We love jewelry very much. Moreover, the word “we” can combine both men and women. Today it is simply impossible to find a person who does not wear a gold or silver chain around his neck. After all, someone wears crosses, someone prefers to put on an amulet, and someone is generally fond of Slavic mythology and wears a charm in the form of a hammer or moon.
But chains tend to break. And sometimes it happens under very strange circumstances. For example, you leave the house and notice that the chain is undone, the cross is hanging, but you have not lost anything. What does it mean?
Today we will just talk with you on the topic of what, according to signs, means if the chain is broken, and how the jewelry can be repaired without leaving home.
Why the chain is torn according to signs
In fact, it will accept a lot about chains, especially with a cross. Sometimes it's just not possible to understand them. But we'll try anyway. It turns out that it is important to remember at what point in the day the chain around the neck with the cross broke.
If the chain is broken in the early morning, this indicates the end of the bad and the change in your life to the positive. If there was a cross on the chain, then it is recommended to re-consecrate it in the church and already wear it with a new chain.
When you lose an accessory in the middle of the day, this is already in trouble. Be more attentive to the events around you, something is not going according to plan.
Did your accessory break in the evening? You may have had outside magic interference. Someone deprives you of energy. You have probably been feeling attacking weakness for some time now. Think about whether you have ill-wishers? You need to do energy restoration and become stronger again.
If the chain is broken, then you should not throw it into a corner or the far part of the box, maybe not everything is so complicated and the product can be easily repaired even at home.
When the chain breaks at night, this is a very bad sign. This can also indicate the pumping out of energy, you need to understand where the forces are flowing. If your golden chain is broken, then someone close to you (parents, husband, children, sisters, brothers) is unhappy with you. Think about with whom you have recently collapsed relationships and make contact with the person. Your favorite silver chain has broken - you have ill-wishers among friends or at work.
Meanings for the days of the week.
Monday. This is a hint of an unfriendly attitude at work. It is likely that the problems will be related to your competitors. Treat people more attentively in the near future, try to understand what kind of atmosphere at work, maybe you should change something.
Tuesday. This promises unpleasant disagreements with relatives. Try to be more restrained and more tolerant in order to smooth out the conflict.
Wednesday. It is better for you not to make any expensive purchases on this day. If you have lost a chain or pendant around your neck, then definitely transfer all material costs to another date. You are being warned to be scammed.
Thursday. The rupture or loss of an accessory on this day leads to changes in life for the better. Expect pleasant changes, money, love, a breakthrough at work or in a relationship with a loved one.
Friday. Do not have frank conversations today if there was an incident with the decoration. This may be a sign of betrayal. Better keep your mouth shut. Pay attention to your best friend, maybe he knows too much than he shouldn't.
Saturday. You need to pay attention to the state of your body and improve your health. Go for an inspection.
Sunday. Pay attention to envious people in your environment. It is possible that they gossip about you. Be on your guard.
Which chain to choose so as not to break: is a thick one really stronger?
The chain is a thin and fragile decoration: because of the openwork weave of the links, the product looks especially airy and elegant, but it is because of this that it often breaks. The thinnest connections can break or fray from time, from intensive wear or inaccurate handling. The thinner the product, the less its weight - the more fragile it is. Often, in order to make gold jewelry less heavy and less expensive, instead of gold wire, hollow gold tubes are used in the manufacture. Chains of such links are airy and affordable, but can break even more often than usual.
Do these words mean that you need to abandon the model you like and choose a more massive option? Not at all. You can wear the most filigree and delicate accessories, but you should not forget that they are not eternal. Take care of such chains correctly: periodically look through the links, especially the extreme ones near the lock, since in this place the chain is under the highest load.
Try to notice the emerging gap in time, or better, regularly take the jewelry to your jeweler for inspection, as with the help of professional devices he will be able to notice “weak” places invisible to you, and strengthen them in time. Such measures will help you keep your gold chains in good condition, and this, in turn, will insure against losing your favorite jewelry due to sudden breakage.
Signs that the chain may soon break
Chains, like rings or earrings, need to be watched. After all, sometimes you can see in advance that your product needs repair. There is no need to do special dances to check the accessory on the neck: it is recommended to just carefully examine the chain once a month. Learn what to look for when inspecting your neck jewelry.
- look for visible damage to the links. If such are found, then the jewel should no longer be worn. Mark the place of marriage either with a colored marker or with a thread, and run to the jeweler.
