Before and After: Reimagining New Life For Old Jewelry

What would you do with a collection of rings you don't wear anymore? If they're made out of genuine gemstones, you're in luck: you can easily design new pieces that better suit your style while maintaining the value and sentimental attachment to pieces that already mean something to you...

Sometimes, it can be difficult to picture what you want when you have a lot of very different starting points, but our design consultations can easily help you pair down what you are missing from your jewelry collection and how your pieces could help fill those gaps. This client brought us a collection of rather dated settings containing pretty, colored gemstones that were all different shapes and colors. It can be overwhelming to think about using everything at once, so we broke down the project into multiple parts.

First, we went with the simplest project and pulled the citrine to create a very low-key bezel set pendant for the client. 

Then, we removed the pear cut tanzanite and reset it in a pretty floating channel style ring with thicker proportions. Our client wanted a statement ring that felt minimalist and wearable, and this design met her goals while adding a little bit of visual interest to an otherwise simple design.

Third, our client knew she wanted a cluster-style setting that would use the rubies in a creative way. Noticing that the ruby pendant had a more vibrant hue, Tim decided to keep that separate from the other oval rubies and pair it with the pear cut sapphire in a cluster ring that also features a few of the teeny diamonds from the original settings. 

Then, finally, Tim pulled the three darker rubies from the ruby and diamond band and scattered those in a modern bezel setting that also utilized a few of the small diamonds from the old halos. The designs are similar enough so that they could be worn together if the client wants, but they also work nicely on their own.

In the end, our client is left with tons of flexibility to wear her pieces as her mood strikes. We love the variation in style that she has, but can also see the thread of minimalism that connects all the pieces together. Do you have pieces at home that you don't wear anymore? Consider making an appointment to talk through how to reimagine them! We would love to help.