Do you have a few pieces of jewelry, or maybe even some loose diamonds, sitting in that jewelry box doing nothing? Sometimes the design of a ring that looked amazing 15 - 20 years ago just didn't stand the test of time, and sometimes you just fell out of love with a look. In any case, it makes no sense having something that you don't use taking up space. In this article we'll give you some ideas on what you can do with that old or unused jewelry.
#1 - Create a Whole New Piece
The first, and generally the most fun, idea is to take the gemstones out of your old jewelry and design an entirely new piece. You can often re-purpose diamonds, sapphires, rubies, and any other precious gemstone, so long as it's not chipped or cracked.
And if you have a gemstone that isn't cracked, but is instead just a little worn, it can usually be re-polished to bring it back to its glory days - it's just going to be smaller than before.
We create custom creations from old jewelry all the time, and it's one of our favorite things we do. We've taken a family diamond from a ring, for example, and repurposed it into a simple bezel set pendant similar to the pendant you'll find in the picture below. If you have only one diamond this is a great option. This necklace is a great daily-wear piece.
In a recent custom design we had a customer with a lot of diamonds and she wanted them all incorporated into one ring, so we created this free-form ring.
Another customer had a lot of diamonds and we reused those and put them into a "Cleopatra Necklace" as shown below. We take each diamond, put it in a bezel and then attach that to a chain. It creates a beautiful necklace and the diamonds are no longer sitting in a jewelry box doing nothing!
One of our favorite projects was a customer that had her parents' rings and some diamonds from other pieces. We brought the rings together into interlocking circles and placed the diamonds in the center of the intersection to create this amazing bracelet that is a beautiful reminder of her parents.
Along those same lines, we had a customer that wanted her grandparents' wedding bands turned into a pendant. So we married them together to make this wonderful pendant.
Finally, one more idea, is to turn a set of diamonds into some cute dangle earrings. We make these in-house for sale in the store even. We use chain and bezel sets to put diamonds into a drop earring that really sparkles.
The possibilities are truly endless! Whether you have diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, or other gemstones they can be reused to be made into a piece that you can wear every day. So, get those gems out of your jewelry box and bring 'em on down!
#2 - Share The Love
If you have children or grandchildren you might consider gifting your diamonds or familiy ring to them. We often see people that received a ring from a parent or grandparent, and it means a the world to have such a sentimental attachment to their jewelry.
Some people take a family diamond and have us place it in a new setting for an engagement ring, and some have us restore (or even just resize) a family engagement ring. The only thing to worry about is that older rings can often be worn (we like to say "well loved") and can be difficult to repair if something goes wrong.
If you have a family piece that you would like us to evaluate for you, just bring it on in. We have never charged for cleaning and inspection and we never will!
#3 - Upgrade!
Maybe you have decided that your diamond is just not as big as you would like it to be. We see all the time that where people were at when they bought their engagement ring is very different than where they are at today. In these cases, they often like to “do an upgrade” and trade-in their existing diamond for credit towards a new diamond that might be bigger, or better clarity, color, etc.
It’s sort of like trading in your car for a new one, but only with a lot more sparkle! If you’re interested in this option, get in touch and we’ll do our best to help you find the perfect solution.
#4 - Sell Your Jewels and Gold
Finally, the last option is to simply sell your diamond or jewelry. We will often purchase diamonds and gold. We even give an extra 10% credit if you want the value in store credit instead of a check.
Please note that for all gold/diamond buying we will need valid state issued identification and you will receive a check in return for your jewelry. This is required by regulation.
We’re Here For You
Finally, just know that we are here for you! If you’re not sure which option is best, or you want someone to talk it through with, we will evaluate what you have and tell you about all of the different ideas and options. We are happy to help find the best solution possible for your particular situation.