What should I do with my Inherited Jewellery?
The best ways to make the most of your Inherited Jewellery
Jewellery is much more than just the sum of its parts. It's not just about the diamonds, gemstones, and precious metals that are combined to create an adornment or accessory. Instead, jewellery often represents an event, a special memory, a celebration, or even a love. Each piece of jewellery is a tangible embodiment of history, meaning, memories, and love.
However, when it comes to inherited jewellery, those special pieces can also be bound in deep sorrow and painful loss. Having inherited jewellery with great sentimental value that you don't like or can't wear can cause a sense of frustration and guilt, which often amplifies the sense of loss. But deciding what to do with your inherited jewellery can be challenging. Should you keep it as it is? Sell it? Redesign it to create something new and wearable?
Ultimately, the decision is yours to make, but it's important to consider all the options and choose a course of action that aligns with your values and goals. Repurposing or redesigning inherited jewellery can be a wonderful way to give it new life while preserving its sentimental value. By transforming old pieces into something new and unique, you can create a beautiful, wearable piece that honours the past while representing the future.
Should I keep my Inherited Jewellery and pass it on?
If you have inherited jewellery you know you will never wear, then you might consider saving it for future generations.
Inheriting jewellery from a family member is a special and meaningful experience for many of us, as these pieces often hold a great deal of sentimental value. Wedding rings, engagement rings, and other pieces of jewellery passed down from previous generations are not just beautiful adornments, but they also hold a rich history and family legacy. Even if you're not planning to wear your inherited jewellery, it's important to take proper care of it and ensure that it's protected.
One of the first steps you should take is to have your inherited jewellery checked over by a trusted and reputable jeweller. This will help you identify any damage or wear and tear that may have occurred over time and ensure that your jewellery is in good condition. You should also consider having the jewellery valued for insurance purposes to ensure that it's covered under your insurance policy.
Once you've taken care of the necessary checks and valuations, it's essential to ensure that your insurance is up to date before storing your inherited jewellery securely. This will help protect it from theft or damage and give you peace of mind knowing that it's adequately covered. You may also want to consider keeping the jewellery safe for future generations by storing it in a secure location, such as a safe or a safety deposit box.
You could also consider passing on your inherited pieces early, so that they are worn, enjoyed and cherished in your lifetime.
Should I Redesign my Inherited Jewellery?
For many, the feelings of guilt surrounding unworn inherited jewellery can be debilitating. The jewellery holds memories of a dearly missed loved one and it feels disrespectful not wearing and cherishing the jewellery as your loved one once did.
You would love to be able to wear your inherited jewellery and feel close to your loved one again, but you don’t know what to do, or where to start and your current jeweller is not a specialist in redesign work, so you are not sure who to trust.
This is where specialist redesign comes in.
What could be better than being able to wear a bespoke piece of jewellery, created from your inherited diamonds, gemstones and precious metal? A Legacy piece that holds a unique and personal story?
Redesigning inherited jewellery allows you to create a bespoke piece of jewellery out of your diamonds, gemstones and precious metals into a piece of jewellery that is perfect for you. A piece of jewellery you can wear every day.
But knowing who to trust with your important inherited jewellery can be a concern.
Many high street jewellers offer a redesign or remodelling service, but this is often a sideline to their main business of selling new jewellery. Redesigning an existing piece of jewellery is a specialist service, requiring unique skills, not only with a designer’s flare, but with a deep understanding of how a piece of jewellery is created, alongside the skills required for expertly unsetting delicate, aged and worn gemstones and sympathetically restoring beauty into inherited pieces.
So our advice is to choose your jewellery designer wisely. Read reviews and testimonials. Ask to see real-life examples of their work and speak to previous clients for an insight into their personal design journey. Once you’re happy with your decision, then enjoy every second of the experience.
Redesigning your inherited jewellery can be an emotional and exciting journey. From the thrilling design ideas to the overwhelming reveal of your completed Legacy jewellery, the experience for many Legacy clients is “life-changing”, helping them feel reconnected and reignite the bond with their beloved mum or grandma again.
