China, Porcelain, Ceramic, Pottery, Etc.

When it comes to china, porcelain, and pottery; we offer varying degrees of restoration to suit your needs. From simply assembling broken objects to complete restoration where the pieces are bonded, missing pieces and fragments reproduced, cracks filled and ground, color matched and finish (gloss, semi-gloss, satin, bisque, flat) reproduced for invisible restoration. Some restorers only offer museum quality restoration for your objects. This option is very costly and generally not practical for most of your objects. We pride ourselves with working with our customers to provide the degree of restoration in which they feel is necessary and practical for their collections or heirlooms.

Stages:

Bonding - pieces are cleaned and carefully bonded back together. At this stage cracks will be visible (each piece varies), and any missing pieces will still be missing.
Repair - pieces are cleaned and carefully bonded back together, chips are filled, missing pieces reproduced, chips and reproduced pieces are colored. At this stage cracks will be visible (each piece varies) and colored areas may be slightly noticeable. Generally, for most peoples use and necessity, this second stage is the most practical.
Restoration - pieces are cleaned and carefully bonded back together, chips and cracks are filled, missing pieces reproduced, chips, cracks, and reproduced areas are colored. At this stage no one with the naked eye, even when looking closely, can tell the piece had been damaged.

 Crystal and Glass

Chips, Dings, Scratches:
The most common repair we encounter are chips in the rims or bases of stemware, bowls, and vases. These pieces can be ground past the chips and polished to its original condition. Chips, scratches or other imperfections on other crystal or glass sculptures can be removed with the same process.

Broken Objects:
Crystal and glass objects that have been broken into pieces can be bonded back together with a special u.v. curing adhesive. Visibility of the cracks vary from each individual piece, but the piece would be strong, waterproof and usable.

Missing Pieces:
Since our founding we have salvaged a vast quantity of crystal and glass parts. Missing a base, cup, or stem to a glass? We can generally replace the missing part with one that is very close to the original. We have also been very successful in reproducing missing parts from Steuben crystal animals and Murano fish; such as a penguin fin, elephant trunk, and fish fins. These pieces were made by grinding, shaping, and polishing larger blocks of crystal to the correct shape then bonding back into position.

Unstable Pieces:
Not every object of art or use are practical. We specialize in creating eye-pleasing flat glass bases to permanently bond your top-heavy vase, or object to make them more stable. See our portfolio for an example.

Risk ?:
Crystal and glass, as you know, are fragile and sensitive to temperature. Our family has been involved and is affiliated with Tarzana Glass and Mirror for three generations. Why does this matter to you? It means we have extensive equipment, knowledge, patience and expertise when working with crystal and glass. Wrong equipment and insufficient knowledge of crystal and glass tolerances leads to cracked and damaged pieces. All work is done on premise by only myself and my father. Whether it is your fine Steuben crystal sculpture or pressed glass cup handed down generations, you can always expect that we treat each piece with the same patience and care as you would.