Grandmother's Pearls...Need Fixi'n!

[Lizbarr]

Hello everyone. I really need your expert advice.

my sister ( now deceased ) had my grandmother's pearls separated and made into two white gold station necklaces for us. These are very old pearls... Close to 100 years... And of course, regardless of their quality, very precious to me.

i was wearing the necklace one day when my dog jumped up and caught his nail on it and it broke. I took it to my jeweler and he would have nothing to do with repairing it...something about the way the pearls had been drilled and the chain attached. I was heartbroken. He suggested I look for someone who has more experience with this type of necklace.... So here I am. I've attached a few pictures, not the best, but I hope one of you can steer me into the right direction.

Big thanks to you just for reading!

 

[jshepherd]

It is hard to tell from the photos, but are the pearls simply attached with epoxy (glue)? Can you post a close up?

 

[Lizbarr]

It is hard to tell from the photos, but are the pearls simply attached with epoxy (glue)? Can you post a close up?

I left my ipad at home and I'm at work right now, but I will post a close up later this afternoon. I think the jeweler said it was epoxy... Is that standard for station necklaces?

 

[hbyrne]

It's a snake chain isn't it? The pearls would slide if they weren't fixed somehow....seems quite likely they're glued. If so, one way would be to re-glue...not a very elegant solution, but these station necklaces are usually jointed with a link through the pearl.

 

[jshepherd]

I've seen them done this way a lot in Asia. As long as the glue used is one that can be relatively easily dissolved, it's an easy fix. The chain likely cannot be fixed. It would just have to be replaced.

 

[Lizbarr]

Here is another shot, close up. Would it be best to dismantle the pearls from the chain (dissolve the glue, etc) and configure into another necklace?

 

[Lizbarr]

The pearls look very yellow in this photo... They are definitely aged, but not to this extent. They have a very nice vintage appearance.

 

[kiwipaul]

Here's a simple and relatively cheap solution. Find a local jewelry repair shop with a laser welder. Jewelry repairers with a laser will usually advertise that they have one to attract business, as they can do repair work near impossible any other way.

They should be able to dissolve the epoxy holding the pearl by the break, and move it along the chain away from the repair point. Then laser the chain back together and move the pearl back in place and epoxy it again so the lasered join is just inside the pearl drill hole.

I suspect you should be able to get this done for under $100, it is a simple job for someone who knows what they are doing.

 

[Lizbarr]

Thank you kiwipaul, very much! This is a hopeful solution. I really want to save these old gals as they carry much sentiment. Meanwhile I have just added an AAA 8.5 rose akoya pendant to my small collection. I hope to learn a lot from this forum. It really is easy to fall in love with pearls!