WHO DO I TRUST WITH MY JEWELRY REPAIR?

                        

Imagine your beautiful piece of jewelry, (the one that your favorite aunt passed on to you, or a push present for your first born baby) needs a repair and you are terrified to leave it into just any jeweler's hands. How do you find a trustworthy jeweler that will treasure your item as much as you do?

At OKG Jewelry, we specialize in creating custom design jewelry and take pride in our one-of-a-kind pieces. In addition to this, having a family owned business and workplace composed of an expert jeweler (George Azatyan) and a master setter/designer (Gary Azatyan), we have a full repair service shop behind the curtains of our sparkling retail store. We repair all kinds of jewelry from silver to gold, cubic zirconium to diamonds. And whether the jewelry was bought with us or not, we still provide repair service. 

George Azatyan 

Gary Azatyan

Some repairs are simple and quick and others are more complex and take time. But there is almost nothing that cannot be fixed. However, there is something that must be kept in mind that every job is different and unique in its own way. The same type of repair may come in and two totally different techniques may need to be applied to fix them. Each piece of jewelry has its own personality. There is not one ultimate procedure to do a specific repair. Everything must be viewed in a different light with an open mind and a creative approach, in order to figure out the best solution.

So, how does this jewelry repair process work? 

            

Let's take the example that a customer comes in with a diamond tennis bracelet with a missing diamond or a broken link.

             When a customer with this situation comes in, we first do a full examination of the bracelet, including testing the diamonds. Once we are sure they are diamonds, we try to figure out why the diamond fell out in the first place. 
Typically this is due to two reasons: The diamond breaks (yes, diamond can break or chip) or the prongs break or get pulled out. 

Internally, 2 things may happen to the diamonds. The diamond inside the prongs moves ever so slightly. In time the diamond scratches and wears off the prong(s), creating more room for it to move and it eventually cuts the prongs enough to fall out. The other thing that may occur is that, there may be large natural imperfections in the diamond (or even inclusions that reach the diamond surface such as "feather inclusions" and from wear and tear, the imperfection can get bigger and reach the surface of the diamond, resulting in the diamond to crack. Examining the prongs helps us figure which was the case. If the prongs are in place, then the diamond most likely shattered and fell. If one or more of the prongs are broken or out of place, then the diamond fell out due to this. Sometimes, the gold on the outside of the prong wears off or the prong gets caught on to something, allowing the diamond to fall out. 

Another common issue we come across with regarding to bracelets is that the bracelet itself breaks, typically near the clasp. When someone is putting on a bracelet they are usually putting it on by themselves. The only way to lock the clasp is to push the 2 sides together. When you try to do this with one hand you might end up squeezing the bracelet between your fingers and in time this damages the links in that area and eventually it breaks from the weakened spot. It's safe to say that bracelets have a certain life time. The more often you wear them the weaker the connection between each section gets. In time the links get stretched out or bend out of shape, especially if you keep the bracelet on when you are sleeping. 

Before the customer leaves, we give them a pick-up slip indicating all the details on the bracelet such as the approximate total carat weight, the total gram weight and the type of metal, the style and an approximate price estimate for the repair.

Before the item gets to our repair expert, it is placed in the bath for a good cleaning. The item is cleaned for at least half an hour to make sure it is 100% clean. When the item gets to the jeweler, he checks everything a second time. He checks from the clasp, to the original gold casing, the connecting links, to all the prongs to make sure they are secure. He figures out what needs fixing and he proceeds with the repair and if there are diamonds missing, our master diamond setter and designer Gary chooses a proper diamond that will match the quality, shape and size of the surrounding diamonds. Once finding the perfect diamond that satisfies all the variables, he must now fix the prong. If the prong is still attached, then all that must be done is placing the diamond in the space, using special pliers. A steady hand and the right amount of strength  will push the prong into place on top of the diamond securing it. If the diamond fell out due to the entire prong falling off then the prong must be replaced.

To replace the prong, a wire of the same metal type and width of the surrounding prongs must be picked and soldered from the bottom of the missing prong. With electronic powered sandpaper in a wheel shape, the wire is filed to make the sides smooth. The diamond is put in place and with the same pliers the prong is placed down. With the electronic sandpaper wheel the tips of the wire are shaped.

For extra security, Gary will tighten all the other prongs and do one last check of everything. Then the bracelet will be polished, cleaned in the ultrasonic solution and steamed. The bracelet is now ready to be picked up by the customer.  

As you can see, so much care and expertise is needed to do even a simple repair on a piece of jewelry regardless of the cost of the item. We respect the fact that the item may be an inexpensive piece of jewelry and have a great sentimental value for the customer, therefore it should be regarded with care. 

OKG Jewelry- Azatyan Family Jewelers