When repairing a piece of jewelry one of the first things that need to take place it to examine what has been done to the piece already. In this case it includes how the silver ring was made, looking for any previous repairs and lastly to closely examine what has happened to the ring. In this case the poor ring was ran over by a car, which put a great deal of stress on two areas where there are tighter bends. This will cause the metal to work harden. If proper care isn’t taken at these stressed areas the metal will probably break when re-forming the ring to its original shape. To keep this from occurring you must anneal the ring, which will allow the metal to relax enough allowing it to form without doing further damage. Once the ring has been shaped and any major scratches or gouges cleaned up or filled with silver solder the ring is finally polished and is as good as new. Though most of my work is designing and creating engagement and wedding rings, I enjoy the challenge of taking an old piece of jewelry that many people would discard and through some special care on my part give it new life. Contact me if I can help you with your jewelry needs in any way. www.jimdailing.com
The repairing and restoration of fine jewelry
