As we continue to talk about restoring, repairing or repurposing your special heirlooms, I hope I’ve given you some ideas for those items that remain in your jewelry box or dresser drawer.
While I will continue to offer ideas throughout the year, this will be the final post for this series. So far, we’ve talked about pocket watches, watch chains, brooches, pins, and vintage earrings. In this article, I’ll talk about pearls, resetting family diamonds and appraisals.
PEARLS
Pearls are strung on knotted silk thread. If you see signs of stretching – space between the knots and the pearls – or fraying, you may need to have them restrung. Restringing is a valuable maintenance expense for pearls, and doing this before a break is the best preventative practice.
Because a pearl is organic, it is softer and easily damaged, especially with our girly products like hairspray, lotion, sunscreen and perfume. Pearls should be the “last on and first off” to protect them. Never immerse them in water or cleaner as this will cause the silk stringing to stretch and weaken. Jewelry cleaners are much too strong for pearls and should never be used. If you need to clean them at home, wipe pearls with a damp cloth to remove any grime.
RESETTING DIAMONDS
Do you have a diamond that has been passed down? Maybe you have your mom’s wedding ring? We can reset any diamond into current pieces that you’ll want to wear every day. Honestly, this is one of our favorite projects and we have numerous suggestions that will reflect your personality – and won’t break the bank!
Was your grandmother a tiny little thing and nothing fits you? We can make the most amazing bracelet and necklace extension pieces, and enlarge almost any ring so it will fit your hand.
APPRAISAL
Would you like to have an item appraised? Our independent graduate gemologist can provide appraisals for your most valuable pieces. Nothing leaves our store; all appraisal work is done in our secured gem lab. We charge $150 for the first piece and $100 for each additional piece.
As always, we do the basic repairs that any piece of jewelry needs: new prongs, new clasps, restringing pearls and beads, or a new shank to replace a worn, thin one.
If you have a special heirloom that I haven’t discussed, please bring it in. We have worked with so many different types of items, and our number one goal is to preserve and create something you’ll want to wear all the time.
