Bead Necklace Restringing: The Process
Written by Annabelle
July 17, 2019
Broken necklaces are the absolute worst, especially when it's a beaded necklace. You're scooping up little beads left and right, wondering if you'll be able to restore the original design…But where to even begin? You're doubtful about your abilities to do it properly at home. Read more to learn about the process of necklace restringing.
How To Fix Your Beaded Necklace
- Gather all of the original materials
- It can be difficult to do this, especially when your necklace has broken in a public place with beads and pearls rolling everywhere. Nevertheless, do the best you can to find all the pieces, because this will affect the final length of your restrung necklace. It's also important to salvage the clasp; if this isn't possible, the jeweler can supply a new one.
- Rearrange the necklace as best as possible
- Once you've collected all the beads, find a tray or some flat, contained surface where you can keep them all in one place. Try to recreate the pattern or the look of the necklace to the best of your ability, and take a picture. This will help the jeweler figure out how your necklace originally looked. If possible, take a loose string and try to string up all the beads during this step to get an approximate length and keep the beads from scattering.
- Restring the necklace with a professional
- Now that you're all prepared to get the necklace restrung, take the beads and the picture to the jeweler. They will assess the piece and the reference picture to determine the best course of action. By examining the beads and the clasp, the jeweler can make certain recommendations that will enhance the durability of the necklace to prevent future accidents. These include choosing a thicker string, placing knots in between beads to prevent scattering in the event that the necklace breaks again, and even a clasp replacement for better support.
Once they're done with their assessment, the jeweler will also take into account the necklace's length. Pricing for a restringing is dependent on the length of the necklace and the complexity of the job. This can range from stringing the same type of bead again and again, to complex patterns and even elaborate woven beadwork.
- Now that you're all prepared to get the necklace restrung, take the beads and the picture to the jeweler. They will assess the piece and the reference picture to determine the best course of action. By examining the beads and the clasp, the jeweler can make certain recommendations that will enhance the durability of the necklace to prevent future accidents. These include choosing a thicker string, placing knots in between beads to prevent scattering in the event that the necklace breaks again, and even a clasp replacement for better support.
Now you're all set to get started on necklace restringing! If you have a favorite necklace that's been lying in pieces at the bottom of your jewelry box, get it fixed here.