Remodelling
transforming your unworn & heirloom jewellery
Imagine transforming the ring or necklace that's sitting, unworn and lonely at the bottom of your jewellery box into a contemporary new piece that you love and want to show off to the world!
Maybe you've inherited a piece of jewellery that holds special meaning to you, but in its current form, just isn't something you're going to wear. Or you have some rings that you once loved but now aren't your style and you'd like to breathe new life in to them.
Remodelling jewellery is something I love to do for our clients and below is a snapshot of some recent creations, showing you the before and after.
Halo Ring With
Diamonds And Emeralds
Alison wanted us to create a truly modern ring using the gold and gemstones from her old engagement rings, that she no longer wore.
This chunky halo ring features her diamonds with some added emeralds from our studio.
"Thank you Kate for creating this fabulous ring for me. I am thrilled with the result"
Alison.
Emerald & Diamond Cluster Ring
My client asked me to create a modern ring using her dear friend's rings that she had inherited when she recently passed away.
We combined all of the gold to create a contemporary piece that features all of the diamonds and emerald from the originals.
"Kate took one look at the rings and knew exactly what we could do with them! My ring is absolutely perfect. It’s such a lovely way to honour a very special lady."
Dawn
Rhodolite Garnet, Sapphire and Ruby Ring in Gold
Taking the gemstones from Carol's late mother's earrings, we melted down the gold and re-formed it into a contemporary ring. Featuring a select few of the gemstones allowed us to choose the best combination for the design.
"The whole process was brilliant and very well considered. Kate's expertise in advising what could/wouldn't work was invaluable & the outcome stunning."
Carol
Wide 18ct White Gold Ring with Sapphire & Diamonds
Featuring a diamond from her late mother's engagement ring and a combination of gold and gemstones from her own rings, we created this show stopper for Caroline!
"What you have created with special pieces is simply stunning. You are one clever, talented & caring person. Thank you so much"
Caroline
Twist Diamond Solitaire Rings
Sisters Selena and Shiquita had a diamond ring of their grandmother's and a mixture of other gold jewellery.
They asked me to create something they could both wear and decided on matching rings.
"Thank you very much again, it's so lovely to have something so beautiful to signify our shared memories of our babcia (grandmother)" Shiquita
18ct White Gold Twist Ring
With Diamonds
Jocelyn came to me with an old engagement ring that she didn't love the design of anymore and asked me to reimagine it into something more to her taste.
We added diamonds to the shoulders of the new ring that she supplied from another unworn item of jewellery.
"A personal, individually tailored service and ultimately, a beautifully hand crafted piece of jewellery." Jocelyn
Gold Dune Ring With Diamonds and Sapphire & Silver Dune Ring With Sapphire and Diamond
We created a ring for both Catriona and Pat using his late mother's jewellery by selecting the most appropriate gemstones and the gold from all three rings.
"So lovely and easy to work with, thank you Kate, we love our rings" Catriona
Platinum Diamond Ring
Jackie sadly lost her husband in 2020 and was left with both of their wedding rings and engagement ring. She wanted to create something new and beautiful in its own right with them as a way of carrying her husband with her without it being a sign of widowhood.
"The ring is amazing and attracts so much attention - but it's always up to me if I tell its full story. I will always have a part of my husband with me every day now " Jackie
Garnet Gold Dune Ring
Combining 9 and 22 carat gold to create the perfect colour to suit our client's skin tone, this ring was created using a combination of Jodie's grandparent's jewellery.
"Kate and team...I can’t thank you enough for my beautiful garnet dune ring. It is simply perfect and everything I wanted it to be when I commissioned you to make me a bespoke ring" Jodie
Here's how remodelling works
An initial consultation and discussion of design ideas is free of charge and without any obligation. This is when we talk about different possibilities, ideas you have, take a look at your jewellery and any budget you may be working to.
Once a final design has been agreed upon, a deposit of 50% will be asked for to secure your commission. I will then also confirm a timescale for the completion of your piece, as this can vary, depending upon the processes involved.
Payment of the balance will be made upon on completion of your item, and you can choose to collect your jewellery from us or receive it securely, by post.
Price Guides For Remodelling
Please note that these are guide prices.
There are many variables present in the process of remodelling jewellery, but the examples below show a good cross section of different commissions that we've created recently.
Ruby, Sapphire & Diamond Patterned Silver Cluster Ring
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Our client wanted a silver ring, so we used the gemstones from her gold rings.
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She then decided to offset the value of her leftover gold against the full price shown below.
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All the gemstones you see in the new ring were from the original rings.
Price: £1300
Diamond & Sapphire 9ct Gold Nibbled Edged Ring
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The rings belonged to our client's late mother and she wanted them incorporating in one of our designs, as well as adding a pop of colour with blue and pink sapphires (that we supplied) in addition to the diamonds she already had.
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We had enough gold from the original rings to make the new ring.
Price: £1250
Diamond & Sapphire
18ct Gold Dune Ring
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We created a Wide Dune Ring using our client's 18ct gold, blue sapphires and diamonds from her later mother-in-law's jewellery.
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We needed to add an extra 50% of gold to create the new design.
Price: £2400
Star Sapphire and
18ct Gold Ring
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We created an extra wide Dune style ring using our client's 18ct gold, a large oval pale-blue star sapphire and diamonds and smaller sapphire from 3 inherited rings.
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We needed to add an extra 60% of gold to create the new design.
Price: £2500
Curious to know more? Let me answer some FAQ's
Can you create a design I have of my own?
I create jewellery that is in keeping with the style of work you can see here on these pages. I won't create anything that bears no relation to my designs and I do not copy or reproduce other designer's work. I pride myself on working with integrity and originality.
It's cheaper to repurpose my own jewellery than buy from new, isn't it?
The processes involved in repurposing existing jewellery can be more labour intensive than making from new and this is factored into the price. It can also depend on the amount of metal you supply as we may need to add more to make your desired design.
Can you work with any metal and gemstones?
On the whole, yes! However, repurposing silver is less cost-effective than gold or platinum, because of the processes involved, so it isn't something I generally do. I will always advise on the appropriateness of gemstones for the piece you have in mind (some are less suitable for rings, for example, due to their durability) and I don't work with pearls or opals.
What's next?
Get in touch! Drop me an email with the following:
- A few pictures of your jewellery.
- Any details about the gemstones, materials and carat of gold (if you know).
- Thoughts on what you have in mind and links/screen shots of jewellery of mine that inspired you to get in touch.
Email me: kate@katesmithjewellery.co.uk or complete our contact form
If it seems like a project that we can work on together, we can arrange a visit for you to our Jewellery Quarter workshop.
If it isn't possible for you to travel to us, we can always work via email/Zoom - I created a lot of commissions during the various lockdowns successfully.
Have your dream piece of jewellery in mind?
I'd love to turn that into a reality for you!
Let's discuss your ideas
I'm Kate
When I’m not at the bench creating jewellery or sitting at the laptop writing my next blog post for you, I can usually be found cuddling our fluffball of a cat, Kenji, watching Tottenham getting thrashed with my eldest son, or playing table tennis with my youngest at the kitchen table. Oh, and I happen to be married to the most supportive man, who still makes me giggle after all our years together.
And here's the thing: I'd love to share with you my latest commissions that are hot off the bench, new additions to the website, with some life chat thrown in there for good measure
...and give you special discounts.
Sound good?
Just pop your email below.
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