Reusing, Repurposing, and Remodelling Your Old Gold Jewellery with Debra
Giving new life to old jewellery is an intricate process that requires expertise, patience, and meticulous craftsmanship. At Debra Fallowfield’s studio, we specialise in transforming your cherished heirlooms into bespoke, wearable treasures while maintaining the sentiment and memories they carry.
Why Choose Us?
We are not the cheapest—and we’re proud of it. Quality craftsmanship comes at a cost because it demands time, skill, and precision. Here’s why our work stands apart:
- Meticulous Craftsmanship: Every piece is created under a microscope to ensure impeccable detail and precision.
- Refined Gold for Superior Results: Unlike other jewellers who melt your gold as-is, we refine it to remove impurities. This process ensures the gold we use is pure and durable, avoiding issues like pitting or brittleness.
- No Shortcuts: We never compromise on quality, even if it means the process is more labour-intensive. Cheap alternatives may result in disappointing and irreversible outcomes, especially when dealing with your precious inherited jewels.
- Expertise You Can Trust: With decades of experience, Debra is renowned worldwide for her skill in repurposing and remodelling jewellery. You’re in safe hands with someone who understands the importance of your treasures.
This is not just about making jewellery; it’s about creating future heirlooms with stories to tell.
The Process
Creating new jewellery from old gold isn’t as simple as melting it down and starting over. Here’s how we do it:
- Refining Your Gold:
- All gold jewellery contains alloys—metals like silver, copper, or zinc—that are mixed in to make gold harder and more durable. Different manufacturers use different alloy blends, and since we don’t know exactly what’s in your gold, we first off send it to a professional refiner. This process removes all impurities, leaving behind pure, high-quality gold, returned to us as granules ready to be reused in your new piece. Because these alloys are extracted, the final weight of your original gold will be less than what you started with.We then re-alloy your gold granules into a fresh casting. In most cases, additional gold is needed to match the weight and strength of our custom-made designs.
- Gold Weight Considerations:
- If you’re considering remodelling as a cost-saving option, it’s important to know that the process can be more time-consuming and labour-intensive than creating a new piece from scratch. Removing stones and preparing the gold can take many hours, much like a dressmaker piecing together a new garment from old fabric scraps.
- Careful Gemstone Inspection: We inspect your gems to determine their quality and suitability for resetting. Low-grade stones may not withstand the process, but we can add new gems to your design if needed.
What to Expect
- Costs: Remodelling starts at $3,900. This reflects the complexity and labour involved in transforming your jewellery.
- Timeline: Please allow up to 2 months for completion. High demand and meticulous craftsmanship take time.
- Insurance Valuation: We recommend getting your new jewellery independently valued for insurance purposes after completion.
The Value of Remodelling
Remodelling isn’t about saving money—it’s about preserving sentiment. Each piece we create is a testament to your story, expertly crafted to become a wearable memory.
Beware of cheap quotes from inexperienced jewellers. Once gems are removed and gold is melted, there’s no going back. Trust your precious heirlooms to a professional who understands their value, both monetary and emotional.
How to Get Started
- Send Us Photos: Include images of your old jewellery and of my designs that have caught your eye.
- Provide Details: Let us know your finger size and preferred gold colour.
- Receive an Estimate: We’ll provide a ballpark estimate, with a final quote after inspecting your pieces.
- Sign a Contract: Before we begin, we’ll ask you to sign a remodelling contract.
Important Notes
- We cannot reuse sterling silver due to economic and quality constraints.
- All work with your gems is at your own risk.
- If you decide not to proceed, you have 6 months to pick up your old jewellery.
- Most work is done completely in-house, however, occasionally we do outsource experienced diamond setters, for gem setting, if the stones are a challenging cut.
Trust in Expertise
Your heirlooms deserve more than a quick fix. With Debra Fallowfield, you’re choosing unparalleled expertise, authenticity, and quality. Let’s transform your cherished pieces into something extraordinary, designed to last a lifetime and beyond.