Turquoise Petit Point Cuff Bracelet Repair
This is what the cuff looked like when it first arrived in my studio before repair.
After owning this special Native American petit point cuff (Paloma Zuni) bracelet for 20 years, my client wanted me to replace five pieces of turquoise in it had either cracked, snapped, or fallen out completely.
(Pictured are the 3 additional broken stones on one side of the cuff bracelet).
When the cuff arrived at my studio, I was able to inspect it further and found that the thin, slender pieces of turquoise were padded underneath with thin strips of card stock.
This was (and sometimes still is) common practice with Native American jewelry. The idea is that having a soft padding under the fragile stone will protect it from shock damage.
(Pictured you can see the pieces of brown card stock that I pulled out of the turquoise petit point settings.)
The problem is that if it gets wet (whether from wearing it in the shower or just daily humidity), the card stock will get wet and get matted, sinking the stones down. When this happens, the setting becomes loose so that the stones are more susceptible to damage, which is what happened here.
After recutting the five new pieces of turquoise and setting them, my client’s cuff was renewed back to its original state.
Finished turquoise petit point cuff bracelet repair; cuff signed Paloma Zuni
Do you have a piece of Native American jewelry that needs a new stone recut?
Find out more about my jewelry repair process here or fill out the form below to get a quote today.