When a new client approaches me, one of the things we cover in the initial consult is if they would like to incorporate any family heirloom jewelry to reuse and recycle into their wedding rings? To incorporate materials from inherited jewelry is a beautiful and often emotional touch that couples can carry with them throughout their lives and as a designer of client stories, it’s always a powerful story that unfolds.
This recycling of old materials tends to give the new wedding jewelry a deeper and more personal meaning as well as be a great way to save some on the cost of new wedding rings. My very first encounter recycling older jewelry came when I still in college when a pair of friends asked me to create their wedding rings. On learning what the gold would cost for their rings I suggested that they ask family members if they might have some old gold jewelry lying around that they could donate to the new rings. What started off as simply a means to save money for the young college couple ended up being like a family quilt in the finished rings as they had gold from grand parents, an aunt and a favorite relative that had recently passed away.
Today, I am still requested from time to time to utilize old stones and metal in creating new engagement and wedding rings and that family connectedness still seems to shine through. Today in a world where we seldom know where the objects that are important to us come from or who might have made them, more and more people are interested in a story, their story and in recycling older family jewelry, I can make that happen.
