Antique and Heirloom Jewellery Fine Restoration ... Ethically

Kerstin Laibach takes every available measure to restore anitique and heirloom jewellery as ethically as possible. By using the same techniques and instruments with which she makes her collections it is nearly always* possible to restore pieces without deteriment to the environment.

A Victorian swivel brooch completely restored by Kerstin Laibach.
(Shown with permission of the owner)

This rare heirloom piece above is approximately 150 years old. On one side is a deguerreotype photo and on the other a Black Forest carving. The brooch is likely to have been made in the Black Forest and was coincidently appropriate that it should be restored by a goldsmith in the exact same region.
Snake adorned jewellery became popular around 1840 when Prince Albert gave Victoria an engagement ring in the form of a snake and this decoration remained popular throughout much of Victoria's reign.

PRE- RESTORATION CONDITION OF BROOCH: Various decorative embellishments had previously broken off from the piece and had been stuck back with glue. The tail of the snake was broken and subsequently lost. The closing mechanism was damaged, worn and therefore inadequate. The inner holding oval ring was also damaged and flimsy. Dirt had accumulated between the photo glass plates. The glass had also previously been badly cleaned and appeared misty.

RESTORATION PROCEDURE: After assessing various restore options I concluded that for best long-term results for such a nice and potentially important historical piece, it would be necessary to disassemble all parts, make new and replace missing, broken or worn parts and reassemble with hard soldering and re-plate. Being originally assembled using soft solder (a reason why most decoration had fallen off and was glued back), it was not practicable to restore broken sections without hard soldering. It therefore made more sense to restore and replace the parts using hard solder. This has now provided long-lasting strength to the entire piece. To restore the surface of the completed restoration, the brooch has been substantially re-plated with 14ct gold* . The snake's new tail has been made in 9ct gold. The closing mechanism has also been made in 9ct gold, which will ensure that such areas, where gold plating would otherwise wear down should enable occasional wear without detriment to the appearance of the entire piece. The new closing mechanism (aesthetically made identical to the original) should also ensure that the brooch can be worn safely without risk of falling off. The daguerreotype has been dismantled and the sandwiched glass carefully re-polished to restore the original detail of the picture.

* Kerstin Laibach does not plate her own jewellery creations (further information here). However, restoration of old pieces may call for re-plating: On rare occasions where the base metal of a piece of a restoration piece is not gold it may be necessary to re-plate (gold-plate) back to its original finish. On such occasions, the piece is sent to a dedicated plating company which has the appropriate plating equipment to coat the piece with the least environmental impact. Atelier Laibach is currently searching for a plating a company which uses only recycled gold coating throughout its plating process. So far there appears to be none in existence.
What is the difference between recycled gold and new-mined gold?

MORE INFORMATION ...

Repair, Restoration, Redesign, Recycle, Reclaim Service Main Page
Rejuventaion of Old, Worn Wedding Rings
Read more about the ten year / pre-millennium threshold principle
Repair and Restore - Extending a Respect for what our Planet has Provided in the Past
Creating pieces from your own gathered pebbles