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Reworking Heirlooms

Whether you have inherited jewellery, own a loose gemstone or want your engagement ring updated we can remake and reuse your precious materials. From something unworn or outdated we can create a unique Shimell and Madden piece that can live on and be treasured as a future heirloom.

Whether you have inherited jewellery, own a loose gemstone or want your engagement ring updated we can remake and reuse your precious materials. From something unworn or outdated we can create a unique Shimell and Madden piece that can live on and be treasured as a future heirloom.

We love the transformative process in renewing and reviving old jewellery, and we are truly experts in doing it. The chemical composition and characteristics of precious metal alloys make them perfect for being melted and reformed using our specialist techniques. Gemstones can be tough enough to be rehomed in jewellery many times over, and even if they are showing a little wear they can be recut and polished to bring their sparkle back to life.

It may be of important sentimental value to you to reuse the materials, and we can document the making process every step of the way if requested. We’d provide photographs of the old jewellery, the melting, making and setting of the new piece, to enhance the story of your special commission.

In terms of ethical production and sustainability, re-working is the best way of acquiring a new piece of jewellery. The materials are directly recycled rather than newly refined or mined, it is then made with low energy production methods with a very tiny carbon footprint. You are also supporting a small UK based business, and keeping traditional handcrafting skills alive.

Here are some steps to follow to help with your remaking journey:

  1. Have a look through our shop or bespoke gallery to find either a few jewellery pieces you like elements of or if you prefer the overall particular style of a collection.
  2. Find out the type of metal you have if you don’t know already. We can work with yellow, rose and white gold as well as platinum and palladium. Having a UK hallmark is the easiest way to tell. If it does not have one then further testing would need to be done, by ourselves or a professional jeweller near to you. It is also helpful to know the weight of the metal you have.
  3. Unless you already know the full details, measure the gemstone/s, or take photos of it/them next to a coin or ruler for scale. We may need to make additional checks to make it a suitable gemstone once we have it.
  4. Fill out our consultation form and add in the details from the steps above. You can follow up with photos when we get back to you.
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Things to consider

A single piece reworking project starts at £1000.

If your jewellery piece or gemstone is particularly valuable or if you are unsure of its value it is best to get an appraisal. This will make sure we are correctly insuring your items when they are in our possession.

18ct gold is the best alloy for our jewellery pieces as it provides the great malleability for making and durability for wearing. If your gold is of a lower or higher carat we can in some cases re-alloy it or suggest particular designs which it would be most suitable for.

We are able to work in these metals but they are not suitable for our delicate wirework, although they are more resistant to scratches they are actually more malleable and will bend with wear. Both work well for wider band styles.

Some gemstones are more suitable than others for particular pieces and/or everyday wear and we can advise you on styles that are best for your gemstone if needed. Preferably we’d like to work with gemstones recovered from heirlooms, but if you are considering supplying your own gemstone please make sure you purchase from a legitimate source that guarantees it is conflict-free.

Although we are extremely careful when resetting gemstones, accidental breakage can happen. We cannot be held responsible for any damage that occurs when setting. In the unlikely event of this happening we will try and resolve the outcome to the best of our ability. We will let you know if there is a greater risk with any particular gemstone prior to any work taking place.

We can help if you’d like to use a different precious metal than you have, for example if you had white gold and would like a yellow gold piece. We can offer a reduction in the price of the commission in trade for the precious metal, this is subject to inspection and testing.

If the design requires it we can incorporate additional metal and gemstones and quote accordingly.

Reworking projects take around 12 weeks to complete, depending on the complexity of the process. We will only start working on designs once we have confirmation your materials are suitable.

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