No other books have ever been written on these subjects!

While related to making jewelry, repairing it is different in some significant ways. Most of the same jewelry skills apply but the techniques and tasks are of a different nature. These trade secrets are closely guarded by a relatively small number of specialists within the industry.  

After my training in Germany, in 1974 I returned to the United States and settled in San Francisco, California, looking for an entry-level job in the jewelry industry. I brought my school projects along with me to interviews with retail jewelry stores, jewelry manufacturers and others. I accepted a job as a journeyman bench jeweler in a jewelry trade shop for $5.50 per hour. We took in repair and custom order jobs from dozens of retail stores in the region. This material added greatly to my understanding of metalworking, after my training as a goldsmith. One of the curious things was that the boss later told me that during the interview he didn't believe I actually made the projects I showed him.

It was a busy shop with 6 at the bench including an old European master and a dedicated polisher. I learned to do repairs on chains (including hollow ones), clasps, rings, and settings, plus execute custom orders, and more. It was a whole new ball game, one in which I already had the skills, and it was just a matter of learning a different set of tasks. I like fixing things and I find repairing jewelry to be very satisfying, never boring. It feeds my soul to preserve and restore family treasures so that others can enjoy them further. And it's always a challenge and discovery to learn how other people fashion jewelry by having to fix it.

Several years later I was asked to write a series on jewelry repair for JCK Magazine. So I sat down with two buddies, all 3 of us master goldsmiths, and over the course of a month we documented over 70 actual jewelry repairs and captured every step and detail in top-notch close-up photography. Some of those articles appear in these 2 books. 

This information has never been documented before, with good reason. The process required 3 key elements, each difficult to find in the same place at the same time: 3 master goldsmiths with extensive repair experience, with free time, who were willing to share their knowledge; a pile of gold jewelry that needed repair; and a highly skilled expert close-up, jewelry photographer. All in all it was a rare moment in time, aligning masters and material. The results are unique.

Both books are beautifully illustrated with incredible close-up photos and text. Intended to capture and preserve this art form for future generations, and to pass along these skills to present artisans, the repair books are ideal for those already at the bench as well as others who are interested in the craft. Serious artisans, working bench jewelers, goldsmiths, trades people, appraisers, buyers and sellers, bench monkeys, estate jewelers, setters and other professionals will find this information valuable.

Like my other books, both repair books feature a series of actual projects, 15 in Professional Ring Repair and 17 in Professional Setting Repair, all of which are captured in close-up photos accompanied by detailed step-by-step text. 

Learn how to hammer rings up in size, install an adjustable shank, size platinum rings, replace shanks, solder silver rings with stones and much more in Professional Ring Repair. Gain the skills needed to tighten loose stones, open bezels, retip gold and platinum prongs, replace worn-out settings, and a whole lot more in Professional Setting Repair.