‘Make do and mend‘ – a glorious wartime idiom that we seldom use in today’s disposable society. There was a time when chipped, cracked or broken household items of value (particularly china and glass) would be taken to menders and metalsmiths to be repaired. The repairs; inventive and created with integrity employing laborious techniques would often produce whimsical results. Traditionally antique dealers considered these pieces to be damaged and of lesser value. However, with craftsmanship in decline, the value of work is now being recognised and highly valued by dealers and collectors alike. Keep your eyes peeled, look in that $1 box of cast-offs and you may strike broken gold!

Via our World Wide Corrospondent –  Stimpson, J.