There are some really stunning ways to repurpose heirloom diamonds or gemstones into a custom engagement ring or piece of fine jewelry. It can hold sentimental value but also be a way to express your individual style with a sustainable spin. Using heirloom stones takes quite a bit of skill and vision - lean on the expertise and trust your private jeweler’s recommendations along the way. Today, I’m sharing a few pieces of advice that you may find useful if considering using heirloom stones in a new piece of jewelry.
1. Marrying the old with the new is my personal favorite. Take a center stone of a mother or grandmothers and set it in a new, more modern design with baguettes off to the side - a reimagined expression of you.
2. If you are working with smaller stones, there could be ways to incorporate those into a wedding band in a tasteful way. If you’re more so looking for a ‘cost savings’ by utilizing heirloom stones that are smaller, you likely won’t see a significant difference in cost because the labor costs to recut and set those tiny diamonds can get quite high.
3. Most clients opt to reserve any chic gemstones like sapphires or rubies for a piece of wedding jewelry rather than an engagement ring, which is also such an inventive way to honor a loved one while creating something totally custom that you’ll wear on special occasions
4. Consider a reset of diamonds that aren’t quite right for an engagement ring, but that you’d love to make your own. I recently reset these two antique cut stones that belonged to my client's mother and put them in this modern bezel setting that she can wear everyday.
Have you ever considered repurposing a piece of jewelry from a loved one? Let’s get in touch to start dreaming up your custom design!
