Believe it or not, this heirloom transformation started with a casual introduction at a Napa winery. Joanna and I connected right away, and she told me about a piece that she had inherited from her Grandma, a statement gold nugget ring that she treasured, but was simply not her style. She knew she wanted to use the gold to redesign a special piece for her Mom, which became two coordinating rings: one for her mom and another for herself...or so she thought.
JOANNA’S STORY
After Joanna filled out our custom jewelry design form, we had a complimentary consultation through zoom to go over the details. Then we started designing right away! Initially we discussed doing dangling earrings for her Mom, but then after brainstorming design options with Joanna, she selected two complimentary ring designs: a half circle ring with sunray engravings and a center 2MM diamond flush set and a coordinating half circle arch with five 1MM diamonds flush set.
These rings are a stunning modern take on an heirloom redesign. They look beautiful on their own, and when worn together they create a surprise crescent moon in between the rings. The overall effect when the rings are placed together is a story of the whole sky: a sun on the horizon with a rising crescent moon and a diamond constellation of stars.
FROM OLD TO NEW: THE TRANSFORMATION PROCESS
How does an heirloom become a modern ring set? First, the heirloom ring was tested for gold purity using a special gold testing instrument that marks the purity of the metal upon contact and identifies it as gold, platinum, or base metal.
Then the stones were carefully removed from the heirloom ring. Afterwards the ring was melted and poured into an ingot (a.k.a. a gold block) from which we were able to create wire to handcraft the rings, set the new stones, and polish the final pieces into a shiny finish. Lastly, the remaining gold was melted back into a nugget as a unique keepsake.
Each one of the stones from the original ring represented her Grandma's kids. Although the stones had lost their luster, we were able to remove them safely for Joanna to keep or maybe even to release at sea in honor of her Grandma, who loved the ocean.
THE FINAL PIECE
THE REVIEW
"After acquiring a precious family heirloom, I wanted to create something special to gift my mom for her birthday. Cielomar had such a gentle yet invigorating demeanor which made me feel secure in my decision to trust her with my family heirloom. The final product was a beautiful set of stacking rings, simple in design yet unique and full of meaning, that my mom put on and has not taken off since. I am forever grateful to Cielomar for helping me make my mom feel beautiful and loved." - Joanna
HEIRLOOMS AS ACTIVE REMEMBRANCE
Isn’t it amazing what a dramatic transformation you can get with gold? It’s such a magically durable yet malleable material. If you too have old jewelry in your jewelry box that you no longer wear, you could put it aside for me to test. That way, you can preserve the value of your gold in a piece that you will wear and enjoy for years to come!
TIME FOR A TREASURE HUNT!
This might be the sign you’ve been needing to give your jewelry box a summer makeover. If you find a treasure in need of transformation, let’s make some magic together. Just fill out the custom jewelry form to get started on your new one-of-a-kind jewelry piece.