Is your great-grandmother’s turkey platter cracked?
Did you discover a beautiful but chipped Ming Dynasty vase at a garage sale?
Antique china is always a treasure. Passed-down through the generations, these pieces represent the heritage of a family and remind us of times past. Because of its age and the distances it has traveled, antique china often ends up broken, chipped and cracked.
If you intend to repair antique china yourself, proceed with caution because it can take months to “un-do” an unsuccessful repair. It is probably best left to a professional artisan.
Many people claim to be able to repair antique china, but be sure to ask for referrals and photos of successful repairs. These websites are a good place to start:
Restoration, and
Precious Pieces
Whoever you choose to repair your antique china will ask that you:
- 1. Save all the pieces. Reconstruction of missing parts is usually possible but much more costly than simple re-assembly.
- 2. Do not glue it yourself. Each kind of china requires a special material for adhesion. Removing and redoing sub-standard repairs adds significantly to the time and difficulty of the repair.
- 3. Discuss the repair with an expert. In some cases, the repairs would cost more than the piece is worth.
- 4. If you ship the piece, pack it carefully. Wrap each piece individually and double-box.
Once your piece arrives safely at the workshop of the artisan who will repair it, this is what you can expect them to do. They will give you a repair estimate based on the complexity of the repair. They will clean the piece and remove any old glue. If necessary, they will restore and fill missing sections. They will assemble the piece and seal cracks with the appropriate materials. Finally, they will match the color and design of the original and touch up the repair so as to make it invisible.
