Easy Jewelry Repair for Common Jewelry Breaks

I will list the supplies under each specific break issue because that will be much less confusing. Here is a list of contents so you can skip ahead to your specific need.

1. Broken Jewelry Chain
2. Lost Earring Back
3. Broken Stud Earring
4. Broken Necklace Clasp

Supplies:

- Round nosed pliers OR Rosary pliers (using two pliers makes this a lot easier)

- Broken chain

- Optional: jump rings

One of the most common problems is a broken chain. Those tiny little links break SO easily.

Luckily, they are a rather easy fix. Here I have two ways.

Take the broken link out of the chain and discard it. I find that most of the time the broken link is practically impossible to repair, so just get rid of it.

Hold on to the first link on the chain end (the one that was next to the broken link) with one of the sets of pliers. Look and make sure that where the link opening is is facing up. Take the second set of pliers and grip the other side of the loop. The loop opening should be in between the two sets of pliers. Twist one of the pliers, causing the loop to open sideways (don't pull it open).

Use your fingers or the second set of pliers to hook the other side of the broken chain in the now open loop. Use both pliers again like you did earlier, but this time twist the loop shut. Your chain is repaired.

Sometimes I like to kinda smash the new link shut just to make sure. Not really pretty, but functional.

A second option is to get rid of the broken link, open a jump ring, and pass it into the two end links of the broken chain. Try to find a jump ring that is a similar size to your chain loops and it will be practically invisible. This is easier than opening the actual links of the chain, so if you have a hard time working on such a small piece, I advice using this route.

Supplies:

- Silicone Earring Stoppers

OR

-Hot glue gun stick

-Knife

Earring backs are so easy to lose. They just pop off and disappear. There is the old "eraser" repair, but I find that it doesn't really work for me, and having a piece of pink eraser stuck to the back of your ear is kinda obvious. Here are two ways you can fix a lost earring back.

The first way is kinda obvious. Silicone Earring Stoppers. They come with a lot of hook/hoop earrings that you buy, and they are actually what is inside clutch backs. If you look at one, you can barely see the silicone piece inside. When you buy earrings, keep those silicone pieces! I find they come in handy all the time. If you don't have any, you can easily find some online or in the store.

Now here is a better hack for if you don't have any. A hot glue stick.

Cut a little bit of the end of the hot glue stick using a knife. Take the earring and push it into the hot glue round. This is your new back. It can be a little difficult to find the hole you made in the hot glue when putting it in, but once you have this back isn't really gonna move. Plus, it is clear so it won't be that noticeable. and even if it is people will just assume it is a normal earring back instead of a replacement.

I was actually super pleased with how the hot glue back turned out. I liked it a lot and I need to try to remember it more when someone says they lost an earring back. A plus is that since the hot glue round is larger and flatter than most post backs, it will also help hold the earring up like those "ear savers"!

Supplies:

-Post backs (available in craft stores or online)

-Gorilla Glue

I have found that Gorilla Glue is a pretty trustworthy glue with repairing metal items. As long as you are not tugging or pushing on it, it should hold.

The post backs are easily available in different places. I wish I could tell you some awesome hack for them, but there really isn't one.

Glue the post back to the back of the earring. The end.

Some earrings have the post embedded in the earring piece and it will occasionally snap off. You can simply glue a replacement post back onto the back of the earring. If it was a ball or a single rhinestone type earring, you are better off a) forgetting about it, or b)making it a replacement partner. If you are interested in that, this will take you to my DIY Ball Post Earrings Instructable.

Post backs came in varying sizes, and although smaller ones can be harder to find, they are available. On the leaf earring I used a smaller post back because the larger one that I used for the green earring would have shown past the earring edge.

Supplies:

-Stainless Steel wire in a gauge that WHEN DOUBLED the loop piece of the clasp will fit over it (you'll see what I mean)

-Round nosed pliers (two pair is helpful)

-Wire Cutters

Clasps don't always want to work right. Sometimes they get sticky, or even worse, they break. A lot of times when a clasp breaks it is the end of the necklace because you cannot put a new clasp on it due to the chain material. However, this little hack can get around that by using the loop of the clasp to help you make a new clasp.

Cut a piece of wire with the wire cutters. Make it long enough that when doubled over on itself it will still be pretty long.

With the round nosed pliers, loop the wire through the end of the clasp. Clasps are made with two loops; the first is the small loop that connects it to the chain, the last loop is the large loop that hooks it to the other end of the clasp.

Now, bend the wire at the halfway point, bending it back on itself. With the pliers, squish the wire on itself so there is no gap between the doubled over wire.

Twist the ends of the wire together (it is easier to use two pliers - one to hold the wire and one to twist), locking the loose end to the looped end.

Bend the end of the doubled over wire back towards its beginning. Make a hook shape, pinching the open end of the hook closer to itself. Now you should be able to hook the loop part of the original clasp to your new hook.

Some necklaces are actually made like this. The key to get it to work is to make the hook long enough that the loop part will slide back to the bend of the hook for quite a ways, thereby making it less likely to slide off. You also need to pinch the opening part as close to "closed" as you can get it.

I hope you found some tips in here to help you repair your own jewelry. Some of them are very easy, some not as much, but hopefully this solved some of your most common jewelry problems. If you are interested in making your own jewelry, check out some of my other Instructables.

Have a wonderful day.