Since recycling is such an important aspect our lives, we wanted to introduce a series in which we highlight the ways that jewelry can be recycled! Many people have boxes of inherited jewelry that they realize will just never be worn: earrings with missing partners, broken necklaces, or seriously out-dated styles. But there can be a lot of great material in that box, and with a little love and creativity, can begin a whole new life as something you'll cherish and love to wear!
Rebecca met with a couple at the One Of A Kind Show at the Merchandise Mart this past December who wanted to update their father's mid-century modern star sapphire ring to become a special piece for their daughter. The couple had come to Rebecca before for pieces from her Collections and wanted to work with together to adapt one of her designs to suit their stone. Together, it was decided that a Nebula Pendant would be the perfect way to showcase the stunning star sapphire for their daughter.
We should take a moment to discuss how cool star sapphires are! These stones exhibit a naturally occurring phenomenon known as asterism, exemplified when the stone is cut and polished into the jelly-bean smooth cabuchon shape (instead of faceted). When light is directed to the stone, it displays a six-legged star which is actually a reflection of impurities within the stone. Star sapphires with bolder blue color are more rare than grey-blue star sapphires as there is a greater demand for faceted blue sapphires.
Rebecca carefully removed the star sapphire from its mounting in the original ring and bezel set the stone within the hammered sterling silver Nebula pendant. In addition to remounting the old stone into a new piece of jewelry, Rebecca was able to recycle the 10k white gold ring and the value of the refined metal was credited to the couple.
If you are interested in working with Rebecca to breathe new life into your old jewelry, please do not hesitate to contact us and start the brainstorming and design process!