Repairs & Adjustments

Because jewellery is made to be worn, loved and occasionally need a little looking after.

Jewellery lives with us.

It gets caught on jumpers.

Chains wear.

Clasps loosen.

Rings that once fitted perfectly become a little too tight or a little too loose.

Sometimes something simply needs a small adjustment before it feels right again.

And very often, the jewellery that needs repairing is the jewellery that matters most.

So please don’t worry.

Send me a photograph, tell me what has happened and I will take it from there.

A Simple, Caring Repair Service

I want sending jewellery back for repair or adjustment to be as straightforward and painless as possible.

You don’t need to know the correct jewellery terminology.

You don’t need to diagnose the problem.

And you certainly don’t need to know how it should be repaired.

That’s my job.

Just tell me what isn’t quite right.

Perhaps a necklace needs shortening.

A chain needs repairing.

A clasp needs replacing.

A pendant needs a new fitting.

A ring needs making larger or smaller.

Or perhaps you have worn a favourite Hairy Growler piece for years and it simply needs a little attention.

Send me a few photographs and a short description and we can begin from there.

How It Works

1. Tell Me What You Need

Start by getting in touch with a brief description of the repair or adjustment.

If possible, include a couple of clear photographs showing the whole piece and the area that needs attention.

Don’t worry about writing a technical explanation.

“My ring is too tight” or “the chain has broken here” is absolutely fine.

2. I Have a Look

I will look carefully at the photographs and work out the best way forward.

Some jobs are wonderfully simple.

Others may need a little more thought, particularly with older handmade jewellery or pieces that have already lived a long and interesting life.

If I need another photograph or measurement, I will let you know.

3. You’ll Know the Cost Before I Begin

Once I understand what is required, I will explain the likely work and confirm the price.

There should be no unpleasant surprises.

Simple necklace adjustments begin at £20.

Ring adjustments begin at £40.

More involved repairs are individually priced depending on the work, materials and time required.

Nothing is started until we have agreed what I am doing and what it will cost.

4. Send Your Jewellery to Me

Once everything has been agreed, you can carefully package your jewellery and send it to the Hairy Growler workshop.

I will provide the information you need for returning it safely.

For valuable or sentimental jewellery, I strongly recommend using an appropriately insured and tracked postal service.

5. Back to the Bench

Once your jewellery arrives, it goes back onto the bench.

Wherever possible, I repair rather than replace.

That is particularly important with handmade jewellery.

The little marks, textures and signs of wear are often part of the piece’s story.

My aim is not necessarily to make an old piece look brand new.

My aim is to make it wearable again while keeping the character that made it yours.

6. Allow Around Four Weeks

Please allow an approximate four-week lead time for repairs and adjustments once the jewellery has arrived at the workshop.

Many repairs may be completed sooner, while particularly complicated work can occasionally take a little longer.

I would rather take the time required to do the job properly than rush something that matters to you.

7. Home Again

Once the work is complete, your jewellery will be carefully checked, packaged and sent back to you.

Then the best part happens.

You get to wear it again.

Necklace Repairs & Adjustments

Necklace adjustments start from £20.

This can include straightforward jobs such as adjusting chain length, replacing or repairing fittings, changing attachment points and making small alterations to help a necklace sit or wear more comfortably.

Chains and necklace fittings naturally receive a great deal of movement during everyday wear.

Eventually even a much-loved necklace may need a little attention.

Often a relatively small repair is all that is needed to give it many more years of life.

Ring Adjustments

Ring adjustments start from £40.

Hands change.

That is completely normal.

A ring bought years ago may gradually become too tight or too loose, or perhaps a ring bought as a gift simply needs adjusting to fit its new owner properly.

Depending on the construction and material of the ring, it may be possible to increase or reduce its size.

Send me a photograph of the ring along with the adjustment you think you need and I can advise you from there.

Repairs to Hairy Growler Jewellery

If I made the piece originally, I already understand a great deal about how it was constructed.

That can make repairing or altering it considerably easier.

Hairy Growler jewellery is made to be worn rather than kept safely in a box.

And anything that is genuinely worn will eventually collect evidence of a life.

That is not something I am frightened of.

Bring it back to the bench.

I will see what I can do.

Older Hairy Growler Pieces Are Welcome Too

Perhaps you bought the piece last year.

Perhaps it was ten years ago.

Perhaps you can’t even remember when.

That doesn’t matter.

If it is one of mine, I am always happy to have a look at it.

In fact, I rather enjoy seeing older pieces return to the workshop.

They come back carrying scratches, softened surfaces and little signs of all the places they have been since they left my bench.

Jewellery should acquire stories.

What About Jewellery I Didn’t Make?

You are still welcome to ask.

Send me photographs and as much information as you have about the piece.

Whether I can repair or alter it will depend upon its materials, construction and condition.

Some pieces are straightforward to work on.

Others may require specialist equipment or techniques outside the Hairy Growler workshop.

If I don’t think I am the right person for the job, I would much rather tell you than risk damaging something important.

Sentimental Jewellery

Sometimes the financial value of a piece has almost nothing to do with why it matters.

A modest silver ring may have belonged to Mum.

A necklace may have been given on a wedding anniversary.

A little pendant might be connected to someone who is no longer here.

These pieces deserve particular care.

If your jewellery has sentimental significance, please tell me when you contact me.

I will treat it as though the story matters, because it does.

Repair Rather Than Replace

There is also something very Hairy Growler about repairing things.

Much of my work begins with materials that have already had one life.

Old coins.

Antique silver.

Objects that might otherwise have been forgotten.

Repair follows much the same philosophy.

If something can be carefully restored, adjusted or given a little more life, I would usually rather do that than replace it unnecessarily.

Wear it. Mark it. Repair it. Carry on.

Typical Repairs & Adjustments

I can consider many different repairs and alterations, including necklace shortening and lengthening, chain repairs, replacement fittings, clasp repairs, pendant fittings, jump rings, minor alterations, ring resizing and adjustments to existing Hairy Growler jewellery.

Because every piece is different, some repairs will need to be assessed individually before I can confirm that the work is possible.

Repair & Adjustment Details

• Necklace adjustments from £20
• Ring adjustments from £40
• More complex repairs individually assessed and priced
• Photographs requested before sending jewellery wherever possible
• Price agreed before repair work begins
• Approximate four-week workshop lead time from receipt of the jewellery
• Hairy Growler jewellery of any age is welcome for assessment
• Other jewellery may be considered depending on material, construction and condition
• Sentimental pieces treated with particular care
• Traditional hand tools and jewellery-making techniques used where appropriate
• Repair is preferred to unnecessary replacement wherever practical
• Tracked and appropriately insured postage recommended when sending valuable or sentimental jewellery

Ready to Begin?

You don’t need to work out what repair you need before contacting me.

You don’t need to know whether something can be resized.

You don’t need to know the name of the broken little silver thing that connects one bit to another.

Just show me.

Take a couple of photographs.

Tell me what has happened.

Tell me what you would like changed.

And I will take you through the rest.

Made to Be Worn. Made to Be Kept.

I have never believed handmade jewellery should spend its life protected inside a box.

Wear it.

Take it travelling.

Wear it to work.

Wear it dancing.

Wear it in the garden.

Let it pick up the occasional scratch.

Let the silver soften.

Let it become yours.

And if, somewhere along the way, something needs a little attention…

send it home to the bench.

I’ll look after it.

Handmade and recycled in Cambridge, England.