Your grandmother’s ring has a prong that’s starting to lean. The clasp on your favorite gold necklace gives up every third time you try to fasten it. A bracelet link cracked sometime in the last year and you’ve been meaning to deal with it for months.
These things happen to jewelry, and they do not mean the piece is done. Almost every repair that walks through our door at 122 E Alameda Ave has a straightforward solution when the work is done by people who actually know what they’re looking at.
This is what jewelry repair in Burbank looks like when it’s done in-house, by the same family that has been making solid 14K gold since 1978.
What We Can Repair (and What We Actually Do at the Bench)
Here is an honest list of what comes through our repair counter, and what the work actually involves:
Ring Sizing
Ring sizing is one of the most common repairs we do. If a ring is too loose, we cut the shank, remove a small section of gold, and solder the gap closed before re-finishing the surface to match. If it’s too tight, we cut the shank and add a small piece of matched gold to widen the circumference. Both directions are done in-house at the bench with a laser welder, which gives us precision control over the heat and minimizes risk to stones and settings during the process.
Most rings can go up or down two sizes without issue. Beyond that, the shank integrity becomes a factor and we’ll tell you honestly before we touch anything.
Prong Repair and Re-Tipping
Prongs hold your stones in place. They wear down with normal use, particularly on rings. When a prong gets thin enough, a stone can shift, crack, or fall out entirely. Re-tipping means building the prong back up with fresh gold and reshaping it to secure the stone correctly.
We check all prongs on any piece that comes in for a different repair, because a bent prong can be hard to feel but easy to see under a loupe. If we spot something, we’ll show you before we do anything.
Chain and Clasp Repair
Gold chains break in a few predictable ways: a link opens under tension, a clasp spring fails, or the jump ring connecting clasp to chain gives out. We repair all three. The repair type and the fineness of the chain determine the time and cost, but most chain repairs are same-week work.
Stone Setting
Whether a stone has fallen out or you have a loose stone you want set into a new piece, we handle setting in-house using the correct technique for the stone type and setting style. Prong, bezel, and channel settings all require different approaches. We work under magnification and use laser welding for settings where torch heat would risk the stone.
Important note: heat-sensitive stones (opals, emeralds, tanzanite, and some treated rubies) require extra care during setting and soldering. If your piece has stones like these, mention it when you come in so we can plan accordingly.
Polishing and Refinishing
Gold scratches with wear. That is normal and it is fixable. We polish rings, pendants, and bracelets using a buff wheel and, for detailed pieces, a flex shaft with polishing tools that reach into the setting detail. If a piece has intentional texture (hammered, matte, or satin finish) we can restore the original surface rather than polish it flat.
Engraving
Engraving on an existing piece is possible if the surface is flat enough and thick enough to accept it cleanly. We use laser engraving for precision script and machine engraving for block or simple fonts. If you want text added to a ring, bracelet, or pendant that is already in your collection, bring it in and we’ll tell you whether the surface is workable.
Watch Battery Replacement
Watch battery replacement is fast and we do it while you wait most days. We open the case, replace the battery, and check the gasket while we have the back off. If the gasket is degraded we’ll let you know and can replace it at the same time, which maintains the water resistance of the case.
Why “In-House” Matters for Jewelry Repair
A lot of jewelers accept repair work and send it to a trade shop they work with, often in a different city. You leave your grandmother’s ring at the counter, they put it in a bag, and it goes somewhere you can’t see to be worked on by someone you don’t know. Three weeks later it comes back.
We don’t work that way. Every repair at Burbank Jewelry Outlet is done in our studio at 122 E Alameda Ave by our own team. That means a few things that actually matter to you:
- You can see the bench. Our repair area is not hidden from customers. If you want to understand what we’re going to do to your piece before we do it, we can show you exactly what that looks like.
- Faster turnaround. Most standard repairs are same-week, often faster. There’s no transit time, no waiting on a trade shop’s queue.
- Direct accountability. If a question comes up during the repair, we make the call ourselves. We don’t have to relay messages through a middleman.
- Better matching. When we add gold to a repair, we pull from the same stocks we use to manufacture. Color matching on yellow gold, white gold, and rose gold is done by eye at the bench by the same people who set stones all day.
We’ve been making jewelry in Burbank since 1978. We know what 14K gold looks like when a repair has been done properly and we know what it looks like when it hasn’t. That standard applies to our own repair work the same way it applies to anything we make from scratch.
What Jewelry Repair Costs in Burbank
Repair pricing depends on the work. Here are honest ranges so you come in with reasonable expectations:
- Ring sizing up or down one to two sizes: Typically in the range of $50 to $120 depending on the metal, the shank thickness, and whether the ring has stones near the sizing area.
- Prong re-tipping (single prong): Typically $20 to $60. A full re-tip on all four or six prongs of a solitaire setting runs higher but is often the right call when multiple prongs show wear at the same time.
- Chain soldering (simple break, no clasp): Usually $25 to $50 depending on chain style and gauge.
- Clasp replacement: $30 to $80 depending on clasp type and whether we need to source a matched part.
- Stone setting (stone provided): Varies significantly by setting type and stone size. Simple prong reset starts around $40 to $60. Bezel or channel settings with custom work run higher.
- Polish and refinish: $25 to $60 for most pieces.
- Watch battery replacement: $15 to $30 depending on battery type and case complexity.
These are ranges, not quotes. Pricing is confirmed when we see the piece. We don’t charge for the assessment and we don’t start any work without your approval on the cost.
What Happens When You Bring Something In
We keep this simple. Bring your piece to 122 E Alameda Ave. One of us will look at it with you, describe what we see, explain what the repair involves, and give you a price. You decide whether to proceed. We don’t take a deposit on most repairs and we don’t start work until you’ve confirmed the scope and the cost.
For repairs we can do while you wait, we’ll tell you when you come in. Most chain soldering, watch batteries, and simple ring polishes don’t require leaving the piece. For sizing, prong work, and stone setting, we’ll give you a pickup window, usually within the week.
If we look at something and the repair isn’t worth doing (the metal is too thin, the setting is too far gone, the cost would exceed the replacement value) we’ll tell you that too. It’s a more useful answer than a quote for work that won’t hold.
Bringing In a Piece for Repair: What to Know Before You Come
A few things that make the visit go more smoothly:
- Bring the piece itself. Photos help us understand what you’re describing but they can’t substitute for looking at the piece directly. Prong wear, thin shanks, and stone security can’t be assessed from a picture.
- Know what the piece is made of if you can. “Gold-colored” and “solid gold” are not the same thing and the repair approach is different. If you’re not sure, we can test it.
- Mention any stones by type if you know them. Certain stones (opals, emeralds, some treated corundum) require heat-sensitive handling during any work that involves soldering or laser near the setting.
- Tell us the repair history if you know it. A piece that has been sized multiple times has a thinner shank than one that hasn’t. That context affects what we can safely do next.
Come In During Our Studio Hours
Burbank Jewelry Outlet is open Monday through Friday, 10am to 5pm, and Saturday, 10am to 3pm. We’re at 122 E Alameda Ave, Burbank, CA. Street parking is available on Alameda Ave.
There’s no appointment needed for a repair assessment. Walk in, bring your piece, and we’ll take a look. If the repair is straightforward and we can start it the same day, we’ll tell you. If it needs more time, we’ll give you a realistic pickup date and call when it’s ready.
We’ve been handling jewelry repair in Burbank for 48 years. If it can be fixed, we’ll fix it. If it can’t, we’ll tell you why.
