Jewellery Repairs in Blyth, Northumberland

What We Repair

Our bench sees a bit of everything — inherited pieces that need a bit of TLC, everyday jewellery that’s taken a knock, and watches that just need a fresh battery. Here’s what we handle most:

• Ring resizing — up or down, most metals
• Chain and bracelet repairs — snapped links, broken clasps
• Watch battery replacement — most done while you wait
• Jewellery cleaning, polishing and rhodium plating
• Stone setting, tightening and replacement
• Engraving and personalisation
• Clasp and catch repairs
• Pearl and bead restringing
• Soldering and metal repair
• Earring post and back replacement

It doesn’t matter whether the piece came from us, another jeweller, or it’s been sitting in a drawer since it was your gran’s — if it’s genuine gold, silver or platinum, we can very likely help.

How It Works

There’s no booking system and no faff. Just walk into the shop in Blyth, and one of our jewellers will have a look at your piece there and then. Simple jobs — a watch battery, a quick clean, a clasp that needs tightening — are usually sorted while you wait, so you can nip in on your lunch break and walk out with it fixed. More involved repairs, like ring resizing, stone setting, or anything that needs the laser welder, usually take a few days to a week, depending on how busy the bench is and what the job needs. We’ll always give you an honest turnaround time before you leave anything with us, and we’ll ring you the moment it’s ready.

We see customers from right across Northumberland for repairs — whether you’re popping down from Cramlington or Ashington, driving over from Morpeth or Whitley Bay, making the trip from Hexham, or nipping across from Newcastle on your lunch break. Wherever you’re coming from, the process is the same: walk in, have a look, get an honest answer.

Ring Resizing

Rings change fit for all sorts of reasons — knuckles change shape, you’ve lost or gained a bit of weight, or you’ve inherited a ring that’s a couple of sizes out. Ring resizing is one of the most common jobs that comes across our bench, and it’s something we do in-house rather than sending out, so we can talk you through exactly what’s involved.

For most rings, resizing means cutting the shank, adjusting it on a sizing mandrel to get the exact fit, and then rejoining the metal with a laser welder — a much cleaner, more precise join than old-fashioned soldering, and one that leaves barely a trace. If your ring’s hallmarked (and it should be, if it’s genuine gold, silver or platinum), we take care to preserve the hallmark wherever the resize allows — it’s part of the ring’s history and its proof of authenticity, and we know how much that matters.

It doesn’t matter whether the piece came from us, another jeweller, or it’s been sitting in a drawer since it was your gran’s — if it’s genuine gold, silver or platinum, we can very likely help.

Chain Repair

A broken chain is one of those things that feels like it should be a quick fix — and often it is. Snapped links, worn-through sections, and clasps that have finally given up are the most common chain repairs we see, whether it’s a fine gold pendant chain or a heavier silver curb chain.

For a straightforward broken link, we can usually solder or laser-weld the chain back together while you wait, matching the metal so the repair doesn’t stand out. If a chain’s worn thin in several places — which happens with chains that get worn every day for years — we’ll be honest with you about whether it’s worth repairing or whether the chain’s simply had its time. We’d rather tell you that than charge you for a repair that won’t last.

Clasps are a repair in their own right. Lobster clasps, bolt rings and spring rings all wear out with use, and swapping a tired clasp for a new one is usually a same-day job. We get a fair few customers travelling over from Morpeth and further afield for chain repairs, because once people know we do a proper job, they keep coming back. If your chain’s given up, give us a ring or just pop in — we’ll have a look for free.

Watch Battery Replacement

A dead watch is nearly always just a flat battery, and it’s one of the quickest jobs we do. Bring your watch in and, in most cases, we’ll have a fresh battery fitted and the watch back on your wrist within a few minutes — no appointment, no waiting around.

We stock batteries for the vast majority of watches that come through the door, from everyday quartz watches to dress watches with smaller, less common cells. If your watch has a screw-down back or needs a specific tool to open it, that’s not a problem — our bench is set up for it. We’ll also check the seal while we’re in there, because a battery change is the moment water can get in if the gasket’s perished, and we’d rather flag that now than have you back in a month with a fogged-up watch.

Watch battery Blyth searches usually come from people who want it done properly and quickly rather than a five-minute kiosk job — which is fair enough, it’s still a precision instrument. We get customers coming in from Whitley Bay and beyond just for this, because once your watch has stopped for the third time in two years, you want someone who’ll actually check what’s going on rather than just swap the battery and send you on your way.

Jewellery Cleaning & Polishing

Jewellery that’s worn every day picks up a film of soap, skin oils and everyday grime that dulls the shine — and it’s one of the easiest things to put right. We clean jewellery using a combination of ultrasonic cleaning and steam, depending on the piece. The ultrasonic tank is brilliant for getting into the tiny gaps around claws and settings, but it’s not right for everything — pieces with loose stones, some pearls, and certain treated gemstones can’t go anywhere near it, so we check before anything goes in the tank. Steam cleaning is gentler and works well as a finishing step, lifting off any residue and leaving a proper shine.

For white gold, cleaning often goes hand in hand with rhodium plating. White gold isn’t naturally white — it’s plated with rhodium to get that bright, silvery finish, and that plating wears thin over time, especially on rings you wear daily. Once it wears through, the yellow gold underneath starts to show, which is why a lot of white gold rings look tired after a few years. We re-plate in-house, and it makes an old ring look brand new again.

Jewellery polishing Northumberland customers bring us everything from engagement rings to inherited brooches that have sat in a drawer for years, and we get plenty of pieces in from Newcastle for a proper clean and re-plate too. Pop in and we’ll have a look — most cleans are done while you wait.

