Hi, A friend of mine has a ring that she damaged. It is a triangular
regular opal. The opal split in half so that it is in 2 pieces. She
does not want it set with a new opal because it is sentimental. Is
there anyway to join the 2 pieces and then bezel set it gently so
that it does not look split. I did not think super glue would work
because of the chemicals. Any other ideas? Thank you, Jules
Jules, Think creatively, individually bezel each half, arrange at an
angle to each other. Design a wire between the two parts, incorporate
it into the design. Depending on the stone size, perhaps a design
across the break, similar to Native American work. There are many
paths to go. All is not lost. Teresa
We have smoothed the broken edges and inserted a small piece of
metal in the middle in cases like this, then we just reset the two
pieces as if it were one stone in the bezel. It actually can look
quite interesting. We didn’t use any glue to hold it together, just
made sure it was all a tight fit.
Daniel R. Spirer, GG
Spirer Somes Jewelers
1794 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02140
617-491-6000
@spirersomes
www.spirersomes.com
I would use a drop or two of Hot Stuff. I use it and like it. You
can get this from many sources. Here is what I could find about this
product:
Hot Stuff: Industrial strength, a very pure form of cyanoacrylate
(instant glues). Oil is not added to lengthen shelf life as many
competitive products do. You get SUPERIOR bonds that remain clear and
will buff up to a high polish using the same things used on
Has real shear strength. You can mount stones, fossil
preparation, inlay, cracks, dop cabs & faceted stones, repair
crystals, fill small pockets in stones, treat porus gems, just to
name a few ideas. Unopened bottles store in freezer for extended
life. Use at room temperature.
Jules, Look closely under magnification at the damaged opal. Do you
see any fine fractures leading into the rest of the stone? If so the
stone is become crazed and nothing you can do will stop the opal from
becoming very brittle and eventually fracturing again. If you do not
see any crazing then you can follow any of the already mentioned
repairs.
Gerry Galarneau
@Gerry
www.galarneausgems.com
Jules I did this myself recently, broke an opal that is and since the
break was just about straight I cut it back to dead straight and such
that a piece of gold bezel would just fill it, set the stone like 2
and then ground/polished the gold flush. this looked great and I found
it a more honest solution than anything else. It had to be the biggest
and best opal I have ever cut though didn’t it?
Andy Parker, Agate House Lapidary
Ulverston, Cumbria, England
@Andy_Parker
Tel: 01229 584023
Jules, the best solution is to make the split look as if it is part
of the design. IE grind the broken faces flat and parallel. Inlay
an appropriate amount of gold and you end up with a piece that looks
"designed", not repaired.
Don