As specialists in jewellery redesign and remodelling, the team at Legacy are here to answer any questions you may have. If we are not the right people to help you create your Legacy jewellery, we will be happy to offer recommendations on where to go next.
For tips on how to get started with your unique Legacy journey, click here.
Collection of inherited gold wedding bands and engagement ring
Reimagined into a stunning double band ring with Diamonds and Rubies at the centre
Beautiful Reimagined 3 band Platinum Ring featuring Emeralds and Diamonds
Should I sell my inherited Jewellery?
Who should I trust to give me a true and fair valuation of my jewellery?
If you have inherited jewellery you don’t particularly love and you’re never going to wear, then you could of course, sell it. Ultimately the jewellery has been passed down as a gift and now belongs to you for you to do with what you wish. You can keep the memory of your loved one alive by knowing the money raised from selling the jewellery has gone towards something you really love.
So, when it comes to selling old, or inherited jewellery, what are your options?
Find a specialist antique or second-hand jeweller
It’s important to do your research and find a reputable company. Look at their reviews and testimonials, speak to friends and search local community social websites for recommendations.
They may offer you an amount to buy your jewellery immediately, or they may offer to sell it on commission for you. The benefit to accepting an offer to buy is that you are paid immediately, though you may get a higher price if you opt for the commission basis. We would recommend approaching more than one jeweller or dealer to compare the amounts you are offered - both the cash price and commission rates. Having paperwork such as receipts, diamond certificates or insurance valuations may help the jeweller put a price together for you promptly.
We also suggest you do your research and set realistic expectations; unless your jewellery is particularly rare or of historical importance you may not receive anywhere near the insurance value for your inherited heirloom jewellery.
Sell at auction
There are auction companies that specialise in antique and precious jewellery. Do your research and find a reputable one near you. Again look at reviews and testimonials or ask friends and family for recommendations.
Sell independently
You could of course try and sell your jewellery independently. Advertise on local community sites or use an online auction website. Research what other similar jewellery is selling for, check the fees and charges associated with your sale and take precautions with regards payment and postage.
Should I Restore my Inherited Jewellery?
If your inherited jewellery is worn, fragile or damaged and you don’t wear it because you are afraid of losing gemstones or causing more damage, then you could consider having your inherited jewellery sympathetically restored.
Worn settings, thin bands, chipped or damaged gemstones are all a sign of jewellery having been worn and loved.
Worn settings
If the precious metal holding your diamonds or gemstones in place is worn then your diamonds or gemstones are at risk of coming loose and falling out. A quality jeweller worth his or her salt will be able to re-set your diamonds or gemstones in new settings, either using the existing metal or creating new settings with new precious metal. New settings can breathe new life into old jewellery and enable you to wear it again, safe in the knowledge that your precious gemstones are secure.
Thin or broken precious metal
Bands can wear over time and particularly the back of ring bands can become thin and break having come into regular contact with other surfaces whilst being worn. Replacing a section of the worn band with new gold (a half-shank) or replacing the whole band (a full shank) can bring an old ring back to life. Similarly with pendants and earrings, or bangles and bracelets, replacing chains, or clasps can be a relatively straightforward process. Talk to your jeweller, explore all the options and ensure you know exactly what work is being undertaken with your cherished heirlooms.
Damaged gemstones
Gemstones can get chipped or scratched. Depending on the gemstone, surface scratches and minor damage can be polished out by an expert. Alternatively, re-setting a damaged gemstone sympathetically and cleverly can minimize the visual impact of the damage. A talented jeweller may be able to hide a chip under a setting, for example so that your jewellery is shown to its dazzling best.
If your diamonds or gemstones are too damaged to be repaired or repolished, then a specialist jeweller or gemologist will be able to source diamonds or other precious gemstones to replace the ones that are damaged, ones that perfectly match and complement any other diamonds or gemstones in your piece of jewellery.
Fabulous transformation using four different inherited gold rings to create one beautiful Legacy ring with a central princess-cut diamond!
We hope our guide to Inherited Jewellery has inspired you and given you the confidence to explore ideas further. If you’d like to discuss a Legacy redesign experience, then contact us today. We’d be delighted to offer advice and help answer any questions about inherited jewellery redesign or restoration.