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December 1998
For Your Staff:Selling Quality
Repair & Maintenance of Tennis Bracelets
Knowing what to do when something goes wrong with these popular in-line
bracelets demonstrates another aspect of quality in your shop
by Mark B. Mann
Director of Professional Certification
Jewelers of America
With the popularity of tennis bracelets – ever since Chris Evert
caught the world's attention when she dropped her in-line diamond bracelet
at a tennis match a decade ago – comes increased demand for their repair
and maintenance.
Tennis bracelets come in a wide range of qualities. On one hand (or should
we say wrist) are nicely made, very fine bracelets in which every detail
of the assembly was considered; on the other are commercial-quality bracelets
often poorly made with little attention to the assembly or quality of the
materials.
Here are the main points of inspection for the proper care and maintenance
of tennis bracelets:
- The bracelet is neither too long nor too short when worn on the wrist.
- All joints and hinges are complete and operate smoothly; none are loose
from wear or poor construction.
- All mechanisms such as closures, box clasps, safety catches and safety
chains work with precision.
- The catch has a second locking device, usually called a safety.
Here's a closer look at some of the detail of these points.
1. Proper Fit: Not Too Long or Too Short
Al Solomon of Solomon's Fine Jewelers, Plainview, NY, ensures the proper
sizing of every tennis bracelet he sells or services. He and his staff use
this very simple rule: with the bracelet on the wrist where it's worn most
often, the opening between the bracelet and the wrist is at least a one
finger width. |
Here's why proper fit is so important. If the bracelet is too long,
it will catch and stretch through normal wear. This puts undue stress and
pressure on each of the hinge joints and severely weakens them. Al has seen
bracelets that have stretched over a half-inch. They also can catch and
stretch, then break and become lost. Solomon says his customers enjoy having
the "leftover" links made into earrings. |
 
2. Joints and Hinges Operate Smoothly
Here are examples of links and how links might look when excessively
worn, stressed or stretched.
 
Stretching also causes the cracking and tearing of links and their joints.
Examine the bracelet as closely as possible for other cracks and tears –
they are difficult to spot. You must warn your customer that breaks are
likely to occur in other links.
3. Mechanisms work with precision
 Make sure the closures, box clasps, safety catches and safety chains
work as intended when new – especially the clasp or closure. On commercially
made pieces, you'll sometimes see cast instead of die-struck tongues. If
cast, the tongues will be soft and not retain the spring action required
for repetitive use. In this case, do your customer a favor and recommend
replacing it with a properly manufactured part for the overall safety and
security of the bracelet. The illustration shows how to differentiate a
cast tongue from a die-struck tongue.
A die-struck tongue (top) is smooth and even, with lines showing on the
sides of the piece from being die struck (or cut from a sheet of gold).
A cast tongue is rounded and soft, lacking spring. It often breaks after
only a few openings and closings.
4. Second locking device
Safeties come in many forms. Here are two of the most commonly used:
a figure-8 and a safety chain.
Being a Professional
Sometimes, being a professional requires you to communicate bad news
about the quality of a customer's piece of jewelry. If you see a bracelet
that has a host of manufacturing and assembly defects or excessive wear,
it's your responsibility as a professional to warn the customer – in
a tactful and appropriate manner – and offer to remake the bracelet. |
Take-in Tip
If one link is cracked from being stressed, others are most likely weakened
and will soon break. When taking in such a bracelet, always count the number
of links from one end to the point where the break occurs (and the repair
is to be done); mark this on the job envelope. Then if the bracelet breaks
again and the customer thinks it's the same link and you should repair it
for no charge, you can show the envelope to verify the second break is at
a different location. |
JA Quality Assurance Guide
Repair & Maintenance of Tennis Bracelets
by Mark Mann
Director of Certification
Jewelers of America
This edition of the Jewelers of America Quality Assurance Guide illustrates
the signs of a properly made and maintained tennis bracelet as well as features
that indicate potential or actual problems.
Properly Maintained Tennis Bracelet
 The bracelet fits properly, with about one finger's width between the
bottom of the bracelet and the wrist.
- All joints and hinges are complete and operate smoothly.
- Mechanisms such as closures, box clasps, safety catches and safety
chains work with precision.
- All stones are secure (see previous issues of Professional Jeweler
that deal with specific methods of stone setting such as prongs (February
1998, pp. 183-184), channels (June 1998, pp. 167-168) and bezels (August
1998, pp. 129-130).
- The detail and pattern of each link is maintained, free of tool marks,
properly finished and polished.
- The catch has a second locking device; this one is called a figure-8.
Potential Problems
 Improper Fit
There should be about one finger's width between the bracelet and the
wrist where it will be worn.
Cast vs. Die-Struck Tongue
Cast tongues eventually will lose the required spring and/or
break.
Unfinished or Poorly Finished Links
All detail, including the bottom and inside of a link, should be finished,
polished, smooth, free of tool marks and comfortable to wear.
Loose Joints, Links or Hinges
Loose and sloppy joints and links will break eventually. All joints,
links and hinges should be complete and operate smoothly.
  
 Lack of Security
The bracelet should have a second locking device called a
safety. The most popular types of safeties are the figure-8 clasp and the
simple safety chain.
© 1998 Jewelers of America
This information is required for the second level and higher of the JA®
Certified Bench Jeweler program
Illustrations by Lainie Mann
Copyright © 1998 by Bond Communications.
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