Can this antique bracelet be reinforced somehow? I'm worried it may fall off if any part breaks.

[antiquebracelet]

I'd love to give this bracelet to my wife but I'm afraid it might break or come apart and fall off. This bracelet is from the 1920's or 30's so it is old and quite delicate. I am imagining a way to thread either a string or thin band on the under side, through the links, of the bracelet and then linking that together with an additional clasp. That way any part of the bracelet could break but it wouldn't fall off. Is that something that people do or can be done or am I just being silly?

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[AV_]

The best platinum work looks surprisingly light - it is meant to.

2c

 

[Bron357]

You could thread a white gold or Platinum chain through the links, soldering the ends to the clasp section, but mostly poor clasps are the reason why bracelets fall off or get lost.
Platinum is a very robust metal, it doesn’t wear or break as easily as gold might. That said, I wouldnt recommend that bracelet as an “everyday wear”.
What’s the clasp like?

 

[antiquebracelet]

You could thread a white gold or Platinum chain through the links, soldering the ends to the clasp section, but mostly poor clasps are the reason why bracelets fall off or get lost.
Platinum is a very robust metal, it doesn’t wear or break as easily as gold might. That said, I wouldnt recommend that bracelet as an “everyday wear”.
What’s the clasp like?

The clasp feel pretty solid but is hard to undo once locked in. I realize this will never be for everyday wear but we are not that fancy so I was hoping it could somehow be robust enough to wear to a concert or party. Maybe I'm dreaming but I'd love to do whatever is needed so this can be worn with confidence. I took the piece to a local jeweler and he said the bracelet was like having a set of 50k mile tires that were on about 40k currently...

 

[YadaYadaYada]

@antiquebracelet, I'm not saying this is the case with your jeweler but I recently had a jeweler tell me that work needed to be done on a ring and I knew it wasn't true because it had just been worked on by another jeweler (they didn't know this). So when I went back to the original jeweler who worked on the ring and had him recheck he said it was totally fine. Makes me wonder if they just wanted to get the $80 out of me even though the ring was totally fine.

Is this a jeweler you have worked with before? Maybe get a second opinion or have an appraiser look at it, that would be rather ideal and you don't need a full appraisal, I have an appraiser that charges sometimes $20 just to give an overall assessment of a piece of jewelry and the best part is they don't have a dog in the game so you will get an unbiased opinion.

 

[kgizo]

I agree, you need a second opinion. Some jewelers don’t have enough experience with antiques and default to recommending today’s standards whether or not it is appropriate or necessary. You could add a chain as you are proposing, but I would want someone knowledgeable to discuss any potential issues that may cause. If you do anything, make sure the jeweler uses a laser welder to avoid heating the bracelet too much and discoloring the metal. Would love to see more pics, please.

 

[antiquebracelet]

@antiquebracelet, I'm not saying this is the case with your jeweler but I recently had a jeweler tell me that work needed to be done on a ring and I knew it wasn't true because it had just been worked on by another jeweler (they didn't know this). So when I went back to the original jeweler who worked on the ring and had him recheck he said it was totally fine. Makes me wonder if they just wanted to get the $80 out of me even though the ring was totally fine.

Is this a jeweler you have worked with before? Maybe get a second opinion or have an appraiser look at it, that would be rather ideal and you don't need a full appraisal, I have an appraiser that charges sometimes $20 just to give an overall assessment of a piece of jewelry and the best part is they don't have a dog in the game so you will get an unbiased opinion.

I understand your concerns but the jeweler I went to I've been to before and IMO he is beyond reproach. He appraised the piece at no cost to myself and he has nothing to gain at all in this scenario. He did say if I needed to remove a link to size the piece he would use a lazer and it would cost around $60-70 which sounded fair. He said he would not be able to do anything to reinforce the piece unfortunately.