REMODELLING OR RENOVATING YOUR JEWELERY

Have you ever opened your  jewelry  box  and wondered what you were going to do with that odd half pair earring,  or the ring with the missing stone, or that broken chain?.  What about those pieces of jewelry that you received as gifts over the years or a piece that you inherited and never wore because it was not your taste, or simply outdated.  You may also have jewelry that you have worn for many years but are bored of now--styles and tastes change over the years.  

Renovating your jewelry, also known as remodeling, can add new life to an odd or older piece of jewelry, or create an entirely new piece from scratch.  Sometimes it’s as simple as replacing an old gemstone with a more vivacious gem.  Your great grandmother’s favorite piece may not be your favorite one, but certainly can be revived back to life with some modifications. You can also increase the value of a piece, but most importantly, you can wear something that you will treasure and truly appreciate that much more.

Over the years, our clients have brought in pieces, literally thrown into a small jewelry bag and emptied out as if they were junk.   Once you start looking at each individual piece, it’s amazing what can be re-created from certain pieces, updated or converted.  Many clients that have no emotional attachment to a piece(s) will have everything melted down to have something entirely new made. 

One of our clients recently brought in her “goody bag of gold”.  She had rings from the Victorian era and Art Deco period, an older brooch she never wore and a very heavy plain gold bangle bracelet, as well as many odd and broken pieces.  We created an entirely new brooch from her existing brooch by cutting off the settings from the rings and adding them to the brooch as well as adding diamonds throughout.   Her plain gold bangle bracelet became an “eternity” bracelet because we set it with diamonds.  Her reaction when she saw the finished pieces were, AWE, SPEECHLESSNESS AND OVER THE MOON.  She was one happy lady.

I wish to share some ideas with you that may inspire you to “renovate” a piece(s) in your jewelry collection.

If you have an odd ½ pair of stud earrings, you can have it modified to wear as a pendant or ring.  If the earrings are a simple solitaire stone, why not have it reset into a nice gold frame.  If you don’t want to wear them as studs, why not convert them into a dangling pair. 

Rings seem to be everyone’s favorite.  How about adding diamonds to your plain gold wedding band—all of a sudden you have an eternity band.  If you have two or more narrow wedding bands, (perhaps they belonged to cherished family members and are very sentimental to you) they can be soldered together at the seams, to create 1 band.  You could wear it with your wedding band or on your other hand. 

A larger wedding band, such as a gentlemen’s, can have a gemstone set into the center, a bale added and worn as a pendant. 

Do you have a favorite gemstone ring that you would like converted but don’t want to tamper with the setting?  Why not have a new shank remade, or have the setting made into a brooch or pendant.  An older ring can be updated by adding additional stones or replacing existing stones. 

If you owned a childhood treasured favorite, a charm bracelet, and have not worn it for years, you can wear it as a necklace simply by having a chain soldered to the end—that’s how I wear my own charm necklace now.  You can also have the charms removed and wear them as individual pendants, or have them individually soldered to a chain with larger links.  Now not only do you have a new neckpiece, but a new bracelet. 

If you have several narrow bangle bracelets, why not have them soldered to make 1 wider bracelet.  Why not add some gemstones to a simple gold bangle bracelet—or for real sparkle—diamonds.

Link bracelets, depending on the size and thickness of the links can also have gems set into the links.  A link bracelet can also be converted to an I.D. bracelet by adding the I.D. bar to it.  If you have an existing I.D. bracelet and do not want to wear it as a bracelet, then have the I.D. bar removed have a chain attached to it and wear it as a pendant. 

Brooches can be made more versatile by adding a bale to it so it can be worn as a pendant and visa versa. Pendants can have a pin and barrel attached to the back.    Depending on the size of your brooch, you can have a beautiful clasp made that could be added to your fine pearl necklace.  You could also have a ring made from it especially if it is a very unique design.  They can also be modified by adding a couple of rings and a chain so they can be worn as lavalieres.

Do you have a very, very long necklace?  Why not have it cut so you can wear it as a shorter necklace and have a matching bracelet, or you can have two bracelets made and keep one for yourself and give the other to your daughter.

If the gentlemen in your life no longer wear his cufflinks, you can have them easily converted into a pair of earrings by having the cufflink backs removed and having a post added for post and butterfly earrings.  If he only has an odd ½ pair, why not have a ring made.  The shank could compliment the style of the cufflink.  If he doesn’t wear his tie clips any more, they can be made into a classic bar pin. 

In closing and on a personal note, my most cherished and favorite piece of jewelry is a diamond ring that my jeweler custom made for me.  The setting was originally removed from an antique brooch and was made into a beautiful ring.  The ideas are endless, the imagination unlimited.

Open your jewelry box and discover your hidden treasures!

Baya Gatter

Eternal Fine Jewels, www.rubylane.com/shops/eternalfinejewels

Jewelia’s Fine Jewels, www.tias.com/stores/jfj