Not every jewellery journey begins with a sparkle. Sometimes, it starts with a tangle of old gold, pieces heavy with memory but forgotten in the back of a drawer.
When a gold-record-selling singer turned YouTuber came to me, she brought more than just jewellery. She carried decades of her life in a bag: broken chains, mismatched earrings, including one diamond ring. The diamonds had belonged to her grandmother and her mother had united them into a single ring.
That ring was the heart of the story and the beginning of a bespoke jewellery redesign that would become one of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on.
History, Memories and Emotion
Her grandmother’s diamonds had once sparkled under chandeliers at London soirées. Each one had been a gift from her husband, who brought back a diamond each time he returned from South Africa. Later, her mother had those stones reset into a dramatic cocktail ring. Time and wear had dulled its shine, but not the emotions attached. She remembered watching her mother dress for glamorous evenings, the diamonds catching the light.
She no longer wore the ring because it wasn’t her style, and it didn’t fit but she didn’t want to change it either. The setting, the shape, even the patina, all held visual memories too valuable to lose.
This is where heirloom jewellery redesign becomes something intimate. It’s not about erasing the past — it’s about honouring it, then building upon it.
She also had a bold amethyst pendant. A piece she’d worn on stage, edged with two small diamonds. It was theatrical and nostalgic, tied to her career as a performer. Together, we imagined something new: a sculptural ring that would marry her family’s legacy with her own identity.
The Art of Listening
As a custom jewellery designer, my first step is always to listen, not just to what’s said, but to what’s felt. We discussed symbolism, texture, scale. I drew inspiration from the Maltese cliffs near her home: layers of stone carved by time and sea, strong and grounding. The ring’s wide gold band echoes that strata, a connection to place, and to the years she spent caring for her mother on the island they both loved.
The result was a one-of-a-kind bespoke diamond and amethyst ring. It held three generations of memory in one piece, designed to be worn every day.
Pushing the Boundaries of a Goldsmith's Skill
When you are dealing with old jewellery there is always a challenge. What is the mix of metals in the gold, what carat of gold is it – if the hallmarks have rubbed off with wear? Are the gemstones real and in good condition? In this case the challenge was to keep the diamond ring intact within the design.
The first phase was to construct a new ring shank (section which goes round the finger) which would use the diamond ring’s own shank as the opposite side, while at the same time fitting around the curved setting for the amethyst pendant which would serve as the statement stone in the new ring.
The design symbolised the strata and formations of the cliffs of Malta and I used filigree style curves but in wider wire to create the forms.
Which I then gently curved into the ring shaped.
The pendant setting was weak, so I reinforced it using similar curving ribbon to add strength before soldering all the elements together.
The final step was to set the amethyst stone, after polishing the new ring.
An Award-Winning Ring Filled with Emotion
The result was a one-of-a-kind bespoke diamond and amethyst ring. It held three generations of memory in one piece, designed to be worn every day.
She loved it. More than that, she felt it was her’s as well as symbolising three generations of women in her family.
“It feels like me,” she said.
Since then, we’ve worked together on several other pieces — a reimagining of her cocktail rings, and other personal commissions. But this ring remains the one she wears most, often visible in her YouTube videos. It quietly carries its story, shimmering in the background.
Jewellery is never just jewellery. It’s identity. History. Emotion.
