Spring Cleaning With Laurie & Alx&Co.

Have you been bit by the spring cleaning bug yet? If you haven't tackled this yearly ritual already, here is some inspiration from Laurie, our workshop manager, for you to take a peek at your old jewelry box and see if inspiration strikes...

If you don't know Laurie Loquet from her many years in the Alexandria restaurant scene, now is your opportunity to meet a true gem of a person. Laurie joined our team in October of last year, looking for a change from her decades working at fine restaurants and wine bars. She fits in beautifully at our shop with a calm yet meticulous approach to her job, and we feel so fortunate to have her.

Laurie had mentioned a while ago that she had a few loose stones and a scattering of settings that no longer suited her, but she didn't know what to do with them. When I told her that I was planning a Spring Cleaning post, we realized that this was the perfect opportunity to show you how our creative process can work to inspire design in pieces you already have. So, I sat down with Laurie to go over her small collection and come up with a plan. Here is what we discussed:

As you can see, Laurie has a beautiful larger-sized sapphire that was gifted to her by a friend. Laurie had always planned to set this in some kind of setting that she would wear and eventually pass on to her daughter, so we discussed a plan of setting this pretty gem in a simple, talon-style prong setting with a horizontal alignment. While she initially thought she would design something more with her daughter in mind, I encouraged her to design a ring that she would be excited about so that she would wear it often before passing it on. Trust me, your children will treasure your handed-down heirlooms so much more if they remember you wearing them, so make what excites you now!

Laurie also had a single, loose princess cut diamond that posed a bit of a challenge. She isn't in love with the shape, but her initial idea was to set it in a very low-profile band and mix in other shapes and gemstones to hide it a bit. It was a good thought, but we ultimately decided against this since it would require a very deep band in order to fit the diamond top-to-bottom. Instead, we are going to keep this diamond to the side while we decide on other elements of her projects.

As you can see in the photo, Laurie also has a small scattering of diamonds and peridot to play with. We plan to set the two small diamonds and three pear-cut peridot in the afore-mentioned band idea, keeping the profile low and the style in a true eternity spread so that the band can rotate without a top or bottom to it. We will be adding rustic rose-cut diamonds to the band, a-la Jennifer Dawes' Caviar bands, for a unique scattered bespoke design that Laurie can comfortably wear on an everyday basis, even with her active job.

Laurie knew that we don't repair watches, but she brought in this sweet dress watch that has been passed on through her family just to discuss the best way to honor it. I suggested letting her daughter wear it now, even though the mechanism doesn't work, and offering to get the mechanism repaired or replaced for her daughter's graduation gift, if her daughter ends up loving the watch. We both agreed that would be a lovely way to celebrate the piece without spending too much on it before knowing how it would be received. 

And finally, we decided to keep the sentimental gold and enameled pendant and two vintage rings as-is so that her daughter can wear them. They don't hold much value from the gold or gemstone perspective, and Laurie agreed that these might be better suited staying whole rather than dismantling them for the teeny diamonds within. We will be melting the remaining unset settings as part of her custom projects so that each piece will have a purpose in the end!

We'll make sure to keep you updated as we create these beautiful pieces, but hopefully seeing how we can talk through different concepts will give you some inspiration for your own jewelry box. If you're thinking of repurposing some heirloom pieces of your own, reach out today to make an appointment - spring is the perfect time to get started!