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Basic 9ct solder including polishing -------------------------------------------------------------------- £9 Basic 18ct solder including polishing ----------------------------------------------------------------- £12 Basic silver solder including polishing----------------------------------------------------------------- £6 A discount of 50% on all solders over 5 on the same article i.e. charms soldered on a bracelet Polishing starts from-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- £3 Resizing a 9ct ring downwards without stones from----------------------------------------------- £15 Resizing a 18ct ring downwards without stones from --------------------------------------------- £20 Resizing a silver ring downwards without stones from --------------------------------------------£10 |
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It is not possible to make a general quote for making a ring larger as material has to be supplied and there are too many variables to be factored into the
price to produce a price list. Most Gemstones are vulnerable to the heating required to make a solder repairs. This is because most gemstones are crystals that grow out of a liquid medium over the course of a few thousand years. This means that being natural there always remain a few water droplets trapped within the crystal. On heating these droplets expand and can crack the stone from the inside. Some stones are also artificially coloured and the colour can change or fade if heated. Because of this, different types of repair solutions have to be found. In some cases the stone may have to be removed then reset after the soldering repair is completed. Less vulnerable stones can be covered in a heat paste as a protection against the heat. Creative Gold has a gem supplier that can provide replacement stones of almost any shape, colour and cut needed. In special cases a Lapidary can trim a cabochon stone if the size is not available. Most gemstones can be reset or replaced within a week. Jobs requiring new claws or custom cut stones take about a fortnight. A new method of carrying out repairs on jewellery with vulnerable stones has come about with the commercialisation of the laser. These machines are extremely expensive to buy and use a vast quantity of electricity, but are able to heat up a tiny point on the metal to make a join without the heat travelling and thereby damaging a nearby stone. They are also ideal for making repairs on very fine chains or where a conventional solder would cause a loss of movement on a articulating piece. Here, the ruby ring has had inserts laser soldered to the inside of the shank to reduce the size. Traditional size reduction would distort the ring causing the stones to fall out. |
 
Laser repairs start at £15 on a basic gold chain repair and are usually invisible to the naked eye. The laser repair to a silver article is almost double because the properties of silver are different to gold requiring a much high usage of electricity to preform a join. Laser repairs are contracted out and take about a week. The before and after photos show a delicate Art Deco pendant that I am particularly proud of having repaired  
  14ct jade and pearl set cross repaired and reinforced with gold patch. Damaged Gold watch bracelet repaired by making a new articulated ladder between the clasp and mesh bracelet. Constructed out of sheet, tube and wire.  
 This necklet has been extended in length by 7 inches. 
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