- often the chains break in the castle area. The first symptoms are jamming or, conversely, too easy clasp travel. Usually, locks are placed on the chain called a spring clasp. The design of this technology involves the use of a spring that presses the foot. The spring is steel. Over time, from moisture and sweat, it loses its elastic properties and simply breaks. Such a lock is easy and cheap to repair.
The product has become a little longer - this happens when the internal links are worn.
- the chain began to get tangled more often, creases appeared on it: these problems provoke the fact that the chain is intertwined, knots are formed that are difficult to unravel - this appears from the fact that some links are worn out and begin to cling to each other. Here you need to contact a specialist, and already discuss with him what exactly can be done. But most likely you will be offered to either replace some of the links, or simply buy yourself a new piece of jewelry for everyday wear, and send this beauty to retirement or to be melted down.
- and if the chain has already broken, contact competent jewelry workshops, and if you have never soldered, then definitely do not try to do it yourself - firstly, this will affect the aesthetics of the product, and secondly, it will lead to a repetition of the breakdown.
How to solder a silver chain at home
Often there are incidents in life that you need to solder a silver chain with your own hands. This is a rather serious task, but nothing is impossible for skilled hands. Now we will figure it out, what do you need to know about soldering silver?
How to solder a silver chain yourself
Silver is a metal that melts at 960 degrees. But in the manufacture of chains, not pure argentum is used, but an alloy of silver, which includes various metals: copper, zinc, and there may be other impurities. Of course, the melting index is different for different metals, such as the melting point of copper is 1083 degrees.
The melting point of a silver alloy will depend on how much pure silver is in it, how much copper and how many other components. You can choose a specific one in the specialized literature. All solders are marked for convenience, the number in the marking indicates the percentage of silver. For example, PSr-45 is often used, which contains 45% silver, the rest is copper and zinc. In some cases, solders with a silver content of 70% are used.
The exact degrees for alloys can be found in technical jewelry books. In order for the soldering to turn out to be of high quality, it is important to carefully choose the silver solder.
For repairs, it is desirable to use refractory solder, which melts at temperatures above 240 degrees. The higher the silver content, the stronger the bond will be.
Preparation of the instrument
What tools you need to have to repair a silver chain at home:
- silver solder - we have already dealt with it a little;
- soldering iron or gas burner. For such work, a gas burner is best suited. But if you have never used it, then you can take a soldering iron.
- flux. This component is better to buy in a jewelry store. Masters know exactly what to use;
- alcohol-containing liquid;
- an acid solution is also better to buy in a store;
- clamps for fixing jewelry: ordinary “crocodiles” for soldering, mounted on a tripod, will do;
- nippers;
- small brush;
- sandpaper;
- asbestos sheet or brick (if using a gas burner).
The algorithm works
How to fix a silver chain with a gas burner?
- Before starting work, the product itself must be thoroughly cleaned of dirt. On this occasion, we can advise you an article.
- Do not forget to degrease the product. Treat the chain with an alcohol solution.
- Fix the broken parts of the decoration on a fireproof base. For this purpose, an asbestos sheet or ordinary brick is suitable. For convenience, you can install a holder with "crocodiles".
- Spread the places of chain breaks with a thin layer of flux, which is convenient to do with a brush.
If before that you have not worked with a blowtorch / gas lamp and have not soldered other metals, you should not train on gold / silver jewelry: you can permanently damage the product
- Separate some of the solder with wire cutters.
- Place a piece of solder between the broken parts of the chain.
- Gently heat the joint with a gas torch, bringing the torch to the side, not from above. This is necessary so that you can visually track the process.
- Try to ensure even heating.
- As the flux warms up, increase the flame while continuing to weld the metal and form a solder joint.
- When everything has melted, wait until the soldered decoration has cooled down.
- Clean the surface of the product from the flux, remove the remaining solder with sandpaper. If you are afraid of scratching the chain, then you can throw it into boiling water, where the flux will go away.
- Polish the soldered area.
- Final treatment - brightening the surface with an acid solution.
Safety precautions when conducting experiments at home
When repairing a chain with your own hands, be extremely careful, the soldering process can be dangerous. In particular, when the flux and solder are heated, toxic substances are released into the air, so you need to solder the chain in a well-ventilated area.
It is easy to get a chemical burn from using an acid solution (not only the skin, but also the respiratory tract), and a fire can occur from an open flame of a burner.
If you have never tried to fix a silver chain before, or moreover, you haven’t soldered anything at all, then think again before you start repairing yourself. Maybe you should entrust the repair of your favorite jewelry to professionals?
