Last year I seemed to become the “Divorce Ring” go-to jeweller! Didn’t know it even existed? No, nor did I. But not all wedding and engagement rings maintain that sentimental “love you forever” meaning, especially when a couple separates. Many women don’t want to carry on wearing those rings in the same way – they need to be re-fashioned into a “this is the start of my new life” ring or another piece of jewellery altogether. Lots of people inherit old-fashioned pieces of jewellery that they love, but it just isn’t their style, so why not get it revamped?
My first upcycled piece was a very personal one to me. My dear father died at a crazy young age. I ended up making my mother a new ring with 2 types of metal wrapped together to signify the two of them, and their initials pierced out on the inside – she loved it and decided that it was all she wanted to wear on her ring finger. A while later, she asked me if I would like her engagement, wedding, and eternity rings to use in other pieces. I was a bit taken aback – surely they had huge sentimental meaning – but she insisted that she wanted me to have them and didn’t want them left in the back of a drawer. I ended up cutting the gold shank off the engagement ring and using the classic solitaire diamond setting as a gorgeous pendant on a gold chain for my mum – she hasn’t taken that off since either. I made myself a ring with all the remaining gold and the diamonds and emeralds from the eternity ring – it was the kind of primitive, medieval style that I favour and the only extra bit I added was a gorgeous ruby. I think of my dad every time that I wear it.