Sometimes all it takes to transform an outfit from plain to fabulous is knowing the right necklace to wear. You most likely have your favourite necklaces in your jewellery collection.
You might feel a little heartbroken to find your beloved necklace’s chain has broken. What can you do since you don’t want to discard the necklace (even though the chain has broken)?
It’s not as difficult as you might think to fix a broken necklace chain, but it does require some specialised equipment and much patience.
Keep reading to learn the fundamental actions you can take to fix the chain and go back to wearing your necklace if you’re looking for advice on how to mend a broken necklace chain.
Get Your Materials
Before you begin making your chain necklace, you’ll need a few components, including:
- A magnifying lens, such as a microscope or a magnifying glass
- Screwdrivers
- Pliers
- Forceps
Make sure the materials you purchase are in keeping with the length of the necklace chain. For instance, rather than the pliers, you might use for household tasks, you might want to think about purchasing the tiny ones that people use for tying fishing lures.
The kind of gear you use for this will rely on personal preference because the magnifying lens you purchase will be utilised to enable you to view the rings in your necklace chain more clearly.
You might need to pry a chain ring open in some circumstances before using your tiny forceps to connect it to the other side. You can then close the connection with the help of the tiny pliers, as we’ll explain in more detail later.
Another choice is to buy a set of tools for jewellery makers. If you have a lot of necklaces or want to create a trade out of doing this for other people, you should invest in this. You might need one to create your own jewellery, too!
Every instrument you could possibly need for this kind of job is included in the package, which is available for purchase at any kind of craft or jewellery-making store. While you’re there, be sure to pick up some additional chainrings (or links) in case you need them for upcoming tasks.
Establish Your Workspace
The most important thing to keep in mind is that this task requires a flat surface. Any table would do, whether a sewing table, workstation, vanity, or kitchen table.
If something falls while you’re working on it, you need it to land on a flat surface rather than on the floor or your lap, so keep in mind that you want the surface to be clear of anything else. Don’t let the necklace break while you’re fixing it!
Having a surface to rest your arms or hands-on while you work will also help you to steady yourself. This will lessen the likelihood that you will unintentionally break the necklace further.
Remember that this procedure can take a while, especially if the break is significant. Even a skilled jeweller will take some time to fix a pricey chain necklace break.
The task must be completed correctly, which doesn’t necessarily imply that it will be completed quickly. If you’ve never done it before, you could require more time while you’re starting out! Just keep in mind that you can fix the necklace with time and care and will feel more proud of yourself for mending it yourself.
Fixing a Chain Necklace
Use your pliers as soon as you’ve gathered the necessary items and prepared a workspace. Before the break began, you should separate the final chainring on your chain necklace.
Pliers are the perfect tool to further disassemble metal, which is the basis of all chain necklaces, without compromising the necklace’s structural integrity.
Before using the pliers, you may need to force the broken chainring open if it is not already open. Depending on which tool appears to be more successful for the break, you can use either your forceps or a little screwdriver to complete the task.
After removing the chainring, you must carefully connect it to the following chainring in line, which is unbroken. The chainring you’ve been working with will then be softly closed using the pliers, and bent so that it won’t open on its own.
It truly is as easy as it seems, so try not to lose patience if you don’t understand it straight away. It needs firm hands and a lot of time to do this delicate task.
Make sure you attach the chain you’re working on to the main portion in the back as well if the chain necklace has numerous layers, which some do.
For this, you can employ the same technique used to connect the final chainring with the primary one at the back and carefully close it with pliers.
1. Fix a Broken Clasp
Because it gets the most use, the clasp on necklaces frequently breaks. There are two common issues: either a jump ring opens and loses a piece of the clasp or the spring clasp breaks and no longer closes properly.
The answer is the same for both issues. The broken clasp needs to be changed for a new one. The best option when buying a new clasp is to get one that is roughly the same size and form as the old one. By doing this, you can be confident that your jewellery will fit and look uniform. Place your new jewellery clasp on it once you’ve picked the best one.
2. How to Mend an Elastic Bracelet
No matter how well they are crafted, elastic bracelets will ultimately break. The worn-out elastic cannot be repaired. The bracelet has to be strung again on fresh elastic. Finding the ideal elastic cord for your bracelet is the first step. Using a surgeon’s knot to tie the elastic is one trick to getting good results. Making stronger and more durable elastic bracelets is possible with the right techniques.
