Your Jewelry Repair Questions: Answered

We get this question all the time. People want their jewelry to look just the way it did before a gemstone fell out; who wouldn't? That's why we have literally 100s of carats of loose diamonds, sapphires, rubies, opals, pearls, and more in all shapes and sizes to choose from when selecting a replacement stone for repairs. Matching stones takes a discerning eye, attention to detail, extensive gemological training, and years of experience. Of course, some gems are more difficult to match than others. Pearls, opals, and other gems with patterns in them (blood stone, pietersite, etc.) are notoriously difficult to match. With these difficult to match gems, we search through our inventory and our numerous suppliers' inventories to find the closest candidate, and we are normally able to find something that is quite similar to the original. So, that beautiful piece of jewelry you love can look just the way it used to again.

In a large number of jewelry pieces, the valuable diamonds and gemstones are held in place with prongs. With wear, the tops of these prongs can become worn down. If the prongs wear down too much, the stone becomes at risk of falling out of the mounting. Retipping is the process of adding a small amount of metal (usually gold or platinum) to the top of worn down prongs to keep the gemstone secure. In the past, almost all gemstones had to first be removed from their mountings for retipping, and then reset after it was done due to the high heat that is generated by the jeweler's torch. However, with our laser welder we are able to retip prongs next to many gemstones (diamonds, sapphires, and rubies for example) without removing them, saving you time and money.

Yes and no. A few years ago, the answer to this question would have normally been no, but with the introduction of the laser welder, we are actually able to repair many costume and fashion jewelry pieces that would have been beyond help before. Now, there will always be some jewelry that cannot be repaired for one reason or another. But, with the laser welder in the hands of our skilled craftsmen there is a good chance we will be able to repair your jewelry.

Losing a diamond or gemstone out of a ring of any size is a sad experience, and losing a big diamond can be tragic. To prevent this from happening, the best thing you can do is take your jewelry in for regular check-ups every 6 months. In between check-ups, you can see if stones are coming loose by gently prodding them with a fine pointed, nonmetallic object, like a toothpick. If the stone moves, it is probably loose. Stop wearing the piece, and bring it in to have the stone tightened by a jeweler.