Bad Manners and Brimstone

Oh, this. I am a silver jewelry maker, mostly wire wrapping, some bezel work and basic soldering. I get asked to repair costume jewelry by soldering all the time. If it isn't silver or gold, generally speaking it is what jewelers call "pot metal", sometimes plated brass, sometimes some form of tin, sometimes no idea what alloy it is. It is NOT going to result in anything usable or pretty. Also, I could not re-plate it if I did manage to put it back together. Plus, popping rhinestones or crystals out prior to soldering would run a high risk of damaging either the stones or the settings for them. I have told people to go to a jeweler who can cast pieces and have the piece entirely remade. Even if they choose to have it remade in something like brass, they are astonished at how expensive it will be. Sorry, one-off work is always going to be vastly more than mass production.