In addition to the very basic skills, know-how and jeweler's tools re¬quired in order to approach the task of jewelry repair, there are some additional keys I have found to be indispensable for success in the area of antique and period jewelry resto¬ration. In this discussion, I will refer to jewelry as being antique when it dates to the 19th century and earlier. Period pieces of jewelry are those, which have been manufactured dur¬ing periods of time reflecting a cer¬tain artistic style. These have been described by art and jewelry histori¬ans as pertaining to a certain period of jewelry making. The periods from the 20th century are well known. They are the Edwardian Pe¬riod, the Art Deco Period, the Retro Period, the Fifties Jewelry Period and so on; usually then described in terms of the decades that embraced certain styles of jewelry design.

First it is important to have an ever-expanding working knowledge of all metals, chemicals, gems and gem materials used in jewelry today, yesterday and sometimes the day before yesterday! By "yesterday," I mean in recent historical times, go¬ing back to the last 2000 years of jewelry making. By "day before yesterday," I mean before the beginning of the first millennium. There have been pieces from an¬cient times which I have had the op¬portunity to work on which have helped to broaden my understanding of jewelry-making techniques in an¬cient history. Every piece of jewelry that comes in for restoration pre¬sents a challenge and opportunity for me to hone my jewelry-making skills and make me a better crafts¬man.

Patience and determination are two more keys needed to unlock the door for a successful restoration. Some of the examples I will use in this discussion reached a successful conclusion thanks in great part to the application of patience and de¬termination! And finally, one very important ingredient that cannot be overlooked in the process is imagi¬nation. Imagination is what allows us to anticipate what may follow in the step-by-step process of jewelry restoration. There are many blind turns in this process and imagination can help guide us in transforming an apparently ruined piece of jewelry into the glistening jewel that can once again adorn a happy client.

Each restoration, repair or modification presented a unique set of challenges and each project, re¬gardless of how simple or com¬plex, has required careful investiga¬tion and strategic planning. The process can be compared to a form of detective work, which un¬ravels the events leading to the condition of the piece of jewelry in question. The first step, I find, has always been to con¬sider the obvious aspect and then think the process through, taking into account all the consequences of each step before implementing any practical measures.

The first example I would like to share with you is of an early Art Deco platinum, ruby and diamond bracelet dating to the mid 1920s, which had at some point in time been "married" to a pair of solid 14¬karat yellow gold bangle bracelets. The objective here, of course, was to set the bracelet free and restore it to its original condi¬tion.

The process began by cutting away the bangles from the bracelet, then filing the remaining gold as close as possible to the plati¬num sides of the bracelet in prepara¬tion for an acid treatment of dilute aqua regia. Submerging the bracelet in the aqua regia started the process of re¬moving the difficult-to-reach gold and solder from the bracelet. Once free of solder, all the fili¬gree was examined by probe since any contact with the aqua regia would compromise the strength of all the platinum wire by attacking the solder points. In addition, re-tacking of the solder points with white gold solder was necessary.

Since the original clasp of the bracelet had been re¬moved, the next step was to rebuild the clasp and reassemble the brace¬let. The rubies and diamonds were all checked and secured before pol¬ishing and returning the restored piece to a very satisfied client.

A client brought in a 24-karat yellow gold-hinged bangle bracelet and wanted to replace the original screw-type clasp, which was diffi¬cult to work. In addition, she wanted to add an extension of about one inch to the bracelet. The piece was an antique bracelet made for the Chinese market toward the end of the 19th century, designed for the slender wrist of a Chinese woman. The bracelet was fabricated from gold sheet, which was deco¬rated utilizing chase and repoussé techniques to create floral designs emblematic of the seasons. The ex¬tension was made by first carving a wax insert echoing one of the de¬signs already present. The wax was then cast in 24-karat gold and welded to the bracelet with 24¬karat gold sheet. The heat created by the torch welded both ends of the segment. It was imperative to con¬trol and localize the heat to prevent the melting of the adjacent decora¬tion; a task that would have been much easier by the use of a laser. 

In this case, the mission was accomplished the old-fashioned way without the laser, as the job came in during our pre-laser years. The clasp was removed and replaced by one created for the piece.

Another project, which I found of particular interest, was not so much a restoration, rather a modifi¬cation of an earlier-period diamond and platinum ring. Though this style of mounting is still being made to¬day, this ring was most likely made during the late Deco Period of the 1930s. The ring was centered by an old-cut, 4.5-karat, pear-shaped dia¬mond, and set on either side with tapered baguettes. The client found bothersome the window effect caused by the large open culet of the pear shape.

By modifying the lower portion of the basket and building a setting for a smaller pear-shaped diamond we were able to mask the window and enhance the appearance of the large diamond.

The next example illustrates how the art of restoration runs paral¬lel with the art of reproduction. A wide platinum and diamond Edwardian bracelet (circa 1911) was brought in by a client who also wanted the bracelet to be worn as a choker. With great success we were able to match the exquisite platinum work of the original brace¬let and create both the male and fe¬male connections of the lacy plati¬num and diamond design so typical of the Edwardian era. Also required in order to com¬plete this project was special atten¬tion to the matching of the old-cut diamonds that were used during this period of jewelry making.

Often pieces are brought in that had been subjected to previous re¬pair attempts. In this case, an Ed¬wardian platinum and diamond bracelet was brought in, having been repaired by someone with an apparent lack of understanding of and total disregard for the piece of jewelry. Several link joints had been soldered frozen using yellow gold solder.

For some unknown reason, one joint was cut away on either side, and soldered frozen at an unnatural angle. The normal course of action would have been to rebuild the gallery of both links, but with the help of laser technology this problem was solved in a timely, effective fashion. We were able to save most of the original gallery work by first removing the gold sol¬der with a carefully monitored acid treatment. We rebuilt the hinges, which were then welded with the use of the laser.

