FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

We have a level 2 expedited service, our while you wait service, with a limited daily availability. This service is available for chain solders, most ring sizings, and small diamond replacements, for a significant additional fee. Please call for price and availability.

We do sometimes! Our general rule is, if it would take longer to write up the repair envelope than to fix the item, we usually do it right then for no (or little) charge. These repairs may include simple ring cleaning and inspections, a single small stone tightening, closing a jump ring back together, etc... If the item needs soldering or polishing, please expect to need to leave it with us.

For MOST polishing and/or rhodium plating, if you get the item to us by 2:00pm, it will be ready the next morning at opening.

We understand trusting someone with your precious jewelry can be hard. If you are concerned, we will show you your diamond or gemstone under magnification before you leave it with us, and you can look again when you pick it up. We have worked on many thousands (or more!) of valuable and priceless items over the years. Not one item will ever be worth even the hint of "switching" against the reputation we have earned over the last 40+ years. However, if you are still concerned, my honest answer is please don't leave it with us, find someone you do trust to work on your items.

Gold, silver and platinum can become brittle, and crack or break for a number of reasons. They can become work hardened from age and wear and tear, or sometimes on a brand new piece, the casting may have had some impurities or porosity in it, causing weak spots. However, if you are experiencing multiple cracks or broken prongs "for no reason", your jewelry may have experienced crystallization due to chlorine exposure.

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Jewelry is most often exposed to chlorine from swimming pools or hot tubs, or cleaning products with bleach. Without getting into to much chemistry, the chlorine breaks the bonds holding the karat jewelry together, causing micro-fractures to develop. These weak spots most often develop in the thinnest areas of a ring, like the prongs or at the bottom of the shank. Then, with the slightest of bumps from normal wear and tear, the micro-fractures become full on cracks, sometimes shearing a prong right off.

If your jewelry is NOT currently showing any signs of crystallization, just stop swimming with them! However, if your items have become crystallized, unfortunately there are very few options. We can try to retip, solder or reshank the broken spots, but there is no way to undo the exposure once its happened. Most repairs at this point are only "patch jobs". The only true way to get out of the crystallization is to completely remake the item with fresh metal.

The only rings we can stretch (or shrink) are relatively plain wedding bands, with only a simple pattern and no stones. Every other ring must be cut and sized properly. This avoids damaged to the delicate stone settings, as well as avoiding any "thinning" that might occur from trying to stretch. In most cases, trying to stretch anything other than a simple wedding band will result in the ring breaking at the weakest point.

We regularly work in all 10kt, 14kt, and 18kt yellow and white gold, all platinum and palladium styles, and sterling silver. We are happy to work on base metal, or costume, items. However, we are more limited to what repairs are possible on costume items. Please give a try for your costume jewelry repairs, we won't be sure if it can be fixed or not until we see the item.