My wife has a string of pearls she loves. They are on a strand that has pulled loose from the clasp.
Here are some photos.
Here’s the clasp:
Here’s my questions:
Where should I look for replacement clasps besides Amazon?
Micheal’s used to have a lot of jewelry parts including clasps, but I haven’t looked lately. JoAnn’s also had a decent selection, but again, haven’t looked in a while.
IIWM, I’d just take it to a jeweler unless someone here has the skills/desire to do this.
If you want to change the clasp, you should select one that’s easy for your wife to use. I recently put a new clasp on something for my mom and used a magnetic clasp. Sure, you can laugh - but she absolutely loves it!
I would not buy clasps at one of the three big box hobby shops. I’m assuming, perhaps incorrectly, that this is some type of a gold chain and AFAIK the big box hobby shops are not going to have a clasp of comparable quality. RioGrande.com is a good bet. FireMountainGems.com is also a good choice. You can call Rock Barrel in Richardson and see if they carry gold, gold-filled, or gold-plated clasps.
I consider barrel clasps to be full of suck, myself. Sure, they’re (usually relatively) cheap, but they require a fair amount of functional fine motor skills to get to work.
@sroriginals – what do you think?
@John_Marlow – yeah, you won’t find nice metal at the big boxes. I think I can get sterling at HL, but it’s pretty much all base metal at the other two. And, I wouldn’t mix sterling with a gold.
Ditto. IMO those are the hardest clasps to use, bar none.
They do.
I live right by them so when I’m in town and have time, I swing through and peruse the $5 a pound Rock section and the jewelry section.
They also have 40% gold filled wire and .925(?..maybe .999) silver wire in the case so you may have to talk to them about the higher grade clasps.
13650 T I Blvd #104, Dallas, TX 75243
They are located behind Wood World.
As a secondary thought before I get back on the road, I’ve also found some nice clasps at some of the bead / jewelry shops on Harry Hines. The specific one that comes to mind is off of Harry Hines and Royal by the Korean barbecue.
Is that Silver City? I used to shop there quite a bit.
I believe so.
If i remember correctly silver city and another bead shop are next door to each other.
I don’t know the name of it, it just has this giant sign that says beads on it.
Yes. I’ve only been in Beads a couple of times. Not so much that I’m interested in. I’m usually shopping for sterling finding and semi-precious stone beads. Less of that at Beads. (Yeah, they probably have a real name, but I don’t remember ever noticing it.)
I usually hit beads because they had some interesting things once in awhile that worked well with some of the chainmail jewelry that I do from time to time.
Rock Barrel has a lot of the same though.
First question, is the chain gold, gold filled or something else. If she has had the necklace a long time and or wears it a lot, and the color is still good, it is either gold or gold fill. Vermeil (gold plate over sterling) usually shows wear rather quickly, as does gold plate. I have some of the type of clasp shown but in sterling. They are a crimp on clasp (which can also be soldered), but I have not seen them in gold. If they could be found, it would be easier to replace just the one side of the clasp. If nothing else, a simple gold jump ring soldered on would suffice. I would recommend against replacing both ends. One issue to consider is that soldering requires a torch, which usually causes oxidation. Also, metal conducts heat, and pearls are sensitive to heat, so there is a risk of damage to the pearls. I am actually curious as to how the pearls are fastened in place.
The hydroflux torch has a tiny flame, and with a heat sink of some kind between the clasp and the closest pearl, it might be do.able. but risky.
And I don’t recommend barrel clasps for anything except inexpensive necklaces that wouldn’t be a disaster if lost.
Silver City is a good source for sterling findings and a huge selection of charms. Good selection of stone beads. Some gold filled findings, not much in karat gold. I’ve used them for years.
Michaels carries some sterling silver findings, but not many, and they are over.priced.
Online sources besides Rio include monsterslayer.com, thunderbirdsupply.com, Rings N Things. These will have more in silver, some in gold fill or gold. Rio has lots in gold. Rio tends to be higher in price.
Gold fill is usually 1/20 12 or 14 karat (stamped 1/20 12K GF or 1/20 14K GF), meaning 1/20th or 5% of the weight of the item is gold, mechanically bonded, not electroplated, to a base metal, often brass, sometimes silver.
So, now are you sorry you asked me for my 2+ cents worth?
