Everything You Need to Know about Jewelry Repairs

Jewelry repairs often scare us. When you see your favorite jewelry piece ruined, a sense of despair overcomes you. You know that you can take it for a repair at a jewelry shop, but what are the risks? Will your jewelry piece look exactly as it did before the repair? Will it be more fragile? Don’t worry, it is normal to ask yourself these questions. We know that you have learned how to clean jewelry and how to store it so that it stays in perfect condition. Now it’s the time to learn what jewelry repairs mean. Read further to find out the answers.

Common jewelry repairs

If your jewelry needs repairing, you are not the only one. In fact, there are a couple of common jewelry repairs that each jeweler deals with.

Jewelry repairs for your rings, earrings, & cuff bracelets

Most of the time, women need jewelry repairs when it comes to these jewelry pieces for a couple of reasons:

Damaged setting. Whether we are talking about a ring, a cuff or bangle bracelet featuring gemstones or a couple of gemstone earrings, these pieces features gemstones in a setting. Usually, it is a bezel or prong setting. Because of mechanical shocks or simple wear & tear, the prongs in the setting may become loose, bent or even break. This will put the gemstones in danger as the purpose of the setting is to secure the rock. Taking your pieces for jewelry repairs is crucial if you notice something wrong with the setting. Repairing prongs is very simple. The jeweler may choose to replace or re-tip them and it will not take long. However, if you don’t take your jewelry for repairs, you may lose the stone and it will need to be replaced. This will be far more expensive than repairing the setting.
Your fine jewelry may get scratched, especially if it’s made of high karat gold. As you know, gold is a soft metal and the higher the karat, the higher the risk of scratches. Depending on the severity of the scratch, the jeweler may choose to polish your jewelry pieces or add another layer of gold. Most of the times, the usual scratches will go away with a bit of professional polishing.
Discoloured patches. Vermeil, plated jewelry or even white gold jewelry may get discoloured in time. This happens because there is a layer of gold, silver or rhodium on top of another core metal. Because of water contact, hard polishing or usual wear & tear, the plating may wear off and the piece will start showing discoloured patches where the underneath metal becomes visible. Jewelry repairs in the case mean replating the piece.

Jewelry repairs for chain necklaces, bracelets or earrings

When it comes to chain jewelry, one of the most common problems is that the chain can break. These jewelry repairs are more complicated than the previous ones because of the complexity of the links. However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t do it. It may cost more than other jewelry repairs, but, in the end, you will be able to wear your favorite link chain again.

Flat chain repairs are undetectable, but if the chain is very small, then you may notice some stiffness around the previously broken links after the repair. Also, you should know that the chain will not be as strong as it was before the repair. This being said, jewelry repairs are great because they allow you to wear your pieces again. You just have to be extra-careful with them after that.

Ring resizing

While this procedure may not fall into the category of jewelry repairs, it is still a common reason for women to take their jewelry to the jewelers. With ring resizing you have three options:

Spring inserts that go inside the shank to adjust your ring to 1-2 finger sizes.
Sizing beads which the jeweler places inside the bottom of the shank. However, this procedure doesn’t work to adjust the ring for more than half a size.
Cutting & soldering. The jeweler will cut the metal and add or remove parts of it to resize the ring. After these jewelry repairs are finished, you shouldn’t be able to notice any sign on the surface of the ring. However, you should know that platinum rings are nearly impossible to resize.

How do you know the jewelry repairs were high-quality?

Before you take your pieces for jewelry repairs, you should do a little bit of research. Find a shop that has a certified jeweler on staff so that you know your pieces are in the hands of an expert. After you get back your jewelry piece, analyse it for common jewelry repairs issues:

Tool or hammering marks on the surface of the piece
Visible seams in rings or chains where the metal was cut and soldered
Loose stones in the settings

If you don’t notice any of these issues and the repaired area has the same luster and color like the rest of the piece, then it means the jewelry repairs were successful. However, if this is not the case, ask for your money back and take your pieces to another jeweler.

If you enjoyed finding out more about jewelry repairs, continue to read our other articles as well. You will find plenty of useful information about jewelry care & fashion. To view Ana Luisa’s designer jewelry collections, visit our online jewelry shop.

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Ruxandra

Ruxandra is a fashion blogger who teaches fashion stumped twenty to thirty somethings how to shop their jewelry boxes for polished new ensembles. Her work has been featured in Vogue, Fashionista, Nylon, and Refinery29.