It may be tempting to try to mend an article of broken jewellery at home. If it is an expensive piece, then the fix may be expensive as well. With an ill-fit wedding ring, broken necklace chain or dirty stone, what should be done depends on a few key factors.
Over the course of marriage, people’s fingers can grow, shrink and altogether change. This may cause a wedding band or engagement ring to no longer fit over time. So, what should one do? Bust out the pliers and get to work? That is probably not advisable. Most wedding ring adjustments are intricate, involving soldering, then cutting and disposing of the metal if the ring is too big, or adding metal if the ring is too small. Using pliers or any other tool to distort the shape of the metal will only ruin the ring’s structural integrity and monetary value, so it is probably best to leave ring-related jewellery repairs to a professional.
What about chain alterations? One of the biggest problems a necklace chain faces is hair or lint getting caught in it. If the hair is jerked out quickly, the chain can become crimped and twisted; this can happen in herringbone, serpentine, link, filigree and anchor chains. There exists a quick fix solution to this problem if there is not too much hair stuck in the necklace. One can cover the necklace in shaving cream, let it sit for five to 10 minutes, and then rinse thoroughly to remove the hair particles. However, if too much hair is stuck in the necklace to the point in which a bad amendment attempt could compromise the structural integrity of the accessory, a professional who performs jewellery repairs regularly will do so for a better price than the total loss of the jewellery itself.
Lastly, what should one do about a diamond or stone that needs to be buffed and polished? This can be performed easier than the previous two examples. Most large retailers carry cleaning kits that contain tools to buff and polish dirty diamonds. The price for one of these kits is reasonable, and the cleaning only takes a few minutes. If the results are not proficient, then a jewellery retailer can buff and polish dirty diamonds more thoroughly for a higher price.
If the problem is superficial, many jewellery repairs can be fixed independently with the proper tools and steady hands. But if a personal ornament is subject to further physical damage, and the owner does not fix the problem properly, the fix may be in better hands with a professional. The best solution to making sure one’s pieces stay well kept and unbroken is to have a professional regularly inspect the jewellery to ensure that one’s valuable pieces will last a lifetime.
