Broken at lunchtime, worn that evening
This is the whole reason for being in a mall. A chain or bracelet that breaks in the morning can be back around your neck the same night, because the bench is here and the jeweler is here and nothing needs to go anywhere.
Most chain and bracelet work is finished the same day, and a good share of it inside the hour while you carry on shopping. Compare that with the usual arrangement, where a counter takes your piece, mails it to a central workshop, and gives you a collection date two or three weeks out. You get a paper slip and you hope.
- Soldered at our own bench, in this building, on this floor.
- Checked along its length while it is open — the next weak link is usually near the last one.
- Clasps and jump rings replaced the same visit if they are worn.
- Cleaned and polished afterwards at no extra charge.
Walk in during mall hours. No appointment.
Broken links
Most chains break at the same two places: right beside the clasp, where the chain takes all the twisting, and at whichever link has been rubbing against a pendant bail for years.
We solder the break with matching metal, then finish the repair so the mended link moves like the ones either side of it. A stiff link is a badly done repair — it becomes the next break.
Chains that need more care
Herringbone kinks permanently once it folds. We can often improve a kink but rarely erase it, and we will be straight with you about how much will show.
Hollow rope and hollow Cuban are thin-walled, so too much heat collapses them. They need a lower-temperature approach — this is exactly the kind of repair that laser welding was made for.
Clasps
A clasp is a moving part and it wears out long before the chain does. Spring rings get weak, lobster claws lose their spring, and box clasps stop clicking home.
If you are replacing a clasp, it is worth going up a size on a heavy chain — a small clasp on a heavy chain is a chain on the pavement.
Shortening and lengthening
We take links out or add matching metal to change a chain's length. Bring the pendant you wear it with — the right length depends on what is hanging on it.
Every chain style
We repair Cuban link and Miami Cuban, rope, Figaro, Franco, box, herringbone, curb, snake, mariner and anchor, byzantine, wheat and Spiga, bead and ball, singapore, and tennis chains, in gold, silver and platinum.
Broken links soldered or laser-welded, worn links replaced, stretched links closed, chains shortened, and chains lengthened with matching links. Bracelets, anklets, bangles and ID bracelets too.
Herringbone deserves its own line: once it kinks it holds a memory, and a kinked herringbone will re-break at the same spot. We can often flatten and rejoin it, but we will tell you honestly whether the repair will hold before you pay for it.
Clasps and findings
Clasps replaced in every common type: lobster claw, spring ring, barrel and screw, toggle, box clasp with a safety catch, magnetic, and fold-over. Also jump rings, split rings, bails, connector rings, safety chains and figure-eight safety catches.
A clasp that keeps opening on its own is usually a worn spring or a stretched jump ring rather than a bad clasp. Cheap to fix, and cheaper than replacing the chain you lose.
Pendants and charms
Pendant bails re-soldered, charms attached to bracelets, nameplates and initial pendants repaired, and crosses, medallions and religious pieces re-jumped or re-tipped. Bring the chain and the pendant together so we can match the gauge.
What will it cost?
Is it solid, or is it hollow through the middle? Gold, silver or platinum, and what karat? Did it part at a link or right by the clasp? Does it want solder, or is a laser weld the safer call? Is it plated, and would it need replating after? That is exactly why we would rather see it than guess at it. Come and find us at Orland Square Mall — most repairs are finished in thirty to sixty minutes while you are walking around.
Straight to your question
- My chain broke
- My chain is too long — can you shorten it?
- My chain is too short
- My bracelet broke at a link
- Silver chain repair
- Gold bracelet repair
- Stainless steel jewelry repair
Questions we get asked
How long will my chain or bracelet take?
Most are done the same day and a lot of them inside the hour. Broken at lunchtime, worn that evening is the normal outcome here.
My bracelet is too big — can you shorten it?
Yes. We take links out and close it back up so the join does not show. Bring it in and we will fit it to your wrist at the counter rather than guessing from a measurement.
Can a herringbone chain be fixed after it kinks?
Often improved, rarely made perfect. Herringbone creases permanently once folded. Bring it in and we will show you honestly what the result would look like.
My chain broke in the same spot again. Why?
Usually the repair was left stiff, so the flex moved to the next link along, or the chain is simply too light for the pendant on it. We will look at both.
Can you fix a hollow gold chain?
Yes, carefully. Hollow chains collapse under too much heat, which is where laser welding earns its keep.
Do you work on silver as well as gold?
Gold, silver and platinum. Silver needs different solder and tarnishes around a repair if it is done badly.
How much does it cost to fix a broken chain?
The final price depends on the metal and how much finishing the repair needs.
Bring it in — or ask first
Walk in during mall hours and we will price it at the counter, in writing, before anything is touched. If you would rather ask first, send a couple of details and we will call you back.
Bring it in today, wear it tonight
We are inside Orland Square Mall in Orland Park. Walk in during mall hours, no appointment — most repairs are finished the same day and many while you wait. Or send a few details and we will call you back with a price.
Where we are
Julio's Jewelry, 800 Orland Square Drive, Orland Park, IL 60462 — inside Orland Square Mall. Mon–Thu 10am–8pm · Fri–Sat 10am–9pm · Sun 11am–6pm.
Chain and bracelet work comes from all over the area — Tinley Park, Oak Forest, Midlothian, Worth and Blue Island among the regulars.