Start Wearing Your Jewelry Again by Restyling It
Posted by Mariel Baker on 23rd Aug 2022
If you’re like most of us, you have a jewelry box filled with pieces that you don’t wear anymore. The gemstones are too beautiful or you have a sentimental attachment to it and don’t want to sell it or give away. You have broken pieces, some gemstones missing, the ring doesn’t fit anymore, it’s an old style and not your style, looks too large for your hand, etc.
It could have been your mother’s, or grandmother’s, or something given to you by a special someone that brings back wonderful memories. If it’s not your style, chances are you won’t wear it again. If you’re planning on passing it down to your children, they probably will not wear it either. So what do you do?
We believe that beautiful jewelry should be worn. You should have a jewelry wardrobe of pieces that make you feel good when you wear them.
Your jewelry should reflect your individual style. Do you like modern or art deco or minimalist? Should your gemstone sit up high or would you prefer it sitting low in the setting? Don’t like yellow gold? Is the platinum now dull and dented? Do you have arthritis and your rings don’t fit anymore? Is the gemstone damaged?
Regardless of the reason, you would wear it again if it was repaired or redesigned. A good portion of our business is redesigning jewelry with our clients. Here are some suggestions from the many pieces we see:
- If it’s a ring that you don’t wear and you love the styling, consider changing it into a pendant. If you have a multi-gemstone ring, maybe change it to earrings. The goal here is to wear the gemstones again and smile every time you put them on.
- Metal – do you like rose gold? Platinum? Choosing a different metal will change the personality of the piece. How does the color of the metal look on your skin tone?
- Style – do you like rings that have a halo of diamonds around the center gemstone? Rubies, sapphires or emeralds added to complement your diamond? Do you like a particular jewelry style, i.e., art deco?
Even if you don’t have a clue what you would like to do with your piece, a good jewelry designer will determine your taste – art deco/vintage, minimalist, statement, cocktail, Hollywood, boho, beachy, etc. and work with you to ensure your fashion vision is brought to life.
Once the style is determined, then the secondary gemstones (if any) are added to complement the center gemstone. Halo – would you like the gemstone to be surrounded by bright sparkling diamonds or other gemstones? The Queen Elizabeth style – a classic 3-stone ring is always beautiful. The cut of the secondary gemstones can really complement the center gemstone also – baguettes, pears, trillions, halfmoons, trapezoids, square cuts, etc. each complement a different cut of a center gemstone.
If your gemstone is a colored gemstone, what color gold works well with it, and what does not work? A good rule of thumb is using the color wheel. For example, certain colors of mint green respond extremely well to its color complement (its opposite) – rose gold. Lighter colored gemstones, such as Morganites, can easily get ‘washed out’ with white gold but look stunning in yellow or rose gold.
Do you like channel set gemstones? Double prongs? We recommend double prongs for an expensive gemstone. The prongs we use generally are not pointed, i.e., ‘claws’; instead we recommend rounding them. Pointed prongs will catch on clothing, etc. and will eventually lift and then loosen your gemstones.
If you have a gemstone that is chipped or cracked – can it be saved? We can help you in most cases. We use skilled lapidaries that can buff or even recut your gemstones and make them look like new again.
If you have arthritis, there are ring settings that we can recommend that will fit your fingers easily. Larger knuckles are sometimes difficult to fit – and if you get a ring larger to fit over your knuckles, then the ring will turn from side to side on your finger. There are many ways to remedy that situation without compromising your style.
TIP: when putting on and taking off your rings, hold them on the sides. Do not put your thumbs on the top of the gemstone (the table), as it will eventually loosen the gemstone. The prongs are made of gold or platinum and generally are soft. Sliding the ring on/off your fingers by holding the sides of the band will prevent issues with your precious gemstones.