How to Fix Silver Soldered Jewelry

Repair broken silver jewelry with a soldering torch.

Silver jewelry is a timeless accessory. Artisans used silver to make jewelry for generations and examples of stunning silver jewelry dating back to early man can be found in museums around the world. Sometimes silver jewelry breaks. To repair, silver jewelry artisans use the same techniques used to make the original jewelry.

Things You'll Need

• Pliers or tweezers
• Acetone
• 220-grit sandpaper
• Files
• Charcoal block
• Annealing pan
• Torch
• Acid pickle bath
• Copper tongs

Instructions

1. Clean the silver jewelry with soap and water. Examine the clean jewelry to determine the cause and extent of the damage.

2. Prepare the broken portion of the jewelry for soldering. Arrange the broken area of the jewelry with pliers so the seam to be repaired is flush. Solder will not fill gaps. Use sandpaper or files, if needed, to remove metal until the seam is flush. Clean the seam again with acetone to remove all grease and all dirt from filing and sanding. Solder will not flow where there is any dirt or grease.

3. Solder the seam. Place the broken jewelry on a charcoal block in an annealing pan. Paint the seam with flux. Place a small chip of solder on the seam. Heat the entire broken piece of silver jewelry with a torch until the solder flows. Use the heat from the torch to draw the solder into the places needed to repair the jewelry.

4. Allow the soldered silver jewelry to cool to room temperature. Use copper tongs to put the soldered silver jewelry into an acid pickle bath to remove oxidation formed when soldering. Use copper tongs to remove the jewelry from the acid pickle bath. Rinse with water.

Tips & Warnings

• Remove all stones from the jewelry prior to soldering. Heat from solder repair can damage stones. Set the stones aside during the repair. Replace the stones in the jewelry after removing the jewelry from the acid pickle and rinsing with water.

• Replace any chemical patina, if any.

• Always take fire safety precautions when using a torch.

• Work in a well-ventilated space when using a torch.

References

• "Complete Metalsmith: Professional Edition‎"; Tim McCreight; 2005
• "Metalsmithing"; Robert Ebendorf, Michael Jerry, and Thomas Markusen; 1973
• "Form Emphasis for Metalsmiths"; Heikki Seppä; 1978
• "Jewelry Concepts and Technology"; Oppi Untracht; 1982
• "The Encyclopedia of Jewelry-Making Techniques: A Comprehensive Visual Guide to Traditional and Contemporary Techniques"; Jinks McGrath; 1995

Resources

• The Ganoksin Project
• Art Jewelry Magazine