Old Diamond, New Ring: Reset Your Heirloom Diamond
Interested in reusing old diamonds in a new ring? You’ve come to the right place.
Resetting heirloom diamonds isn’t something that most jewelers do, but here at Abby Sparks Jewelry it’s something we specialize in; about a third of the rings you see in our custom engagement ring portfolio were made with heirloom diamonds we reset into a new design. We love working with these heirloom diamonds because it lets our clients honor the past while making adding priceless sentimental value to a new piece. It’s also more earth-friendly than sourcing a new stone.
(The Jackie, made with a reset heirloom diamond center stone)
Diamonds are timeless, but sometimes the jewelry they’re a part of isn’t. We work with a lot of people who inherit a diamond ring, pendant, bracelet or earrings, and while it’s a beautiful piece of jewelry, it’s out of style or just not their style.
Wondering what type of heirloom diamonds we work with?
Here are just a few examples of where our client’s old diamonds have come from:
- A mom, grandmother, aunt, or other relative’s own engagement ring
- A family member’s tennis bracelet
- An heirloom pair of earrings or pendant
- A loose diamond that a great, great grandmother got as a gift
- A loose diamond that a great-grandfather got as a gift (apparently in the past it was common to honor big achievements with a loose stone instead of cash, a trophy, etc.)
- A diamond from your own engagement ring that you’d like to put into a new, upgraded design for an anniversary
With all diamonds that we reset, we first require proper paperwork or certifications, which all diamonds should have. So if you’ve got a diamond and its papers, read on to see how resetting a diamond works.
Step One – Design Meeting
Book your private consultation and we’ll set up a time to talk with you about your existing jewelry, what it means to you, and ideas for your new piece. Next, you’ll either come in for a design meeting where we assess your old jewelry or heirloom diamonds to ensure they’re in good enough shape to salvage or, you’ll ship your stone(s) to us and we’ll have a video meeting.
(The original heirloom ring we salvaged the diamond for The Jackie from)
Step Two – Sketching and Design
We’ll bring all of your ideas and inspiration to life on paper and send you 3-5 sketches of proposed designs. We’ll go through feedback and revisions until you get exactly what you envisioned because we truly want you to love your design so you can wear your diamond with pride.
(Hand drawn sketch of the Jackie)
Step Three – Additional Stone Sourcing
If you want a more elaborate piece, you may want more stones than just your original diamond. If you’d like to add additional stones to your design, we will source options for you to hand-select for your new jewelry.
(The new ring design engineered in 3D)
Step Four – Engineering
Your design will be engineered in a 3D CAD model and sent to you for approval. Then your new jewelry will be cast in metal, your stones will be handset, and your design will be complete.
(The new setting for the Jackie and loose stones before they are set)
Step Five – Delivery
Finally, your diamond is a part of something you’ll want to wear every day. In-person or over video chat, we’ll have a meeting to deliver your piece, or we will ship it to you. We’ll also talk about care and cleaning and provide an appraisal.
(Top: The Jackie reset diamond ring, Below: The setting of the original heirloom ring)
If you have something other than diamonds in your jewelry box, like a colorful gemstone, we may be able to reset it, but gemstones are less durable than diamonds and fewer are strong enough to be removed from an original piece and reset! If you’re interested in resetting your diamond or gemstone book an appointment online or call us at 303-957-6502 and let us help you decide the best future for your special piece.
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