A piece of jewellery is a deeply personal, meaningful expression of your tastes and sensibilities, your values, your history or even your personal identity, and this means that beauty is very much in the eye of the beholder.
We take this extremely seriously, and our bespoke jewellery service is designed around ensuring that the finished piece is made exactly the way you want, with your involvement in the design, setting of gems and a lifetime clean and polish service.
Conversely, if you are highly satisfied with the bespoke design and want matching or complementary pieces, we retain our original design files so we can ensure consistency across a set of jewellery.
However, in some cases, people will receive jewellery as a gift, and whilst the materials might be excellent and the design may perhaps be fundamentally sound, it is not quite right for them, or they cannot find a way to wear it.
It could be that it does not fit your ring finger, or it clashes with other pieces you wear or complements a type of outfit you feel does not suit you. It could be as simple as not liking the style or finding practical issues. It could even be a case that the piece stirs up difficult memories.
Whatever the issue, there are options. One is simply to sell it or give it back, but that can often be rude if it is a gift or especially if the piece was inherited.
Alternatively, you could put it in a jewellery box and treat it more as a trinket, but the beauty of jewellery is truly seen when it is worn, and there is something almost elegiac about a beautiful piece fated to never be worn again.
Another, better option is to get in touch with a jewellery expert who specialises in remodelling and turn a piece you are not quite happy with into one you absolutely love.
Here is everything you need to know.
What Is Jewellery Remodelling?
Remodelling, upcycling, recycling or reworking jewellery are all different methods of taking an unloved, unwearable or broken piece of jewellery and not only restoring it to its former glory but making it better.
It can be as simple as resetting stones, removing scratches and dents, altering a signet ring crest to accommodate a change in logo or heraldry, or resizing a ring to better suit your fingers, or it can be something far more substantial.
It can involve taking an existing piece and tweaking or redesigning it entirely to make something new and bespoke according to your needs and desires.
How Does The Process Work?
The exact process can vary depending on exactly how substantial the changes you want are, but the first step is to get in touch with us and book a consultation to showcase the piece and let us know your ideas and vision for the final design.
In some cases, the remodelling process is closer to resizing or repairs and will be worked on accordingly, ensuring that the adjustments are completed to the highest quality.
In other cases, remodelling will more closely resemble a bespoke commission, complete with design work, prototyping, choosing and setting of gems and the personal service you expect and deserve from such a commission.
The difference is that rings are remoulded or even smelted and reformed, the gems are taken out, repolished and potentially recut, and the finished product is as breathtaking as any of our commissioned works.
It could even be something as ambitious as taking multiple pieces and combining them together to make a singular ring or necklace, something that is often done with broken or single earrings.
What Are The Advantages Of Jewellery Remodelling?
From a sustainability standpoint, it is far more environmentally sound to reuse existing gems than new ones, as well as melting down gold rather than buying new. As people are increasingly interested in the ethics of their jewellery, this can be a particularly sustainable option.
Another element is that it gives you the opportunity to forge new memories with existing jewellery. An unwearable piece left in a drawer or jewellery box is a memento of the past, but remodelling allows that memory to be part of your future as well, and craft a new legacy in the process.
Going bespoke with existing pieces has been popular throughout history, particularly in eras where jewellery passed through multiple generations, but this approach has been revived in recent years as newer generations want to maintain the meaning but add their personal style to a piece.