How to Repair a Brooch

Brooches are fine pieces of jewelry that are susceptible to damage or breakage. Typical repairs for brooches include broken and bent pins and damaged hinges. These are fairly easy repairs if you are good with your hands. Follow the tips below for successfully repairing a brooch.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Hammer
• Pliers
• Solder

1. Straighten the pin with a pair of pliers, or lay the pin on a flat surface and lightly tap it with a hammer. Make careful not to dent or damage the pin if you use a hammer.
2. Lightly tap the rivet at its joint to ensure a tight fit, and then burnish the tip to restore the pin's shape. Tap this ever-so-gently, as the rivet is highly sensitive to heavy taps.
3. Remove the pin from the joint if the joint has become loose. Place the pin aside, but don't lose it--it's a tiny little piece.
4. Solder a new safety or ball catch. Try not to use too much solder as the excess solder may overflow and compromise the safety catch. Be careful with the soldering iron. It doesn't take much solder to solder a brooch joint, because of its small size.
5. If the pin cannot stand the heat of the soldering gun, find a matching piece of sheet metal and integrate it into the back piece. Then solder the pin joint and catch onto the new piece. Wipe off any excess solder. Let it heal and set for a few minutes.

Tips & Warnings

• If using a hammer, be cautious and tap lightly as a hard enough stoke could warp the metal or even completely break it off, making it much harder to repair.