This was a great thread, and I LOVED all the images everyone posted. The idea of using gold to repair jade boggles the mind... Maybe because it was soft enough to work with without further damaging the jade...??

I really like repaired beads, especially when the repairs are interesting & beautifully done. I have an old pitcher that has huge metal staples through it to mend several cracks, and I LOVE it.

I especially found the thread of interest because my artwork, especially my fiber pieces, are constructed on a similar principal--that the "original" has been damaged, or cut down and rebound, then remounted on another layer of fabric, etc. Sometimes I deliberately tear holes, fray edges and then clumsily "mend" them. I'm trying to catch the essence of something that is handmade, then handed down for centuries, damaged, remade, repaired, reworked, resulting in many layers of fabric and stitching.

You've really inspired me to get started on a series! Maybe with some "repaired" polymer clay beads....