Learning the Ropes
A method for safely repairing rope chains
By Joel McFadden
Although rope chains are a classic style, there’s been a recent uptick in interest in them, especially in men’s jewelry. And with an increase in sales comes along an increase in repairs. While solid rope chains are fairly simple to repair, hollow ones are much more difficult because the links can melt or deform so easily during the repair. And because hollow rope chains have thin walls, they cannot be repaired with a laser welder, which could blow right through the walls. In fact, they’re so challenging that many jewelers refuse to work on them. However, I developed a process for repairing them that allows me to successfully solder them without melting them. As a bonus, this method also works for solid rope chains.