A bespoke pendant necklace made with an heirloom diamond

A younger generation that values sentiment in old inherited jewellery

It is no secret that I love every aspect of jewellery design but I particularly love redesigning inherited jewellery. As recycling is taking on a much cooler status, re-modelling jewellery is now more popular than ever.   The throw away culture is coming to an end with younger brits preferring to own jewellery with a sentimental value as the survey mentioned in Jewellery Focus Magazine has shown.

In today’s current climate the “take-make-dispose” linear economy is most certainly outdated and is the root of some of our most challenging climate problems.  Younger generations understand this and are well equipped to tackle it. They have already started doing by using peer to peer market apps such as Vinted and Depop.  The millenniums and Gen Z’s are well known for the most likely to make purchase decisions based on values and principles (personal, social, and environmental).  

A diamond through the generations

So, I was not surprised to be approached by a young client with the idea of remodelling her grandmother’s solitaire diamond ring. Inherited precious jewellery holds many told and untold memories, so the journey of redesigning is often a very sentimental one whereby my clients put their faith in me to guide them and ensure that the sentimentality is retained whilst creating something that suits their style.  

Also, faith that stems beyond sentimental value is the trust of knowing that your diamond will not be changed for a lower quality one or God forbid: glass or mossanite.  Trust in knowing that the quality of the metal you asked for is the one you will be receiving.  I fear these values are something that is a taboo subject in the jewellery industry yet by far one of the most important values that a jeweller can provide to their customers.  But this may be a subject for another day.

RELATED: Things you need to consider before you remodel your old jewellery

The redesign process

Back to this wonderful ring….during the design consultation we discussed several different options, like making a new ring, matching the diamond and making earrings but we settled on a pendant necklace.  A classic pendant that would never go out of style, but with  rub over setting to give a more contemporary look.  Taking into consideration her lifestyle we also discussed thickness of the chain.  Thin chains are gorgeous as they can have that almost invisible effect, like the pendant is floating on your neck, but when you have a diamond that is over a carat in weight, plus the sentimental value of it a thin chain is not the best option as they can break very easily and your pendant will be lost forever.  So we choose a chain with a decent and strength weight to it, without loosing the elegance and beauty of it.

Through sketches she was able to visualise the ring her family had cherished for so many years in a new and fresh light and fall in love with it all over again. The new vision as a pendant necklace gave the ring a modern update, yet her family’s story will be retained in the special piece which in turn will become an heirloom for many generations to come.

The diamond was removed from its original setting and crafted into a timeless pendant necklace. Showing that you can retain a diamond's sentimental value by crafting it into a new piece of jewellery. You can retain its stories. And create new ones.

Sentiment in jewellery can never be overstated.

I am pleased to say that with over seventeen years of experience in the field I have a very clear grasp of what is important. It is the story and sentiment that mean the most and it is a privilege to help people with such an emotional purchase or reinvention. Jewellery helps mark the most significant moments in our lives - births, marriages, deaths - and I want to ensure the right piece is found for every client for those moments.

Working on recreating such precious pieces, and feeling the weight of the emotion they can hold takes me right back to why I fell in love with jewellery in the first place. A piece of jewellery can hold so many memories and help us feel connected to loved ones in subtle but very special ways.

Do you have gemstones that you would like to be given a new lease of life, why not consider having them re set?