When your favorite piece of jewelry breaks, it can feel like the end of the world.
Alright, that may be a bit of an exaggeration unlike if you had lost it or had it stolen, but you get the drift.
If you have a piece of jewelry that needs repair, it’s important to know something about the process and what factors will affect the time it takes to get it done.
Just as it can take several weeks to have your car repair done, having a piece of jewelry repaired can easily stretch into a lengthy timeline too, depending on many factors.
Here are some time considerations to remember when you are in need of fixing your Precious.
- You will have to “get in line”.
- You may have to wait for parts before repair can begin.
- You may have chosen the busiest times of year to have work done.
- Your bench jeweler might be in the middle of a custom job or is having problems getting the right parts for your job.
- Your item may have to be sent out to someone else for more intricate or specialized work.
If you are not one who is naturally blessed with a patient temperament, then your best bet for having the possibility of getting the work done sooner is to call every jewelry store in town to find out what their workload looks like for your type of repair issue.
You may be able to shave off an entire week of wait time if one of the bench jewelers already has the parts that are needed on hand or is not too busy.
If the work requirement is very simple or minimal, you may even want to ask the store if you can make an appointment to simply bring it in and have it worked on while you wait.
Some stores may have their bench jeweler working on site and may be willing to accommodate you with this.
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What Types of Jewelry Can Be Repaired?
Generally speaking, if you bought a piece of jewelry from a jewelry store rather than from off of eBay or Pawn shop, then you should have been told about how to care for it and how often to bring it in for inspection.
Most jewelry can be repaired, unless it is made from a metal that cannot be sized or worked on.
Two of these metals include:
- Tungsten
- Titanium
These metals are not malleable, cannot be soldered and are difficult to even cut.
If you purchased one of these types of rings, hopefully someone would have told you that they are not user friendly. At all.
Let’s look at some of the most common items that will eventually land into the hands of a bench jeweler for repair.
- Rings that have been cracked, stepped on, bent out of shape, have sharp or snagged prongs, are worn down or that were damaged with chemicals. All of these can usually be easily repaired.
- Bracelets that have broken or loose clasps, come apart in the joints from stress or constant use, are wearing thin or have areas that need to be fortified.
- Necklaces and chains that have broken or have non working clasps, have lost a jump ring that holds the two ends together, or have become kinked or totally broken.
- Strings of pearls that have broken or that have a clasp that no longer works.
What Types of Jewelry Can’t Be Repaired?
There are some pieces of jewelry that simply cannot be repaired. Most of those fall into the category of being antique or vintage (aside from the metals that cannot be worked on as mentioned above).
Antique & Vintage Jewelry
Through decades of regular use, some antique or vintage jewelry have simply worn out, and the metal is too thin to salvage.
Some antique pieces have gemstones that have been lost and none are able to be found to match what was originally in the piece such, as rose cut diamonds, oddly cut and sized gemstones, or the right size of seed pearls.
Additionally, some of the antique handmade filigree works are so intricate, detailed and fine that when they finally wear through, there is no way to replicate or repair those areas without spoiling the looks of the entire item.
If you have these types of family heirlooms, or have purchased some with the hopes of restoration, you will need to exhaust every possible avenue to see what can or cannot be done for it.
Hollow/Rope Style Chains
Additionally, most chains can be soldered back together if they were cut, worn down or broken, but be advised that the rope style or light hollow chains will show the area of work by becoming very stiff and unyielding where it is soldered.
If you love your rope style chain and it needs to be repaired, the best thing to do is simply replace the entire chain.
If this is not an option for you, then have a new piece made that matches as closely as possible and attach it where the old one was cut.
Enamel Work
Another repair that usually cannot be done is to chipped or cracked enamel work. The best you can hope for is to find someone very skilled in the art of enamel repair and even then, it will most likely be a patch job as the original piece cannot be located.
How Long Do Different Types of Repairs Take
The time it takes to do a repair is usually contingent on the item needing to be repaired and the complexity of the repair.
