An antique piece is not a modern piece that happens to be old. The metal has a different history, the construction follows rules nobody uses any more, and the surface itself carries part of the value. That is why the two moves that are completely routine on a new ring — a quick polish and a fast tack of solder — are the two that do the most damage to an old one. On an antique, the question is never only “can this be fixed?” It is “what should stay exactly as it is?”
Six things an old piece tells you before anyone touches it
You do not need to date a piece to repair it well. You do need to notice the handful of features that change the plan — and every one of them is visible without tools.
| What you notice | What it usually means on an older piece | What it changes about the repair |
|---|---|---|
| The shank is thin, flat and slightly sharp underneath | Decades of wear against the palm, not a manufacturing fault. On a piece this old it is normal and expected. | This is a re-shank question rather than a sizing question. Sizing a band that has already thinned is adjusting metal that is on its way out. |
| A seam or a patch of different colour on the band | An earlier repair — often decades old, sometimes done with whatever solder was on the bench that day. | Old solder melts at a different temperature than the metal around it. A jeweler needs to know it is there before applying heat, which is exactly why we ask for a photo of the inside of the band. |
| You cannot see through the stone from behind | A closed-back or foil-backed setting, common in Georgian and early Victorian work. The stone was set over a metal or foil backing to lift its colour. | These must never go in an ultrasonic or a steam cleaner: water gets behind the stone and cannot get out, and the foil is ruined for good. |
| The stones look soft, uneven, or sparkle differently from one another | Hand-cut stones — rose, old mine, old European — cut before machines and no two identical, often with a small flat facet on top. | A matching replacement is not a catalogue order. It is a search, and it is the one step that turns a firm delivery date into a range. |
| Faint hallmarks and shallow hand engraving | Marks stamped by hand and softened by a century of wear and previous polishing. | They are part of what the piece is worth, and polishing takes them off. This alone decides how much finishing an old piece should get. |
| An unfamiliar clasp or fitting | A C-clasp with a long pin, a trombone catch, a screw-back earring — original fittings for their period. | Replacing them with a modern equivalent is often easier and cheaper, and it also removes the evidence of the period. That is a decision for you, not a default. |
The four moves you cannot undo
Everything else on this page is a judgement call. These four are not: once done, there is no version of the piece that gets them back.
Do not polish an antique before it is quoted. Patina, hallmarks and hand engraving are part of the value and they do not come back. On an older or inherited piece, polishing removes original surface and can soften hallmarks and engraving — and that cannot be put back. Send it as it is; cleaning is included with the repair anyway.
Do not use a silver dip. A dip removes tarnish chemically along with the darkened detail in engraving, and it can permanently dull pearls, opals, turquoise and coral. On an antique piece it also strips the patina that gives the piece its age and value.
Do not have it “tacked” at a mall counter to hold it for now. A badly placed seam has to be cut out later, which turns a small job into a bigger one — and on an old piece the metal removed with it is original.
Do not throw away the broken pieces. The fallen stone at the bottom of the jewelry box is worth more than a replacement, because on an old piece it is the one stone that already matches the others. Same for a snapped-off clasp or a loose fragment of a mount.
What happens here when a piece is old. In the words on our own FAQ: “Yes, and we treat it with extra care. Older and inherited pieces are handled by a trained gemologist and returned fully insured. Send photos and we tell you honestly what can be done and what is better left original.” That last clause is the important one — some of what an antique needs is a decision not to do something.
Restore, or conserve?
These two words are used loosely and they point in opposite directions. Restoring brings a piece back toward how it looked when it was made: a rebuilt shank, a re-set stone, a bright finish. Conserving makes a piece safe to wear while changing as little as possible: the same rebuilt shank, but the original surface left alone and the old clasp kept rather than upgraded.
Neither is the right answer in general. What decides it is what the piece is for. A grandmother’s ring going back into daily wear is restored. A signed period piece, a piece with intact hallmarks, or something that will be sold or valued later is usually conserved — because the surface and the fittings are part of what is being valued. Say which one you want when you ask for the quote. If you do not, the safe assumption is conservation, and we would rather ask than guess.
