Jewelry Repair and Restoration
in Los Angeles
If a piece matters to you, the first step isn't a repair. It's an honest look at whether it should be repaired, restored, or redesigned. The assessment is free, by appointment in West LA.
Book a Free AssessmentStart With an Honest Look
Most pieces can be fixed. Not every piece should be. Ali examines yours in person and tells you what's wrong, what it will take, and whether a repair will actually make it better.
"I'm always happy to say, let's see, versus automatically giving someone a definite no. Most of the time there's some kind of repair solution. It might not always be a permanent fix, and if it's not a permanent fix, I also let people know that too."- Ali
Sometimes the honest answer is no. A client brought in a very thin woven gold necklace that had lost a diamond. Ali took it to her bench jeweler before giving an answer:
"Repairing it would actually cause those ends to kind of fray and melt, and it could have destroyed the whole necklace. So it was just better to not move forward with a repair."- Ali
She wore it as a bracelet instead. Her review of that visit is below.
What We Repair and Restore
Fine jewelry and watches, many of them heirloom pieces.
Stones and Prongs
Missing stone replacement, stone tightening, prong retipping and prong rebuilding. When no stone in the right size exists, we can have one cut to fit.
Rings
Resizing up or down (the most common request), shank replacement, soldering bands together, and lowering a setting that sits too high.
Chains, Bracelets and Clasps
Chain repair, clasp repair, and shortening chains or bracelets.
Watches
Timepieces that have stopped working, full restorations, and watch bands shortened, extended or rebuilt.
Polishing and Finishing
Polishing and rhodium plating.
Restoration and Engraving
Full refurbishment of older and heirloom pieces, including engraving and re-engraving hand-engraved details.
Watch batteries go to a specialist who can change one in ten minutes. Nothing is repaired while you wait. Gold-plated and costume jewelry are assessed piece by piece, and sometimes the answer is yes.
How It Works
By appointment only, with a quote before any work starts.
Book an Appointment
Not sure it can be fixed? Text, call or email Ali for a rough idea first.
A Free Assessment
Ali examines the piece by eye and under the scope and photographs it. Some repairs she can price at the appointment; for more specialized work she gets an expert's quote first. Outside Los Angeles, the assessment starts over video and the piece ships to her insured and signature required; Denver clients start here.
A Quote Before Any Work
There's no minimum. The price depends on the extent of the work and the materials: for a resize, how wide the band is and how much metal has to be added or removed. Nothing starts until you're comfortable with the quote.
At the Bench
Ali's bench jeweler in downtown LA does the work, and watch work goes to watch experts, mostly local. Most repairs take about a week. A full restoration, like rebuilding a watch, can take several weeks.
Insured the Whole Time
Your piece is insured while it's in our care, and kept in a safe whenever it isn't being worked on.
Repair, Restore, or Redesign
Some pieces need a repair. Some need a full restoration. And some have earned a new life.
A client brought in a Rolex Oyster Datejust from the 80s, the watch he remembered his dad wearing growing up. The crystal was so scratched it was hard to read the Roman numerals, and the bracelet had stretched out so far it was hard to tell how many links to remove. The crystal was replaced and every link was rebuilt with new, straight pins to close the gaps.
"It was a meaningful piece to him and something that he wanted to continue being able to wear. It's a super cool contrast between what the watch originally looked like and what it looked like afterwards. It looks almost new."- Ali
Another client brought in a very thin 18 karat gold chain that had already broken several times. Ali repaired it and told him it might break again. Three months later it did, in a different place.
"I think for me it's not a good win for the client if I repair a piece once and then they have to come back in several times for repair."- Ali
When a piece keeps failing, Ali will tell you if it's worth melting it down and putting the gold and stones toward something new and more durable. That's where repair becomes heirloom jewelry redesign: a new piece built around the original stones.
If you're deciding between a reset, a redesign and an upgrade, resetting or upgrading your engagement ring walks through all three.
If Your Ring Came From Somewhere Else
Ali is happy to repair and restore pieces from other jewelers.
"A lot of times they end up with me because their concerns weren't taken seriously by the original jeweler. Or the repair time was 3 weeks and they'd have to send it out to another state."- Ali
Two honest notes. Outside repair work can affect a retailer's warranty, and Ali tells you that up front. And some pieces, like delicate settings with small prongs or sterling silver, can keep causing problems. If a fix is unlikely to last, you'll hear that too.
Questions About Jewelry Repair
About a week for most repairs; several weeks for extensive work like restoring a watch.
There's no minimum and the assessment is free. Each piece is priced individually, with a quote before any work starts.
Yes. Ali repairs and restores pieces from other jewelers and retailers.
It can. Ali lets you know before touching anything, so you can check your warranty terms first.
Yes. Repairs are by appointment only, and nothing is repaired while you wait.
Yes, including watches that have stopped working, full restorations and band adjustments. Batteries are the exception.
Yes. Pieces are insured while in our care and kept in a safe when they aren't being worked on.
More questions? See the FAQ.
Not Sure It Can Be Fixed?
Bring the piece, and Ali will tell you honestly what it needs, what it will cost, and whether it's worth doing. By appointment in West LA.
The studio is in West Los Angeles, by appointment, and serves the neighborhoods around it.
Book a Free Assessment