Why did my bracelet break !?!...and how can I make it last longer?

Well the answer to the second question is easier than the first. Don't wear it as much! We are aware that everyone wants to wear their jewelry all the time but..... as David, our jewelry repairman likes to observe, "If you had a $300 pair of shoes, what would you expect to happen if you wore them mowing the lawn, gardening, doing laundry etc. every day for a couple of years. Eventually, even after a set of heels and soles, they will be totally worn out." We recommend giving your bracelets a break every once in a while. Wear them for a couple of weeks, change off to another one. Give them a break and you'll have them much longer.

Most bracelets made today, like the stampato link (the puffed, hinged links such as the 'X and O' style) and the tennis bracelet, are made with a wire running through a piece of gold to form the link hinge. Over time the constant moving back and forth between the wire (a rivet made of gold) and the opening of the link itself causes wear on both parts. Obviously, the lighter the bracelet, the thinner the rivets and the thinner the walls of the links. The repair is done by drilling out the old rivet or filling the end of the link or doing both. Adding to this is the fact that the wear always starts at the clasp and seems to work out evenly from link to link from there. So why not fix all the links on the bracelet? Well, a typical 'Hugs and Kisses" stampato style bracelet has fourteen links, making twenty-eight hinges. The cost of the repair is generally not cost-effective in reference to the cost of the bracelet (28 repairs at $15.95 per hinge =almost $450 versus $275 for a brand new bracelet).

When the bracelet is broken, we examine the broken link (obviously) and check the links adjacent to it. Unfortunately, wear is very difficult to find because the wear on the rivet is hidden by the link itself. We typically recommend repairing that link and perhaps the link next to it.

When the same occurs on a tennis bracelet, it is usually cost effective to set the diamonds in a new bracelet mounting. At that point, you can explore the options of changing the bracelet to another style or metal.