3. Resize or Modify a Ring
Out-of-shape ring bands and rings that have grown too tiny over time are two typical but easily fixed ring issues.
Both of these may be quickly rectified with a leather mallet and a metal ring mandrel.
The ring should be positioned as low as it will go on the ring mandrel. With a light tap of the mallet, gently press the ring down. Flip the ring over after removing it, then repeat on the other side.
You only need to exert enough pressure to make the ring circular once more in order to reshape it. Continue tapping while rotating the ring until it moves to the desired size on the ring mandrel to enlarge the ring.
To prevent loosening stone settings or creating a stress fracture in the metal, it should be noted that only professionals should resize or reshape fine jewellery or rings with stones. If the size does not appear to be changing, the issue might be that some metals cannot be stretched in this fashion.
4. Taking Chains' Tangles and Knots Out
Hanging your chain jewellery instead of stacking the links on top of one another in a box or on your dressing table is the simplest approach to avoid tangled chains and knots. But what do you do after the tangle or knot is present?
When multiple chains are woven together, they tangle, which may also contain knots. It requires perseverance, a few sewing pins, sufficient illumination, a hard surface, cotton swabs, and baby oil to untangle and unknot chains. Be tolerant.
Start by unravelling one or two chains, starting at a loose end. To assist the chain glide apart smoothly, use the cotton swab to dab baby oil to tough knots. The same method is effective for tying knots in chains.
5. Restring or Knot a Broken Necklace
The crimp beads that hold the beading wire to the clasp might come free, and it can also break from wear and friction. When this occurs, you must restring the necklace and replace the crimp beads on the clasp.
Due to the difficulty new jewellery makers may have dealing with crimp beads, this is one of the more challenging basic repairs. You must choose the proper size crimp for the beading wire you are using for a crimp bead to hold. Flat-nosed pliers can be used to flatten crimps, but for a professional finish, specialised crimping pliers will make the job simple and produce more durable and beautiful results.
6. Fix or swap out the ear wires.
Modernising the ear wires on earrings is one of the most useful jewellery repairs or alterations. For those who lack pierced ears, have metal allergies, or feel uneasy wearing dangling earrings, it may be a requirement. You’ll have more style options to choose from and will be able to fix any bent or damaged ear wires or earring posts if you know how to adjust the ear wire.
Your earring component must be connected to the ear wire by a loop or jump ring in order to alter the earring finding. The same method you use to open the jump ring to attach a clasp can be used to unlock the ear wire’s loop. By opening and closing the ring the same way, you may replace the old ear wire after removing the old one.
7. Fix a Missing Stone
Understanding the kind of materials you are working with and selecting the appropriate jewellery glue are the keys to replacing a misplaced stone.
Whatever you do, avoid using superglue since, despite the fact that it might work briefly, it is usually not the greatest option.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, if your necklace is broken, don’t panic. There are a few things that you can do to fix it. First, try to glue it back together if possible. If that’s not possible, you can try to find the clasp or other pieces and replace them. Finally, if all else fails, you can just buy a new one. So don’t be afraid to fix something that’s broken- it can be a relatively easy task.
FAQs
Why do my necklaces keep breaking?
Necklace breakage is a common problem for many women. One of the reasons that might be the cause of this issue is the necklace’s clasp. The clasp is too tight, or it’s made with fragile materials that easily break.
There are many ways to avoid this issue and prevent your necklaces from breaking. One way to do so would be to buy a necklace with a better clasp or to use an alternative material like leather or metal instead of plastic. Another option would be to just add an extra layer of protection in the form of a chain extender.
Necklace breakage can also happen because it’s not worn properly, which could lead to more damage if you’re not careful about how you wear your necklace on any given day.
Can broken gold chains be fixed?
Broken gold chains are typically not fixed because they are too expensive. However, there are a few ways that you can try to fix them yourself.
One way is to use a torch and heat the chain until it becomes malleable. This should be done in a safe location where you won’t get burned by the heat of the torch and where there is no flammable materials nearby. Once heated, place the chain in boiling water for about 30 seconds to remove any residue from the chain’s surface before using a metal file to smooth out any rough edges that might have been left behind during the heating process.
Can you solder jewellery at home?
Yes, you can!
It is possible to solder jewellery at home, but it is not as easy as it seems. The most important thing to remember is that the type of solder you are using must be the same size and shape as the wire. You also need a soldering iron with a temperature range from 300 to 450 degrees Celsius and some flux.