hearing, the complainant requested the members to examine the remaining earring. The two women members of the commission physically checked the earring and found that its lock was “considerably loose”, making it likely to open during use. The commission held that this established that the earring was lost because of a manufacturing defect in the locking mechanism.