I confess – I’m a jewellery fanatic – or maybe a more civilized description would be “aficionado”. I can’t go downstairs in the morning without putting on at the very least, earrings. And my sister is pretty much the same. She lives a long way away from me, and we have both expanded our jewellery collection by trading key items, usually for months at a time. When our mother passed away, she added to our collections by leaving us some legacy pieces. We had some family treasures with deep history, but some that we would never wear. Fashion styles change, personal preferences are distinctive, and our lifestyles suggest different uses of the items we had. For us, jewellery has always been an essential component of whatever outfit we are wearing, whether casual or more dressed-up.
We all express our individual and unique style in our own ways. A key item can make us feel amazing, confident, and happy. In the past few months, we have been working on a special piece for each of us. While we were on vacation a couple of years ago, we happened upon a store that had cuff-style bracelets. They were interesting, very expensive, and flashier than our taste. But they sparked an idea. We each selected some pieces we wanted to celebrate, and we found a local jewellery repair and design studio that turned out to be amazingly creative. The projects started!
It’s amazing what you can build into a jewellery project. I had some small sterling silver trays I bought in Peru many years ago. They proved to be the perfect source of silver for the base of the cuffs. My sister and I each added in things that were meaningful to us. Our great grandmother’s rose gold wedding ring, our father’s university signet ring (4 family members went to that university), a pendant from our mother, and our mother’s wedding band all were transformed go onto the bracelets. Here are the results:
A lot of thinking went into this, and a lot of reflection. I had some emeralds in earrings that I rarely wore and thought of including them. When the designer placed them on the cuffs in an early stage of the cuff creation, I decided that I didn’t want to be committed to the colour green each time I wore them (I’m a bit of a colour match weirdo). Our cuffs are quite different in some ways, and similar in others. Result? We’re really happy with what we ended up with, and we are confident that our family treasures have been well preserved.
One day I was discussing this with a good friend who has a similar jewellery passion, and many family items. She has reimagined precious stones into pendants, had rings restyled, and had bracelets made. We shared ideas and results.
My sister and I wear these cuffs with dress-up outfits and with casual clothes. Many people have complimented us, and this has prompted us to tell our story.
Check your jewellery collection. See what you love but don’t or won’t ever wear. Find a jewellery repair shop to do the work – there are also great designers who may be able to work with you. And you don’t have to use all of a piece – the remaining gold or stones can be sold or saved. Create your masterpiece, one idea and one treasure at a time.