Hollow jewellery should be appreciated for the technical skill required to make it either by hand or machine. Hollow work means a piece can be lighter than expected. This lends itself to larger sculptural works that remain comfortable to wear.
The challenge with hollow designs is that they can be difficult to fix if dented. Pulling out a dent in a hollow piece requires attaching a rod to the area that is dented, usually by soldering, heating the area and trying to pull the rod holding the dent outwards. The rod is then removed, and the piece can be refinished.
If the piece is sealed, the goldsmith will need to make a hole somewhere before heating to let the air escape. This process is difficult to trouble shoot; be sure to consult a goldsmith with extensive repair experience before attempting to restore a piece like this.
’20 Tips on maintaining our Jewellery’, Gillian E. Batcher, 2013