This paper will present the challenges associated with the restoration of antique and period jewelry, maintaining an emphasis on utilizing the old-world techniques learned at the bench. It will also illustrate how these techniques are implemented in combination with the latest technological advancements and tools available today. After more than twenty years of dedicating a portion of our business to the restoration of antique and period jewelry, we have learned some very interesting lessons. One lesson is that for every job - however simple or complex - there are special considerations to be made. A thorough understanding of how a piece of jewelry was originally made becomes critical for a successful and accurate restoration. In this discussion I will share with you a number of restoration solutions we have discovered and problems we have solved. The use of the laser certainly has helped us in facing certain challenges that otherwise could have cost us dearly in time and money. Most importantly, though, it has been common sense and good old-fashioned craftsmanship that has helped us to achieve the success we enjoy in this field today.

Author: Richardo Basta Eichberg