Top 5 most common jewelry repairs
Your jewelry is very personal and meaningful to you. So, accidentally damaging one of your favorite pieces can be really sad. But don’t worry if this happens to you! Although jewelry repairs can range from easy-peasy to complex, the most common issues that need repairing can be easily fixed by professional jewelers.
Here are the five most common jewelry repairs, their causes, and how jewelers fix them:
1. Ring Resizing
The most common request when it comes to repairing jewelry is resizing rings. Just like the name suggests, a jeweler will adjust your ring to fit perfectly to your finger.
Your fingers change in size for several reasons, and we have all experienced this in one way or another. Your rings might fit perfectly in the winter, but then summer comes, and you can’t wear them on the same finger we used to. That’s completely normal!
Another reason ring resizing is so popular is because many people have rings that are family heirlooms, or they opt for a vintage engagement ring - and you have to be super lucky for those to perfectly fit you! So, size alterations are usually a must in these cases.
2. Prong Repair and replacement
Prongs are those little hooks that hold gemstones in place. Over time, it’s not unusual for those tiny pieces of metal to wear out, making the gemstone they are holding unstable. Repairs differ from flattening a prong and putting it back in place to replacing all the prongs around a gemstone.
You can check if prongs need repairing just by looking at any jewelry piece you have - say, your engagement ring. If you see that one prong doesn’t look like the others, or if a prong keeps pulling threads off sweaters or blankets, it might be time to get it repaired.
3. Loose Gemstones
Gemstones can get loose over time from normal wear and tear, but this can also happen if you accidentally bump your jewelry against hard surfaces. To prevent that from happening, don’t wear these jewelry pieces to places where they are likely to take a hit - like the gym.
Loose gemstones can usually be fixed rather quickly, as sometimes all it takes is tightening a couple of prongs. In case the prongs are too worn, though, a replacement is usually necessary.
4. Clasp and Chain Repairs
Another common repair consists of fixing broken necklace and bracelet chains or loose clasps.
Many of us wear our favorite necklaces 24/7 - be it in the office, at the beach, or even in the shower. And we all have that one bracelet that always catches and snags our clothes. So, it’s quite common for a few chain links to get slightly damaged over time or even break. Thankfully, broken chains are easily repaired, and clasps can also be seamlessly replaced!
5. Broken Shank
This happens more often than you’d think. Even though metals used in jewelry are quite hard to break, occasional fractures may occur over time. After all, it’s not uncommon for us to wear the same jewelry piece every day for years - such as our wedding bands. Thankfully, these breaks are quite easy to repair. All it takes is soldering a little piece of the same metal (usually gold or platinum) to the ring to have it looking good as new!
If you have any article of jewelry that needs repairing, there is no need to worry - Blakeman’s Jewelers are here to help you! Take advantage of our on-site gemologist and bench jeweler, who will take good care of your most valuable and sentimental pieces. And while your item is being repaired, you can watch our jeweler at work.
Stop by our store in Rogers, AR, at any time. We are always happy to help you repair your jewelry so that it can continue to be worn and loved for generations to come.
