Finally Fix That Precious Vase

I first heard about SBE Conservation during a meeting of the NY Network when someone from the company visited our networking meeting and told us about their growing service business. I don’t personally have a ton of breakable museum quality pieces in my home but I DO have priceless pieces from generations past and now there’s someone reliable to fix them in a pinch.

I think a lot of people mistakenly believe that when something precious breaks there is no hope to restore it to its full glory. But, there is. Obviously, it’s more expensive than buying a tube of super glue but anyone who isn’t a professional art conservationist shouldn’t be messing with restoring precious artwork. I am actually quite an expert at fixing broken vases as my son seems to be JUST finishing with his “Bam Bam” phase.

SBE Conservation has three conservators, Sarah Barack, Beth Edelstein, and Batyah Shtrum, who have collectively worked at the Met, the National Gallery of Art, and the Jewish Museum of NY — in short, brilliant Conservators. They work by assessing your piece and giving you a cost estimate on fixing it. These estimates range depending on the damage. If it’s a small vase in a few large pieces with nothing missing then it’s $200-300 but if there is extensive damage with pieces missing, it would be more expensive. Their work also includes photo documentation so they take it seriously.

These guys are local to the NY area but you can easily find someone near you by visiting the American Institute for Conservation. They have a “Find a Conservator” button in the top right hand side of the website. Maybe bookmark the page or put it in your address book. This way when a guest, child or clumsy husband breaks your Ming Dynasty vase or the only surviving teacup from your great great grandmother’s china, you can breezily dismiss their angst and assure them that it’s completely fixable — and actually mean it. This is good for everybody.