I think that it is good to have someone local...but finding someone you like and trust can take time. Things like rhodium plating and prong checking need to happen every 6 months, so mailing them back every time seems inconvenient to me...and expensive. The shipping with insurance will be more than the cost of work done. For a repair though, I would send it make to whomever made it.

Maybe I can send once a year to him for a whole 'check up'?
And find a jeweler around here for emergencies or simply rhodium plating if it starts to bug me.