| Many people enter my shop with broken beaded | | | | She brought an identical piece that she wanted me to |
| jewelry. Some pieces are family heirlooms while others | | | | cut and then join the two together to reach the |
| are jewelry items that were picked up on vacations in | | | | desired length. The size of the beads alone was |
| other countries or in a department store. The common | | | | enough for me to pass on the job and the fact that |
| denominator is a favorite piece of jewelry is broken. | | | | she wanted it joined rather than restrung (which would |
| Many customers enter my shop with broken jewelry | | | | have been the best repair option) was enough to give |
| and one of the first comments even before they | | | | me bead-exploding nightmares. At the time, I was in |
| remove the jewelry from the bag is "it's a really cheap | | | | the process of completing another difficult repair, but it |
| piece of jewelry, but it's my favorite..." Many are hoping | | | | was like I was hearing an inaudible challenge emitting |
| that this comment will help determine the cost of the | | | | from this tiny beaded foe. But being the bead |
| repair, but that's not how the cost of a jewelry repair is | | | | conqueror that I am, I took the job and attacked the |
| determined. There are several factors that will | | | | repair right away. Needless to say I repaired the item |
| determine the cost of a repair. Time, labor and | | | | beautifully. 2 hours later and a long lecture that went |
| materials are just a three factors. | | | | something like this, "I will never ever take a job like this |
| Sometimes the most inexpensive piece of jewelry can | | | | again". The lecture was long because I repeated it |
| cost more to repair than an expensive piece of | | | | over and over the entire 2 hours. But I enjoyed the |
| jewelry. Just this week a young lady came into my | | | | challenge. |
| shop with a waist necklace that was made of | | | | The next time a customer enters my store with a tiny |
| hundreds, if not thousands of tiny seed beads. She | | | | beaded disaster will I turn the job down, probably not, |
| wanted this item made longer by 3 inches. | | | | especially if I can handle the challenge. |