Probably one of the most commonly asked questions I receive is”Can you reuse my old jewellery to create something new?”
Although I answer this in detail on the FAQ question page-often people seem to miss it!(lol)
However do check it out..
Anyway the quick answer is “yes”*( as long as it is gold) recycling silver or other metals is just not financially viable.
There are a few things to consider before we start..
This kind of work can be very labour intensive,and often more so than just starting from scratch .
Gems are carefully removed ,and the pieces weighed-this gives me an idea of how much more gold I will need to purchase to create the new piece.
As careful as I am occasionally old gems break or crack upon removal-I alway’s check first and if I see anything that bothers me contact you before proceeding- at the end of the day this type of work is entirely at your own risk ,since I cannot guarantee the history of the gems.
Commercially made jewellery can weigh very very little especially those mass produced -often people seem to expect I can somehow turn a couple of their old vintage rings into one of my VERY solid say wide bands but as clever as I am-I’m not Rumpelstiltskin (spelling?) and spinning gold(damn it!) is still something that evades me!
So don’t expect the redo to be a “cheap way” of creating something new-it’s not.
Gold after weighing is then assayed and refined -all this takes time and costs money.
This is more about SAVING -saving something special,a family heirloom,a tradition,a memory..You cannot put a price on that.
I can give you an idea on costs before you start-no obligation
Above is a recent ring I made.The old band symbolized family members with a birthstone set for each one-but one of the gems had fallen out and the ring was tired and old fashioned.
Recycling the gold I fused it on either side of the new ring and replaced the majority of the gems with new ones*(pointless using chipped worn gems in a new ring)-which has sterling through the middle.
The customer was overjoyed -here was a ring she could wear daily 🙂
Turning a draw full of unworn jewellery into something you wear EVERY day..Now that’s priceless!