A simple soldering of a broken chain can take as little as 15 minutes to do, whereas a more complex repair, such as resetting diamonds into a ring that has had the metal worn away from years of wear, can take up to several days.
But for an idea of the typical turnaround time, lets just take the examples that were listed above and apply the average time to repair them.
- Rings: Time for sizing, soldering, repairing cracks, bent rings, prong issues, chemical damage, and dealing with sharp edges will take about 1 to 2 hrs for each type of injury. 1 hour for setting a stone or diamond into prongs.
- Bracelets: Replacing broken or loose clasps, repairing joints and links, soldering will take about 15 minutes to an hour per issue.
- Necklaces & Chains: Soldering a chain back together will take about 20 minutes. If the chain is severely kinked it may need to be replaced as it will not lay flat after being repaired.
- Earrings: Replacing backs, posts and clasps will take about 15 minutes to a half hour per issue.
- Strings of pearls or other types of broken strung gemstone necklaces: Restringing will take an average of 3 hours depending on length of necklace, and clasp repair will take between 1 to 2 hrs.
What Factors Affect How Long a Repair Takes
While the timeframes mentioned above are usually how long repairs can take once the bench jeweler has everything on their workbench that they need to complete the repair, there are other factors that can play into how long a particular repair will take.
These include waiting for parts to come in from the manufacturer, if a piece needs to be rhodium plated after repairs are completed, or if the jewelry needs to be sent out to another type of specialist
The factors that matter below are in addition to actual repair time needed.
- Complexity: Was the item a customized build, and are there stones that need to be purchased for replacement or sent out for re-cutting and/or polishing? Does the bench jeweler have ALL the materials on hand that are needed? Is there a problem finding certain parts for this job resulting in them having to be made in house instead? Does the item have to be rebuilt from scratch or redesigned?
- Time of Year: Is it 3 weeks before Christmas or Valentines Day or Mothers Day? Is the bench jeweler sick or perhaps taking a few weeks vacation?
- Availability: Are there any supply chain shortages or delays? Are the materials readily available or do they need to be ordered from out of country?
- Work Load: How many customers’ jobs were ahead of you before you walked in? Are there any complex custom design jobs ahead of you that will take a substantial amount of time to make before your repair can be done?
- Ability: Did the bench jeweler accidentally break or lose one of the stones needed to complete your job and will have to order another?
How long does it take to fix a ring?
With all of that in mind, the answer to how long it takes to fix a ring can vary greatly.
A simple repair where all of the materials are readily available and the bench jeweler is not backed up with other projects could be completed in as little as 15 minutes, but most jobs will be delivered in 7 days.
How long does it take to replace a diamond in a ring?
The length of time to replace a diamond in a ring is dependent on the setting and how complex it is.
A simple setting like a bezel or pave’ can take as little as 15 minutes to an hour, while a more complex setting like a halo or pronged ring will take longer because each stone needs to be set individually.
The average time for this repair is usually about two hours.
How long does it take a jeweler to solder a ring?
Soldering a ring is a fairly simple repair that can be done in about 20 minutes.
The exception to this is if the ring has multiple layers or pieces that need to be soldered together, which can take longer. You can usually expect a soldering job to be delivered within 3 days.
How much does it cost to fix broken jewelry?
A simple soldering job may only cost $20, while a more complex repair like resetting a diamond in a new setting could cost $200 or more. For most jewelry repairs, you can expect to pay between $50 and $100 unless specialized work needs to be done, such as re-cutting gemstones or filigree work.
Final Thoughts
Having your jewelry repaired should not elicit a panic attack.
Even with reasonable unforeseen and unexpected delays, your job will get done and it should be done to your complete satisfaction.
Rushing the process or thinking that you are the only person who is waiting for their work to be finished is not going to help you to remain at peace or guarantee your happiness.
The trick is to plan in advance for the repairs that you will need, and give the store plenty of time to ensure a great outcome.