Few things can be as upsetting to a jeweler as having a customer return a ring due to prong failure. In some cases, the stone has fallen out and has been lost. This causes additional problems such as replacement cost, possible damage to the jeweler’s reputation, and the likelihood of liability. Also, many pieces have sentimental value, which cannot be restored by even the most skilled craftsman. Continue reading
Category Archives: Repair and Soldering
New Wave – Tips for working with alternative metals
With the high price of gold, jewelry makers are looking to incorporate alternative metals into their lines. I frequently work with palladium and stainless steel in my shop. The following are a few tips and tricks you can use to work more effectively with these metals.
Solder Safety Precautions
lthough we provide cadmium-free solders, we still feel that using cadmium-free solder is a way of disguising the real problem: Continue reading
The Adjustable Ring System*
With this product every ring can be expandable — even eternity bands. The Adjustable Ring System has two components: a two-piece hinge and an expansion piece. Continue reading
Adjusto Shank®
The Adjusto Shank® is a truly adjustable shank that enables the wearer to put a ring on any finger and have it fit comfortably. Unlike other hinged shanks that have a fixed size when closed, Hoover & Strong’s Adjusto Shank® can be adjusted to many sizes. Here is how to put it together: Continue reading
Pickle: Cleaning up after Soldering
When you heat up your work for soldering and reach the temperature at which solder flows, you are also creating oxides on the surface of your metal that mar its appearance. In November, we dealt with removing a particularly tricky oxide called fire scale. Other surface oxides are easier to remove, and for these the jeweler can use an acid solution commonly called pickle, which will also remove the residue of flux at the same time. You can also remove these oxides by abrasion using files or abrasive paper, but using a pickle is more efficient. Continue reading
Removing One Half Size of a Ring
Beginner-to-intermediate project.
Fourth in a series of 12 ring repair projects.
Continue reading
Installing a Spring Insert
Intermediate project. Eighth in a series of 12 ring repair projects.
Photos: Barry Blau. Continue reading
Look on the White Side
Enter the alloy designers. Some praise them. Some pity them. For the alloy designers have a tough job on their hands: They have to design metals that are not only aesthetically pleasing, but also offer mechanical properties suitable for making jewelry. This is not an easy task. Continue reading
Restoring a Hollow Bangle
Jewelry brought in for repair reflects the increasingly competitive marketplace for inexpensive fine jewelry. With care, however, you can repair it and keep your customer happy.
A word of caution: The procedures shown here represent standard practices commonly used by jewelers across the country. Nonetheless, working with acids, solvents, torches, sharp tools, spinning tools, etc. can be hazardous. Learn about potentially harmful procedures and take the appropriate steps to protect yourself. Continue reading
All Hoover & Strong products are MADE IN AMERICA.
