DOES SOLDER WEAKEN RINGS, CHAINS & JEWELRY?

Does solder weaken jewelry?

It’s actually a very good question.

Is your jewelry weaker in areas where the jeweler has been soldered and repaired?

The answer is YES!

Soldering is where the jeweler melts solder onto the jewelry, rings or chains to fix them. When you get your rings sized, they are soldered together. Anytime a jeweler has to cut apart a section, or mend a section back together, they are putting solder into those spots to fuse them.

Why does solder weaken jewelry?

It’s just like everything else in life… Anytime you take an object, break it into two pieces, and put it back together, it will always be weaker in those areas (kind of like a broken bone).

Rip a piece of paper in half. Tape it back together. When you tug on opposite sides of the paper, chances are it will break where that seam is.

Jewelry is no different.

Solder does weaken those areas, and the cheaper the jewelry, the worse it gets.

If you put a lot of pressure on your ring at the seam, it’s possible that the shank will break where the splice is.

Jewelry is only as strong as the weakest link.

When chains get soldered and repaired, a good yank could make it snap at the repaired spot.

There’s not much you can do about it either…

Other than be more careful, or buy more durable items.

If you have a ring or a bracelet that keeps breaking over and over, it’s going to be weak.

Repairs make it weaker.

Sooner or later you’ll need to replace them.

That’s why it’s not good to keep getting rings sized over and over again. It makes them fragile.

Solder affects the integrity and structure of jewelry and metals.

Customers bring in these frail, thin, cheap tennis bracelets all the time. They get them repaired because they keep breaking endlessly. We fix them, but they’ll probably be back next week with another break.

Buying cheap jewelry is just not worth it.

If you have jewelry that breaks a lot, maybe it’s time for an upgrade?

Something stronger, more durable, something that won’t break all the time.

Because the last thing that anyone wants is weak jewelry.

Upgrade now.

It’ll save you money in the long run.

Cheers! :)