A piece of history

EVEN fresh out of the box , an engagement ring is a piece imbued with instant significance, but a ring that has been passed down over the generations becomes a highly storied item. Incredible as they are, older pieces can appear dated, so many couples have family rings remade into something more suited to 21st - century life.

Only a very select band of jewellers have their own on-site workshops this is highly specialised work but those that do are able to remodel treasured family pieces for a new generation of wearer. ‘In the 19th and 20th centuries, rings were not the same because women lived their lives very differently,’ explains Omar Vaja from Bentley & Skinner (www.bentley-skinner.co.uk). ‘Today’s young ladies put their jewellery through quite the they’re at the gym, they’re at work, they’re getting their children ready for school; even driving can cause damage to an older piece.

‘When we rework an engagement ring we have to make sure it’s going to be up to the job required of it,’ Mr Vaja explains. ‘Of course the ring must be beautiful, but it must also be practical, and the design has to be absolutely classic just as wonderful on a girl when she’s 90 as when she’s 29.’

Harriet Kelsall’s workshop in Hertfordshire (www.hkjewellery.co.uk) prides itself on being able to rework almost anything for a client ‘People come to us with all sorts of pieces, from brooches and pendants to old strings of pearls. We not only remake engagement rings, but pieces for the whole wedding party, from cufflinks for the groom to sparkly things for the bridesmaids,’ she says.

‘We call it glamorous recycling so many families have jewellery sitting around that isn’t worn, but when it’s reworked it can also serve as a memory of the people it once belonged to, such as a great - grandmother. After all, diamonds are already millions of years old which is what makes them such a great symbol of commitment so it’s absolutely the right thing to do.’

Of course the wedding day isn’t only about the rings tiaras are a very good example of family pieces that don’t get a huge amount of wear. Mr Vaja loves watching tiaras being restored. ‘We give them a thorough clean and ensure everything is sitting properly on the frame, then we change the ribbon to match the girl’s hair colour it’s a joy to see a tiara coming back to life,’ he says.

Alternatively, tiaras that aren’t being worn at all can be completely reimagined ‘Not long ago, we remade a marvellous tiara into a smaller piece for the wedding day and turned the remaining stones into gifts for the wed ding party,’ remembers Mrs Kelsall.

A word of warning it’s always worth taking a piece for an assessment before it’s broken up. ‘I had a client who came in with a ring she didn’t want to wear, but it was an incredible piece,’ remembers Mr Vaja. ‘I said to her “Please don’t change a thing, this ring is a classic, just live with it for a while and see how you feel…” The woman i s now a longterm client and every time we see each other she thanks me for persuading her to keep it exactly as it was.’

If you don’t want to completely remodel a ring, then party jackets detachable pieces that fit around the ring are another option.

Designer Jessica McCormack (www.jessica mccormack.com) is known for her imaginative jackets that can be bought off the shelf or made bespoke in her workshop to fit onto an existing ring. ‘I really believe we should be wearing our jewellery,’ she explains. ‘Especially the pieces that hold meaning to us, so when someone comes to me with something that they love, but aren’t wearing, it makes sense to sit together and discuss what type of piece they will actually wear.

‘I recently finished a bespoke commission for a client who came to us with a beautiful fancy pink pear-shaped diamond that we reworked into a button-back pinky-ring and surrounded with a diamond crescent - moon party jacket. I’ve also being doing some hex r ing hybrid party jackets where you take a simple solitaire ring and add a jacket around it. This makes the ring feel very 1920s, but tremendously modern at the same time, because of the use of negative space.’