Your fine jewelry pieces are more than just accessories; they are treasured possessions, often holding deep sentimental value. However, even the most expertly crafted items experience the natural wear and tear of daily life. Whether it’s the engagement ring you wear every day or an heirloom bracelet, your cherished items deserve expert care to maintain their beauty and brilliance for generations to come. M. Martin & Co. Jewelers has been satisfying customers with high-quality service and craftsmanship right here in the Chicago Loop since 1939.
Why Trust Our Expert Chicago Jewelers?
When it comes to fine jewelry, you only want the most experienced professionals handling your precious items. We recommend that most fine jewelry receive an annual checkup from your jeweler to identify potential issues before they become serious.
Issues we frequently address involve prongs, sizing, and lost stones. Over time, prongs can weaken due to frequent use, including during common activities around the house like gardening. When prongs wear down, the risk of losing your precious gemstones increases. Depending on the damage, we can perform re-tipping by adding metal or replacing the prong head entirely. Our goal after repairs is always consistency; the prongs’ shape, size, and dimension must match, ensuring they safely secure your stone and do not rip fabric or clothing.
Ring resizing is another frequent repair request. If a ring has become loose or too tight, we have several methods for correction. For significant changes, we may employ cutting and soldering, where metal is either added or removed, ensuring the work is seamless and consistent with the rest of the ring. For minor adjustments, we can use sizing beads placed inside the ring, accommodating size discrepancies of up to half a finger size.
Beyond Repair: Restoration and Custom Design
What sets M. Martin & Co. apart in the Chicago Loop is our deep expertise in custom design and manufacturing. Our jewelers, who specialize in custom work, have comprehensive knowledge of both the artistry and the technical aspects of jewelry making.
We believe in breathing new life into old pieces, specializing in custom design that can restyle your old jewelry into new and modern pieces. We can even reproduce a specific item if you provide a picture or sketch of it. Our custom design expertise means we can handle tricky restoration projects with confidence. For example, we have successfully replaced lost diamond earrings with perfect matches and provided new reinforced backs to prevent future loss. We have also repaired custom rings by replacing stones and restoring the finish so the jewelry looks brand new.
When you work with us, you can trust in our world-class expertise and professionalism. We are one of the only stores on Jewelers Row that can guarantee that you meet ONLY with a GIA Graduate Gemologist. Owner Stan Perkins holds Graduate Gemologist diplomas in Diamond Grading and Colored Stone Grading and Identification. This high level of knowledge ensures that your precious items are handled by an expert who understands the value, quality, and structure of fine jewelry.
The M. Martin & Co. Difference
When your piece is repaired, the work should be flawless. A sign of good jewelry repair work is a consistent color, appearance, and luster of the repaired area; it should seem as though the piece was never damaged, with repairs blending in perfectly. You should never see hammer or tool marks, visible seams from cutting or soldering, or improperly fitting stones. We pride ourselves on the high quality of our craftsmanship, which has been recognized on Yelp, among other places.
We operate a low-overhead “upstairs” store, allowing us to bring you wholesale prices on quality jewelry and repairs. As a firm that proudly serves fourth-generation customers, we are committed to being your reliable jeweler for years to come.
If you need a Chicago Loop source for professional jewelry inspection, repair, or restyling, we invite you to experience the difference in our quality and expertise. We operate by appointment only, and you can reserve yours here. We look forward to making your jewelry sparkle like the day you first received it.
