Using Heirloom Gold in New Pieces
One very popular service we provide is repurposing “old gold” - i.e., heirloom gold belonging to a client - into a new piece. This is a great option for clients to utilize a setting that might not be suited to them in its original design, but that is sentimental. By melting and reshaping the gold we can continue the life of that material while breathing new life into it with a different design.
That being said, repurposing “old gold” in this way has its limitations. This technique is best suited for bands, pendants, earrings, or bracelets that won’t be holding gemstones or, if they do have stones set in them, then they are bezel set or flush set in the piece. This is owing to the fact that most settings (especially ring settings) have at least some solder in them, which is considered an impurity in the alloy. Solder is used for bonding gold or platinum together, so it’s usually found in rings which have been resized or repaired over the years.
Solder in alloy will create pitting and weak spots in the gold. In designs with small, intricate elements such as prongs or filigree, this will fail the structure. Less detailed pieces such as a band or bangle can withstand the structural imperfections that will come into play, so these are the types of styles we recommend for rebuilding using heirloom gold.
Idea 1: Making a Wedding Band
This wedding band was created for a client by melting heirloom settings into a tapered wedding band. He set a diamond from one of the original rings on the inside of his band, and we set its mate in her engagement ring. As you can see, the band has small pitting across the surface which is unavoidable with this process, but our client did not mind at all considering the sentimental value that the ring provided to him in using his heirloom gold.
Idea 2: Making a Gold Bangle
This client had enough gold to fabricate a solid gold bangle which we then set with her own small diamonds. She opted to add the small engraved diamond shapes as a personal design reference, and the number of diamonds held a significant meaning for her as well. As you can see, this gold happened to re-alloy a bit better, with fewer pits noticeable in the bangle.
Finally, if you are creating a design that needs to utilize pure casting grain and for which we cannot use your heirloom gold, rest assured: even this material comes from recycled sources, and your old settings will be recycled as well. When a client has a setting that they will not be melting into a new piece, we give a credit to that client in exchange for the material itself. We then send this fine material (gold, platinum, silver) to our refiner who processes it using much more sophisticated methods than our small workshop allows, extracting the gold and platinum from the alloys for re-use. This material is then processed into the casting grain, gold wire, and other fine parts that are used every day in fine jewelry production.
If you have settings that you want to repurpose into a new piece, make an appointment with us to talk it through. We are looking forward to seeing what you have!