You’ve inherited great Aunt Mary’s ornate brooch. How wonderful! It’s an exquisite piece with spectacular diamonds and emeralds, but, if truth be told, it’s just not “you.”

Instead of hiding the piece in your drawer, never to see daylight, why not consider salvaging some or all of the stones? You can create a new design that you (and future generations) will cherish.

Talk to the staff at David Craig Jewelers for suggestions on how to bring new life to an older piece of jewelry. Beloved heirloom jewelry can be re-sized, re-purposed or even melted down and cast into something new. You’ll be representing the past, present and future with a story that becomes as intricately woven into the piece as the beautiful diamonds, gemstones and metals utilized. In terms of stability, diamonds are probably the best for repurposing, because they are the strongest stones. Sapphires and rubies are almost like diamonds in terms of their hardness and will also hold up well to daily wear and tear.

A few ideas:
• Use two diamonds from a bracelet and turn them into earrings
• Take the stone out of a pendant necklace and create a special ring
• Re-string pearls to a shorter length that better suits you
• Change the look of a piece by removing stones from a gold setting, for instance, and setting the gems in platinum
• Shorten a gold necklace and turn it into a bracelet
• Consider giving your engagement ring from a divorce a second chance by turning the stone into a pendant for a new start on life. Or trade it in for something entirely different without the same emotional baggage!

For Future Generations
We are always honored by our clients to be entrusted with their precious jewelry items, giving them a new life for another generation. If you don’t have a heirloom piece, why not start your own tradition by purchasing a timeless piece of jewelry that can be passed down to generations to come?

Being Green
Like many other industries that are trying to reduce their carbon footprint, David Craig Jewelers offers our version of a “green” initiative with our gold, silver, platinum, diamond and gemstone “recycling” program. If you have any old jewelry items just sitting around, gather them up, bring them in and we can discuss how to create new precious masterpieces. You'd be amazed at the possibilities!

Read some examples of how David Craig Jewelers has been able to incorporate heirloom stones into beautiful new creations here on our blog.