How to remake old family jewellery
Your grandmother’s gold, redesigned for the way you live, without losing what made it precious.
Many of our most meaningful commissions begin with a small cloth bundle: a grandmother’s bangles, a mother’s necklace, a pair of earrings no one wears any more. Remaking them is one of the most rewarding things we do, and it is worth doing carefully.
Should I remake or restore?
First decide what the piece means to you. If it is the design itself that you love, restore it: re-polish, repair the clasp, reset loose stones. If it is the gold and the memory that matter more than the form, remake it into something you will wear.
Can old stones be reused?
Often, yes. Diamonds and polki from old pieces can almost always be reset. Older diamonds may be in historic cuts, which many people come to love for their character. Coloured stones should be checked first, because some older pieces contain glass or treated stones. A good jeweller will test them and tell you honestly what you have.
How is old gold valued?
The purity of old gold is tested, usually with an XRF machine that reads the metal without damaging it. The value is then calculated on the pure gold content at the day’s rate. Ask how the testing is done, watch it if you can, and ask whether any deduction is made for melting or impurities.
What should I bring?
The jewellery itself, any old invoices or certificates, and photographs of designs you like. Most importantly, bring the story. A piece that carries a family memory deserves a design that remembers it, whether that is an engraved date, a stone kept in its original setting, or a shape echoed from the old piece.
Will I get back the same gold?
Ask your jeweller this directly. In our atelier, when you ask for your own gold to be used, we tell you exactly how it is handled and what weight comes back to you in the finished piece.
Bring the cloth bundle to the store. We will open it with you.
Questions about a stone or a piece? Message us on WhatsApp or visit the store on Shakespeare Sarani.