posted on November 13, 2006 03:21:29 PM new
Has anyone figured out a way to replace the silver coating on the back of rhinestones to restore their sparkle? I bought some "replacement" rhinestones off of Ebay once and the quality was horrible. Besides it is hard to pop the bad sets out.
posted on November 13, 2006 04:53:32 PM new
Resilvering rhinestones...wow. I have not heard of this. Usually rhinestones, even high quality ones, are so inexpensive.
I have not bought loose stones in bulk in over 15 years, so don't have a good source for you, but I imagine the good ones these days are made with Swarovski crystals. Rings 'n Things is always sending me catalogues full of this stuff.
Usually if a piece is missing only a few stones, you will not be able to match the remaining ones. In that event you replace them all. Bezel-set stones will be very hard, if not impossible, to replace.
posted on November 14, 2006 03:50:27 PM new
I keep a big cookie tin full of old broken jewelry from boxlots, auctions, jewelry bag sales, garage sales, etc and it has been very handy for finding replacement stones and fittings for older jewelry. Sometimes the new replacements are just too "bright and shiny". In the same box, I keep a VERY small screwdriver, tweezer, tube glue, and all kinds of fine and small instruments that could come in handy. Its such a wonderful feeling to find the exact old stone that is needed...
posted on November 15, 2006 06:16:18 AM new
ms24ktau - I do the same thing but if it's just a stone or two, there is a guy here that does repair work and charges $1 a stone (unless he's had an increase).
Kasue if you are interested post your email address and I'll send you his information. People mail him stuff all the time.
Kiara - nice site.
posted on November 15, 2006 07:48:19 AM new
Hi Everyone! Hope things are going well for you, Toasted.
I found that site awhile ago when a stone fell out of one of my Mom's brooches and she was wondering if she could glue it back with crazy glue but I guess that's a no-no. I like the way the lady has written it up and she has some good tips.
When I was unpacking some things from storage a few weeks ago I found my box of mixed stones and some of the older ones are really beautiful so I'd like to attempt some repairs this winter. It's been awhile so I'm going to try it first on some pieces that I don't care about if I make a mess.
When I have time I still breeze through here trying to keep up with the latest ebay happenings. I don't see Sparkz posting lately or have I just missed him?
