ADVERTISEMENT
Treasures in your jewelry box By n Ancy PlAnte
At Plante Jewelers, I often chat with customers who tell me that they don’t need any new jewelry: they have jewelry at home that they never even wear. We’ve been having a lot of fun with our customers, looking at jewelry they have and coming up with ways to re-use, re-set, and re-style their jewelry into exciting new pieces that they love to wear! Let’s take a look at your jewelry box.
1
Jewelry you always loved but don’t wear any more. You may wonder why you quit wearing some items. There are many reasons why we all have our little stash of unworn jewelry. Our tastes change. Maybe you used to love yellow gold, and now you prefer silver or white gold. Our lifestyles change. If you’ve gone from power suits to yoga pants you won’t need the career-style earrings you wore before. Many women just don’t dress up as much as they used to.
2
Jewelry that you have inherited from family members or friends can often be precious beyond monetary value, yet sometimes it stays in the jewelry box. Why? Emotions can keep us from wearing certain personal items, especially if you just recently lost a loved one. Give yourself time to grieve before you even think of going through the jewelry. Older jewelry items may be fragile. It is always a good idea to have a jeweler check any older jewelry. It is a shame to lose a gemstone out of a ring, but it is especially heartbreaking if the gemstone was grandma’s engagement diamond. Maybe the person who gave you the jewelry was very dear to you, but you just don’t like the jewelry itself. Don’t feel guilty over it, consider resetting.
32
S OU TH C OAST P R IME T IMES
■
You can have your grandmother’s gemstone, and have a setting that is your design. Then the jewelry piece has elements of both you and your grandmother. You may not want to wear a ring, but you can have a pendant made with your grandmother’s gemstone. There are many, many possibilities. If you inherit a fine piece of vintage jewelry that is never going to be your style, it may be best not to restyle it. In this case you could keep it as a memento, or you can sell the item and use the money to purchase a jewelry piece that will be a remembrance of your loved one. This is obviously a decision that might take some thought. My husband Pierre has contacts in the world of antique jewelry. He can send photos and descriptions of an item and get quotes from dealers. Your jewelry item will be appreciated by someone who loves that kind of style, and you will be able to enjoy a piece that is your style.
3
Jewelry from a previous relationship is another category of jewelry that is often tied up with emotion, good or bad! Sometimes women want nothing to do with their old engagement or wedding rings, so selling the rings might be the right thing to do. However, diamonds and gemstones are still beautiful, even if the meaning of the original setting is lost. You can make a diamond ring or pendant out of an engagement ring. We’ve had
J ULY / AUGUST 2013
customers come in with all their jewelry— engagement ring, earrings—and we help them figure out what they’d like to make. An engagement diamond and a pair of diamond studs can become a beautiful three-diamond ring for your right hand. Many small diamonds can be set into a gold bangle bracelet. We did a project for a divorced couple, transforming their engagement diamond into a pendant for their daughter. She wore it for her wedding.
4
Jewelry that is difficult to put on. Sometimes it’s not that you don’t want to wear your jewelry; it’s that you CAN’T wear it because you can’t manage the clasp. Don’t despair! There are lots of
Before
and After