Ask the Experts Hinged Earwires Q&A

I purchased a pair of hammered sterling silver earrings online for my daughter. The earrings have a bar closure that broke off (the bar and hinge). I have made a lot of jewelry myself. I tried to replace them with something similar, but could not find anything here on line. How can I repair them?

- Donna

From the description, the hammered sterling silver metal may be soldered to a hinged ear wire, which may be identified as an omega clip. An omega clip is a type of hinged earring finding that requires a soldered post and an omega-shaped wire that is hinged to the plate.

There are hinged ear wires that work well with most designs. All would depend on how the ear wire is attached to the plate.

It may be best to have a jeweler who specializes in repair take a look to determine if the repair can be made without the need to replace and/or resolder parts.

- Sandra Lupo, Metalsmith, Jewelry Artist and Instructor