by Jewels
Did you know that emeralds are even rarer than diamonds and that baby oil gives them extra protection? If not, don’t worry that’s what we are here for!
For St Patrick’s day we bring you the story of Craig and his Emerald / Diamond Heirloom
Craig has been a loyal client of Jewels for more than 10 years. I first met Craig when I was running my jewellery shop in the Gold & Diamond Park, Dubai – Over the years we had made many items for him and his wife and by a good stroke of fortune he’d returned to the UK at the very same time as myself.
During the last lockdown he made contact regarding a unique and precious antique ring that had been a part of his family for generations. He had given it to his wife as a present but due to its dated design it sat in a safe, untouched, for years.
Craig contacted me to ask if there was anything I could do to modernise the ring, to breathe new life into it and bring it out from the darkness of the family vault.
With years of experience in the remodeling of treasured family heirlooms, it was a delight to be trusted with the job of modernising something so exceptional, I offered my help and Craig posted the ring to me.
On inspection, it appeared that the diamonds in the ring were old cuts, not the modern round brilliant cuts we have today. This showed the age of the ring, but it also now demanded exceptional skill and care to remove the stones safely from the original mounting.
Here’s something that most people don’t know – Diamonds are not indestructible; they can be broken, and our clients’ need to be made aware of this. Some older diamonds, through years of wear and tear are more likely to have suffered damage which compromises the diamond’s integrity. And this was the gamble with Craig’s precious heirloom. (Stay tuned for a future blog on Old Cut vs Round Cut Diamonds!)
Once I had the ring, I was able to get an estimate in the mounting of what size the emerald and diamonds were, what weight they were, and started to put together a design idea. I then worked closely with my bench jeweller in Dubai who rendered images and a very-life-like video for Craig’s approval.
The most exciting part of this whole process is when I get a chance to take a treasured but tired item of jewellery, and bring new ideas to life. With the aid of cad cam technology, we can adjust the height, setting, tweak the design, and turn the old and unused into something that will be worn every single day.
The confirmation comes that Craig’s wife is happy with the design and the ring was sent to our factory in Dubai, who were waiting to transform our ideas into reality.
As aforementioned, in the act of removing the diamonds/coloured stones from the mounting, they can become broken but from Craigs point of view, the ring was not being worn anyway so he and his wife were prepared to take that gamble, with the potential payoff of a fabulous new ring.
With bated breath, the stones were removed from the mounting successfully, and the whole factory – Including myself! Breathed a collective sigh of relief.
The rest of the process was relatively straightforward by comparison to the challenge of removing the aged and well loved precious gems. The ring itself is a thing of beauty and was remodeled with the utmost care and attention we give to every one of our pieces.
Once the remodeling was done, the ring was returned to me here in the UK for review. This is often the easiest part for me as the quality of the craftsmanship from our factory is, and always has been of the highest quality. This ring was no exception.
The ring was securely and carefully sent to Craig who was absolutely thrilled with the finished piece, and from the images you can see why.
Happy St. Patricks day! If you have an old jewellery piece, family heirloom or unwanted wedding ring that could use some TLC or a remodel, or you just want something completely new and unique – Get in touch to see what Jewels can do for you.