Stone Setting & Replacement

A missing or loose stone is one of those things you notice the moment it happens — and one of the repairs where it really pays to bring the piece in sooner rather than later. Claws wear down and open up over time, especially on rings that get knocked about day to day, and once a claw’s worn thin enough, the stone it’s holding can drop out without you even noticing until it’s gone.

If a claw’s just loose, we can usually tighten or rebuild it without replacing the stone at all. If a stone’s missing, we’ll match it as closely as we can for size, colour and cut — for diamonds and popular gemstones this is usually straightforward, though very old or unusual stones can take a bit more sourcing. Tension-set and channel-set pieces are a different job again, since the setting itself is doing more of the work holding the stone in place, and we’ll always explain what that means for your particular piece before we start.

We do a fair bit of this work for customers who’ve come in from Cramlington after noticing a stone’s gone missing from a ring they’ve had for years — often it’s spotted during a routine clean, which is exactly why we always check claws when a piece comes across the bench. If you think a stone might be loose, get it looked at before it’s gone — it’s a free check, no obligation.

Engraving & Personalisation

Engraving turns a piece of jewellery into something that can’t be replaced — initials inside a wedding ring, a date on the back of a locket, a name on a christening bangle. We do both hand engraving and machine engraving in-house, depending on the piece and the style you’re after, and we can work on most metals including gold, silver and platinum.

Personalisation isn’t just for new pieces, either. A lot of what we engrave is jewellery that’s already got sentimental value — a ring that’s been in the family for a couple of generations, or a pendant bought to mark a birth, wedding or anniversary. We’ll talk you through placement, font and depth before anything’s touched, because engraving is permanent and it’s worth getting right the first time.

We also get requests tied to milestones — christenings, retirements, anniversaries — and we can usually turn simple engraving around quickly if you’re working to a date. Customers come in from Ashington and further afield for this, often bringing in a piece bought elsewhere because they know the finish will be done properly. If you’re not sure whether a piece can be engraved, or you want to see some examples of the lettering styles we offer, pop in and have a look — there’s no charge just to ask.

Hallmarks & Authenticity

Hallmarks matter to us because they matter to you. A hallmark is your proof of what a piece is actually made of — the assay office it passed through, the metal purity, and the year it was marked — and it’s a legal requirement for gold, silver, platinum and palladium jewellery sold above a certain weight in the UK.

When we resize, repair or re-plate a piece, we take care to protect the hallmark wherever the job allows. On a ring resize, that usually means working on the opposite side of the shank from the hallmark, so the mark stays intact and legible. If a repair genuinely can’t be done without affecting a hallmark, we’ll tell you before we start — no surprises, no silent decisions made on your behalf.

We get customers travelling from as far as Hexham specifically because they want a jeweller who understands why hallmarks matter, not just someone who’ll grind and solder without a second thought. If you’re not sure what your hallmark means, bring the piece in — we’ll read it for you and explain exactly what you’ve got, free of charge.

Visit Us

Whatever’s brought you here — a ring that needs resizing, a chain that’s snapped, a watch that’s stopped, or jewellery that just needs a proper clean — the easiest thing to do is pop in for a free estimate. There’s no appointment system, no online booking, and no obligation. Bring the piece into our Blyth shop, one of our jewellers will have a look at it there and then, and we’ll give you an honest turnaround time before you leave anything with us.

Prefer to check first? Give us a ring on 01670 333 036 and we’ll talk you through what’s involved. Whether it’s a two-minute watch battery or a repair that needs a bit more thought, there’s no pressure and no obligation — just have a look and see what we say.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does jewellery repair cost?

It depends entirely on the job — a watch battery is a very different job to a full ring resize with a hallmark to protect. We don’t publish prices because every piece is different, but we’ll always give you a free, no-obligation estimate before we start any work, so you know exactly what you’re agreeing to.

How long does a repair take?

Simple jobs — watch batteries, quick cleans, tightening a clasp — are usually done while you wait. More involved repairs like ring resizing, stone setting or rhodium plating typically take a few days to a week. We’ll always give you a realistic turnaround before you leave the piece with us, and we’ll ring you when it’s ready.

Can you repair jewellery I didn’t buy from you?

Yes, absolutely. Most of what comes across our bench wasn’t bought from us — inherited pieces, jewellery bought elsewhere, gifts from years ago. As long as it’s genuine gold, silver or platinum, we can very likely help, regardless of where it came from.

Will resizing or repairing my ring affect the hallmark?

We do everything we can to protect it. On a resize, we work on the opposite side of the shank from the hallmark wherever possible, so it stays intact. If a particular repair genuinely can’t be done without touching the hallmark, we’ll always tell you before we start.

Do I need to book an appointment, or can I just walk in?

Just walk in. We don’t run an appointment system for repairs — pop into the shop in Blyth during opening hours, and one of our jewellers will have a look at your piece and give you an honest estimate there and then.

Can I post my jewellery in for repair instead of bringing it in person?

We’d always recommend bringing a piece in where you can, so we can look at it properly and talk you through the options face to face — but for customers travelling from further afield, such as Hexham or Newcastle, we can sometimes arrange this by post. Give us a ring first on 01670 333 036 to talk it through, and always use an insured, tracked service for anything valuable.

What if my jewellery is beyond repair?

We’ll always tell you honestly if that’s the case rather than charging you for a repair that won’t hold. If a piece really can’t be saved, we can talk you through your options — including melting it down for value towards something else, or selling the gold or silver if that makes more sense.

Contact & Opening Hours

Northumberland Goldsmiths
3-5 Bowes Street, Blyth, Northumberland, NE24 1BD
Tel: 01670 333 036
Monday – Saturday: 9am – 4.30pm
Sunday: Closed

Family-run and based in Blyth for over 20 years. Pop in any time during opening hours for a free, no-obligation estimate on any repair — no appointment needed.