Repurposing Heirlooms


BREATHING NEW LIFE INTO OLD, FAMILY KEEPSAKES

If ever there was a time we were reaching for meaning, now would be that time…

I have been custom designing fine jewelry for private clients for the greater portion of a decade, and never before have I had such a great number of people requesting to redesign their family heirlooms.  I think we are all longing for connection, looking for hope and trying to find new meaning in moving forward.  More than ever, I find we are wanting to be resourceful – with our time, with our possessions, with what we already have.

This presents an opportunity…rather than searching for something new in the world to commemorate a milestone, celebrate a birthday or court a partner, my clients are looking to use what they already own…they are considering jewelry that has been passed down and shared within their family. 

And I love it!  Working with heirloom jewelry allows me to help my clients write their future chapter while taking with them a piece of their past.  My goal when working with family keepsakes is to understand the origin and meaning behind the jewelry.  I then want to help my clients find a way to preserve that meaning and carry the story forward, so that they have even more history to pass on when their family ages and this new piece of jewelry is passed down…again.

WHAT DOES THE REPURPOSING PROCESS LOOK LIKE?

I start by understanding where the heirloom came from; this is always such an interesting conversation with the client!  I then inspect the piece of jewelry, remove the diamonds we want to design with, and caliper (precisely measure) every stone we intend to use.  Then the creativity is sparked and I put pen to paper.  The design process is collaborative and creative.  We work together until we have the perfect design, and then I custom fabricate the piece in New York City with my small network of master jewelers.  A short while later, the client has a revived piece of jewelry, packed with sentiment and pride, ready to live on and be part of new family stories…

Seems like the perfect time (and perfect way!) to write your next chapter…I hope you agree!