But if you nevertheless planned the experiment, then we recommend that you immediately practice soldering on those chains that will definitely not be used. After you, they will definitely go to scrap.
Is it possible to solder the golden chain yourself
The process of soldering gold is no different from working with other metals. Therefore, you can easily peep the technological part of the technique above on silver.
Preparing solder for soldering a gold chain at home
If there is no special solder for gold, it can be created from improvised materials at home. To do this, it is necessary to prepare a crucible (high-temperature container) for melting metals, a small amount of gold, silver and copper. As well as pharmacy scales and a form for melting solder.
The recipe itself is as follows: for 585 parts of gold, you need to take 115 parts of silver and 185 parts of copper. Thoroughly straighten all this goodness in a crucible on a burner, mix. Next, pour the solder into the mold and cool. Details of the technology can be found in the specialized literature.
However, remember that soldering a gold chain at home is a delicate and technologically complex matter.
Preparing the chain for soldering
- As in the case of silver, everything must first be cleaned and degreased.
- Next, you need to fix the product in a vice or other clamp so that the damaged area is visible. The product must then return to its original shape. That is, the thread must be straight.
- It is necessary to boil the solder and the gold jewelry. Under the influence of high temperatures, gold will be covered with a special protective layer.
- Before starting to create a seam, it is worth adjusting the intensity of combustion.
- Then evenly heat the gold at the junction.
- When the chain reaches the right temperature, take some solder and make a neat seam at the break.
- Next comes the stage of grinding and processing the seam. If, after “gluing” the links, a large seam has formed that protrudes above the surface of the chain, it must be sanded. And then process with a special napkin (look at the jewelry store) to give the product a shine.
The cost and features of repairing gold chains in workshops
For those who have never worked with soldering equipment and do not know how to fix a broken gold chain at home, the easiest way out is nothing more than contacting a jewelry workshop. It's not even that you can't do it yourself at home, it is quite possible, but only soldering by hand is not such an easy task. Here you need experience, dexterity of fingers and a full eye. Although if you want to experiment, then why not.
The cost of repairing jewelry in a jewelry workshop depends on various factors:
- urgency of work, you will always have to pay extra for speed;
- complexity and extent of damage. Broken one link in the chain or several;
- features of chain weaving. For example, a large anchor chain is faster and easier to solder than elegant female weaving;
- the need to add gold, the cost may increase depending on the place of repair and the greed of the jeweler.
The exact price for the work will be announced to you by the master when you bring your gold chain and the specialist will diagnose.
The lock on the chain broke: how to fix it
Repairing a lock on a chain with your own hands is very difficult if you have no experience in this. But first, let's define what types of castles are. Usually standard clasps are:
- toggler clasp / toggle;
- spring lock;
- carbine;
- screw lock
- box lock is usually used for bracelets, watches, i.e. large heavy jewelry;
- hook;
- the clip is also most commonly used on bracelets;
- magnetic lock.mm
In most of the cases described, fixing the clasp on the chain yourself is impossible. For example, if the toggle is broken, it is better to just buy a new one and solder it to the chain. Repair of the castle itself is pointless. The same applies to the screw lock, box hook, clips and magnetic lock.
But with spring locks and carbines, the situation is simpler. They usually break the spring. It is very easy and completely inexpensive to replace in the workshop.
What to do if the chain is stretched
Very often you may notice that your neck accessory is deformed. The chain can stretch if, for example, you wore a pendant on it, which is much larger in weight than is permissible. What should be done in this case?
First, just with your eyes, if your eyesight allows, or under a magnifying glass, carefully examine the integrity of all the links on the chain. You may find those that have lost their shape or simply torn. In both cases, urgent repairs are required. Even if the chain is intact, but the elements are already deformed, then you should not continue to wear the accessory. The chain can break at any time, and you will lose the product.
Next, try to point out those links that raise questions. They can be painted with dark alcohol markers or tied with a thread.
At the end, go to the jeweler. The master will once again diagnose the jewelry and give a verdict. Most likely, you will be told the following: links that have lost their shape and strength should be replaced. Due to this, the decoration will become smaller in length. If you do not want this, then you will have to buy part of the new knitting.
So, now you know how to fix a broken gold chain. But again, it’s worth warning you, if you are going to experiment at home or in the garage, then you need not only to find all the solders, chemicals and tools, but also to properly organize the workspace so that you don’t get poisoned by any chemicals, burn the house or get burned. And by the way, if the chain has been around for many years, isn't that a reason to buy a new accessory?