Finally we re-engraved the gal¬lery to restore the bracelet to its original flexible condition. In this next example we can see where, in some cases, the use of la¬ser technology is indispensable when attempting to "bring back" certain pieces, which require seam¬less precision. This Art Deco plati¬num and diamond ring was made in such a way as to enclose all the diamonds within one geometric bezel. Though not "invisibly set," the diamonds were set touching gir¬dle to girdle. The bezel had worn to the point where the diamonds had started to loosen and move, thus causing the central diamonds to fall out. The edges of the bezel were re¬built with the laser, enabling us to save all the original work support¬ing the diamonds and the gallery. The result, was the seamless reconstruction of the ring

Another early Deco platinum, ruby and diamond ring was brought in which had suffered at the hands of someone who had probably tried to size the delicate ring on a stretcher, thus causing the channels for the stones to widen; breaking all of the a jour work. This caused many of the stones to fall out. The jeweler had then tried to save the piece for delivery to an apparently nearsighted cus¬tomer by filling the channels with glue. Again, with the help of the laser, the piece was saved. After cleaning away the glue, we closed the gaps and rebuilt all the broken a jours, the gallery and lips of the channels. The missing stones were replaced by locating new stones matched for color and cut with those which remained in the setting.

The next example is of a visu¬ally stunning, very well made Art Deco bracelet. Set with calibre-cut, French-cut sapphires, sapphire cabs and diamonds, this platinum brace¬let is a perfect example of incredible design and craftsmanship. Unfortu¬nately inherent engineering defects were responsible for most of the damage the bracelet had endured over the years. A number of previ¬ous repair attempts were apparent

With the help of the la¬ser, all the channels were rebuilt and all the connections were welded.  Missing stones were replaced with well-matched French-cut sapphires; sapphire cabs and period old European-cut diamonds. Though the res¬toration brought the bracelet back to its original condition, the structural engineering defects of the piece would make another such re¬pair almost inevitable, especially with continual use.

An 18-karat gold pocket watch was made for Tiffany and Co. around the turn of the last century by Patek Phillipe. The outside of the case was fully engraved and the in¬side of the case was engraved with a message surrounding the maker's marks and serial number in a semi¬circle on the bottom half of the case. The task given was to re¬move the engraving from both the outside and the inside of the watch case and to keep intact the original maker's marks and serial number which would be critical for retaining the full value of the piece in the marketplace. After success¬fully matching the color, all the en¬graving was filled in with the help of the laser. The surfaces were then sanded down level  with the original surfaces of the watchcase, and finally turned on  a lathe to achieve the original finish.

My next example of antique res¬toration is an antique silver-topped gold and diamond flower brooch from the Victorian Period, circa 1850. The piece came in showing a broken section which had, at some point, been reattached with a gener¬ous amount of lead solder. The mission, of course, was to replace the broken section. In order to rebuild the flower petal, we began by cutting away the lead-covered broken sec¬tion before fabricating a new silver-topped gold section. We welded the new section with the la¬ser and thereby avoided affecting the oxidized finish already on the brooch. Proper diamonds of the pe¬riod were found to match the exist¬ing diamonds on the brooch, which were then set into the new section. Finally the new section was oxi¬dized to match the rest of the brooch.

This next example shows how a near tragedy was averted. A client brought in a wonderfully made platinum, diamond and platinum wire mesh watch, dated to 1919, which had been broken in the area where one would expect the most damage: the part which would have been repeatedly folded over a woman's wrist next to the watch case. The platinum wire mesh had been unraveled and the connections on some of the box settings had been broken. In addition, the back of the engraved watchcase needed to be filled in and resur¬faced. Unfortunately, someone had attempted to repair the break and in the process basically massacred the watch by trying to mend the break with oversized dol¬lops of solder. Normally considered ¬as an impossible job, the challenge was accepted and the restoration process began. The first step was to free the mesh links. To accomplish this we chose to attempt the acid treatment already discussed. After repeated checking it became all too clear that the acid treatment was not working, as the solder used was too hard and resistant to the aqua regia. Longer exposure to the acid would have, in my opinion, compromised the wire mesh brace¬let. When Plan A didn't work we, of course, went to Plan B, which was to remake the mesh section and re¬build the damaged box settings. The original diamonds from the damaged settings were reset into the new boxes. We then filled the engraving on the back of the watch case using a laser, then, fol¬lowed by sanding and refinishing the surface to the original matte fin¬ish.

And, yes, it does happen: the best-case scenario does come walk¬ing in from time to time - a spec¬tacular Art Deco, late 20s emerald, diamond and platinum bracelet with a clean virgin break. No one had interfered with the piece so we had the opportunity to enter a somewhat delicate operation without having to undo secondary repair damage. With use of a laser we simply welded both sides of the break together, rebuilt the broken a jours, reset the emeralds and re-engraved the sides of the bracelet.

Through the restoration of an¬tique and period jewelry I have gained an ever-increasing knowl¬edge and appreciation for the creation of fine jewelry. I am grateful to the master jeweler who has most ex¬emplified the art of being a jeweler, my uncle, Ernesto Eichberg. With his help I was able to develop the technical skills and common sense so much required in this field. With those skills I have been able to take advantage of technological ad¬vancements such as the laser, which I have put to use in tackling jobs that would have been impossible earlier. Though technology will surely produce more such tools for us, it is critical that we develop those skills which, when it becomes necessary, will allow us to go to Plan C. In other words, "if we can't build it, Let's not mess with it!"

V9N2

Restoration of Antique and Period Jewelry
Ricardo Basta Eichberg . E. Eichberg, Inc.

This is an abbreviated version of the original work. For full technical details, please consult the original paper.