Assay Hallmarking
Hallmarking is a legal requirement in the UK for precious metals. The hallmarks are stamped or lasered after the metal has been certified as a specific carat. Edinburgh is home to Scotland’s only Assay Office where we hallmark bespoke orders. Our hallmark for handcrafted pieces includes the one and only Scottish mark used by the Edinburgh Assay Office which has been established for over 560 years.
Claw (Prong)
A claw is a piece of metal used to hold a stone in place in a setting. This type of stone setting can be found in pendants, earrings or rings. Over time, claws can become thinner if the jewellery is worn frequently especially with rings.
Retipping Claws
Worn claws can be built up by retipping them. This process involves adding new metal onto the existing claw and can bring new life to a well-loved piece of jewellery and secure the stone from falling out.
Replacing Claws
If a claw is very worn, damaged or missing, it may need to be fully replaced if there is not enough metal to retip. A new claw will help secure the stone in a setting and save you the trouble of replacing the stone.
Setting or Resetting Stones
There are various ways to reset a stone in a piece of jewellery. This may be done in conjunction with retipping or replacing claws or tightening bezel settings. With the expertise of the stone setter, they will blend the repair into the jewellery. This requires high level of skill.
Shank
The shank is the band of a ring which encircles the finger, not including the setting.
Shank Replacement
Over time the shank of a ring can become thinner, especially if a ring is worn every day. Ring stretching also thins the shank, which involves forcing the metal up to a larger size. For this reason, we do not offer ring stretching as a service to enlarge rings, but instead add more metal. At Edinburgh Jewellery Repair we offer various types of shank replacement depending on the condition of the ring, including half, three-quarter and full replacement. We also offer shank overlay for antique pieces that require the original hallmark to be preserved.
Soldering
To join pieces of precious metal, soldering is required. The process involves using solder ‘chips’ which melt at a lower temperature than the jewellery and heating the precious metal with a torch to melt the solder.
For stones which cannot be removed from the jewellery or those which cannot withstand high temperatures, laser welding may be used. The laser pulses directly to the point of connection and joins the metal without applying heat to the whole piece. We are proud to use this technology at our workshop at Edinburgh Jewellery Repair.
Ring Sizing
Precious metal rings can be adjusted to be larger or smaller. At Edinburgh Jewellery Repair our jewellers use traditional methods to help create the perfect fit for rings. Careful consideration is taken for stone set rings: stones may be submerged in water to prevent them from heating during soldering or stones may be removed before the sizing begins.
To provide the best adjustments during enlarging a ring, our jewellers only add metal rather than stretching the shank. The method of stretching makes the ring thinner and could cause the band to snap or have weaknesses. Sometimes laser welding is required for sizing depending on the ring style or types of stones set in the ring.
Sizing Bars (Beads)
Sizing bars are small, rounded pieces of metal soldered on the inside of a shank to make it a tighter fit. These can be particularly helpful if the ring is very delicate and cannot withstand resizing or if the wearer has larger or swollen knuckles. The sizing bars stop the ring from turning around on the finger.
Precious Metal vs Base Metal
Base metal is a common inexpensive metal which is often used in fashion or costume jewellery and is unlikely to be repairable. Precious metal is naturally rarer and includes metals such as silver, gold and platinum.
Precious metals can withstand temperatures up to 1000 degrees and even higher for metals such a platinum. During repairs, remodelling or creating bespoke pieces, the jewellery is heated with a torch to allow the solder to flow.
With base metal jewellery, the combination of metals melts at much lower temperatures. These pieces are often plated with silver or gold which cannot withstand high temperatures because it is thin. This means that any repairs are not possible unless the jewellery is made from precious metals.
Ultrasonic Cleaning
Intricate details on jewellery can be difficult to clean by hand. With ultrasonic cleaning, jewellery is immersed in cleaning liquid and ultrasound waves remove the dirt built up in difficult to reach areas, such as behind stone settings. Certain stones cannot withstand ultrasonic cleaning and other methods must be used.