Sunday, August 19, 2012

Use Your Old or Broken Jewelry to Make New Pieces

Many of us have jewelry boxes full of what we think is garbage we will never use again. Why do we even keep such pieces? Could it be that on some intuitive level we know that one day we might decide to make a project of revamping some of that old jewelry? No matter what the reason is, if you have old jewelry, you might want to consider using some of it to create innovative new pieces. There are many ways you can restore or repair old jewelry, or even transform it into something totally different.

Have Gold Melted Down
Old gold rings, necklaces, bracelets, charms, pendants, sliders and anything else that is made of gold can be melted down and shaped into anything you would like. Some people collect all their gold and have it melted down to create one large piece, while others go to companies that sell jewelry and have several new pieces made, with brand new stones set. Keep in mind that there are many really pretty synthetic stones, so you do not necessarily have to purchase real stones, and many of these “false” stones look just as pretty.

Salvage Old Stones
Just as some people have old gold, others have old pieces of jewelry that has diamonds, rubies, amethysts, emeralds and many others. If you have old, worn looking jewelry that has become bent, or has simply lost its luster, you may be able to have the stones removed and set into a new piece of jewelry. This is what many people do. It is best to ask the jeweler to look at the quality of the stones to make sure they have not been compromised in some way. Some stones fare well while others become cloudy and scratched.

String Loose Beads Together
What about your beloved costume jewelry that has seen better days? The ones that have beads missing, or strings that have broken, leaving you with nothing but a pile of loose beads? These are by far the easiest to do something with, and the cheapest. You can go to any arts and crafts store and get what you need to create new jewelry out of your old beads. These make excellent gift ideas, especially for kids who might not be old enough to be trusted with fine jewelry.

Old jewelry is worth something, even if it is not worth money. Any jewelry you have lying around your house can be spruced up and made into something really nice like infinity necklace with names. The key is to use your sense of creativity. You can even design and have your own wedding set crafted by using old gold and jewels you have not used in years.

2 comments :

Kimmy  Barnes said...

You have a point there, Bridget! You better show off your beautiful charms to everyone rather than just veiling it on a jewelry box. By doing that, you may even come up with great ideas that will improve the look of your jewelries! ;)

Anonymous said...

Good way of observing things - I am a bit more of a black and
white person, myself
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