Question:
I have a necklace of jade beads that was given to me many years ago. It's
finely knotted between each pair of beads. The clasp has broken, and I want
to get a new one put on. I'm concerned that if the necklace needs to be
taken apart and reknotted, the work won't be as fine as the original work.
Does the entire necklace have to be restrung/reknotted in order to replace
the clasp?
Can a "regular" jeweler do this, or is this kind of repair a specialty?
Answer:
-I wouldn't think that the entire necklace would need to be restrung. As
long is there is enough length in the silk (or whatever material is used
to string the beads) left to remove and replace the clasp, it shouldn't
affect the rest of the necklace.
I would think any competent jewelry maker should be able to repair this;
if you have bead stores in your town, you might even think about
inquiring there, to see if someone there could assist you in repairing
it yourself, or find someone to do the job for you.
-Ask the jeweler, but when that happened to me, I had to have
the necklace restrung. I took it to a place that specialized in
restringing, but there were lots of them available. Look at
the ads in the phone book. They did a beautiful job- at
least as good as the original.
-I remember hearing that pearl necklaces were supposed to be restrung
frequently as the oils and skin crud eroded the string. I don't know
if it applies to other kinds of beads or if care and frequency of wear
affect the time between restringing.
I just know that if I had nice beaded jewelry I wouldn't want to look
like a cliche cartoon where the string breaks and beads fly everywhere.