How to send an old piece in
- Photograph everything before it leaves your handsEach piece from several angles in good light, including the damage and any hallmarks. Two minutes of work gives you a dated record of exactly what you sent and what condition it was in.
- Get a close-up of the inside of the band, and of any old repairThe inside of a shank shows hallmarks, engraving and previous solder seams — the three things that change how the job is planned. It is the photo people are least likely to take.
- Say what you know, and say what you do not“It was my grandmother’s, so 1940s or earlier” is genuinely useful. So is “I have no idea how old it is.” What is not useful is a guess presented as a fact, because the plan gets built on it.
- Name what must be preservedAn inscription, the patina, the original clasp, the hand-engraved shoulders. Anything you would be upset to lose belongs in the first message, not in a reply after the quote.
- Send it exactly as it isUncleaned, unpolished, undipped, with every loose piece in the parcel. Ultrasonic cleaning and polishing is included free with every repair, so there is nothing to gain by having it done first — and on an old piece there is a great deal to lose.
Which group an old repair falls into
Age does not have its own price list. The group depends on the repair, not on the year the piece was made — what the age changes is the plan, and the plan is written into the quote before anything happens.
| What the old piece needs | Group | Starting at |
|---|---|---|
| A stone re-set, a worn prong rebuilt, a stone matched and replaced | Stone Setting | $79 |
| A shank rebuilt, a cracked band repaired, a ring sized | Rings & Bands | $139 |
| A chain link soldered, an original clasp repaired rather than replaced | Necklaces & Chains | $79 |
| A strand of pearls re-knotted on fresh silk | Pearl restringing | $79 |
| A screw-back or leverback fitting repaired | Earrings | $79 |
| Finishing only — and on an antique, usually the least of it | Polish & Cleaning | $99 |
Every group and package price in one place: repair pricing. Replacement stones and materials are charged at cost, and cleaning and polishing is already included free with every repair — it is never sold as an extra.
Questions people ask about old jewelry
Do you repair antique, vintage or inherited jewelry?
Yes, and we treat it with extra care. Older and inherited pieces are handled by a trained gemologist and returned fully insured. Send photos and we tell you honestly what can be done and what is better left original. Bizak & Co. began in 1996 as a family antique dealer, so old pieces are not an exception here — they are where the business started.
Will repairing an antique lower what it is worth?
A correct repair generally preserves value; what damages it is poor workmanship and unnecessary refinishing. The two things that reliably cost money are a visible solder seam in mismatched metal, and polishing that softens hallmarks and hand engraving. Both are avoidable, and both are decided before the piece goes on the bench — which is why the plan matters more on an old piece than the price does.
Should I clean it before I send it?
No. Send it exactly as it is. Cleaning is included free with every repair, and home cleaning is where most of the irreversible damage to old pieces happens — a silver dip strips the darkened detail out of engraving, and an ultrasonic can drive water behind a closed-back stone or loosen one that is already moving. If it looks dull, that is information for the jeweler, not a problem for you to solve first.
Can a missing stone in an old piece be matched?
Often, but it is a search rather than an order. Hand-cut stones were cut individually, so a modern brilliant of the same weight sits differently and catches light differently next to its neighbours. We source a matching stone where one can be found, charged at cost, and tell you honestly when the closest available match would still be visible. If you still have the original stone, send it — it is always the best match in the box.
My piece has an old repair on it already. Is that a problem?
It is a fact to work with, not a fault to hide. Earlier solder melts at a different temperature from the metal around it, so a jeweler needs to know where it is before applying heat. Photograph it, mention it, and it becomes part of the plan. A previous repair discovered on the bench is what turns a straightforward job into a longer one.
Is it safe to mail something irreplaceable?
Every shipment is insured door to door, both ways, and returned tracked with an adult signature required on delivery — it is never left on a doorstep. Nothing is worked on until you approve a written quote, and if you decline after we have seen the piece in person it ships back to you free and fully insured. Photograph the piece before it leaves your hands, and see how to ship jewelry safely for the packing itself.