Jewerly Repairs - Embrace the Resistance!

Using the "embrace the resistance" attitude works well when facing jewelry repair projects. Usually, my favorite thing in all the world is to begin a new and creative jewelry project but facing a repair has been quite another story, at least, until now.

In the past, I have used the procrastination approach for repair projects. I put the broken jewelry on a shelf and save up a few broken items until I can bring myself to start working on the needed repairs. In many cases, I am just not sure where to begin with the repair and, sometimes, I don't even look at what is needed until I am ready to begin the work.

I always thought that creating new jewelry was fun and satisfying and that repairing old jewelry was boring and, in fact, not creative. Now I know that this is not true. There is creativity and satisfaction to be found even in this type of jewelry work. I recently came to this conclusion and the benefits I have found are listed here.

Benefit #1 - Satisfaction upon completion

There is satisfaction to be found in finally doing something that you have been putting off. This is true whether the task is cleaning out the garage or repairing a piece of jewelry. The truth is that you will feel some satisfaction when you finally complete that long-awaited task. Procrastination is avoidance and, when you finally face something you have been avoiding, you will feel good about yourself.

Benefit #2 - Creativity

Upon review of the item to be repaired, I have found that I do rely on a creative thought process to figure out the best method of fixing the item. Some repairs are quite challenging and the main thing to be avoided is creating further damage to the jewelry components.

This creative process takes into account my past experience in creating jewelry. I know what works for me and I know which areas have not been the most successful in the past. Being experienced in jewelry design and creation definitely aids me in finding the most successful solution to a problem.

Benefit #3 - Helping Others

In my experience with jewelry repairs, I have found that 99% of the items needing repair are brought to me by other people. In general, most of these repairs are on jewelry that I did not make. So, I am asked to help out and fix things that are created using components and methods that are not my own. This adds its own challenge in that I might not have the same type of component available in my inventory to fix the piece thus requiring some type of improvisation (the creativity benefit comes into play here).

When all is said and done, if I can help someone out by fixing a broken piece of jewelry, it always brings a smile to the owner's face. I always guarantee the jewelry I make, so, if something breaks, I will repair it at no cost to the purchaser. For other jewelry, I usually don't charge a fee for repairs either. I prefer to enjoy the goodwill that is created which is a reward in and of itself. There is also the hope that the owner may someday purchase a piece of my jewelry which would be a future monetary reward. Either way, everybody feels good when the repair is completed!

So, the moral of the story is..."get those repairs done." It will benefit you in ways you didn't imagine!