Redesigning a Ring You No Longer Wear

The jewellery that sits in a drawer is usually there for a fixable reason. How to tell which pieces are worth remodelling and which are better left alone.

Almost everyone has one. A ring that was a gift, or a grandmother's, or simply a mistake, kept because it is gold, worn because it is not.

Some of these are excellent candidates for remodelling. Some should be left exactly as they are.

First, work out why it is in the drawer

The reason determines whether remodelling helps.

"It does not fit." Often the easiest fix, and not a redesign at all. Resize it first and see whether you wear it.

"The style is dated." A genuine case for remodelling. The stones are usually fine; the mount is what aged.

"It is uncomfortable." Usually the setting sits too high or the band is too thin. Both are solvable.

"It reminds me of someone I would rather not think about." Remodelling works well here, precisely because the object stops looking like itself.

"It was my grandmother's and I feel guilty not wearing it." Pause on this one. See below.

What can usually be reused

The stones. Almost always, subject to a girdle inspection. Older stones may be cut to older proportions and can look duller than modern equivalents, worth seeing side by side before deciding.

The gold, as value. Old gold is normally refined rather than melted straight into a new piece: decades-old alloy carries work hardening and contamination that cause porosity in a fresh casting. Expect it credited by weight and fineness rather than physically reappearing in the new ring.

If the physical continuity matters to you, the actual atoms of your grandmother's ring, say so at the start. It changes the approach and it is not always possible.

What is usually not worth remodelling

Pieces with real period value. A genuine Art Deco mount is worth more intact than as scrap plus stones. Get an opinion before you commit.

Anything where the mount is the interesting part. If the craftsmanship is the point, remodelling destroys the thing you liked.

Very small stones. Melee under about two millimetres often costs more to remove and reset than to buy new.

The middle option people forget

You do not have to choose between wearing it and remaking it.

A stone can be reset into a pendant while the original ring stays whole. Two inherited rings can become one piece and one kept object. Splitting a set between siblings often solves a family problem that no amount of design skill will.

Ask what the alternative to remodelling is. If the honest answer is another twenty years in a drawer, remodelling is not a loss.

Book a complimentary design consultation at the C'Garden atelier, The MET Corporate Towers, Kuala Lumpur: 010-766 7448 · hq@cgarden.com.my

C'Garden is an independent bespoke jeweller in Kuala Lumpur. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by or certified by any organisation, laboratory or brand named in this article. Third-party names are used only to refer factually to those organisations and their published standards. All text and imagery in this article is original work created by C'Garden.

Reference

Jewelers of America. (n.d.). Jewelry repair. Jewelers of America. https://www.jewelers.org/buying-jewelry/jewelry-repair-and-care/jewelry-repair