Lost Gemstone: a Reminder of Loss & Love

A Preventable Disaster

When I got engaged, many moons ago, I chose my gold ring with a centre sapphire and absolutely loved it at the time. It had so much obvious significance and was the first ring I had ever had that had any value.I cherished it.Then some years later I lost the sapphire and have never worn it again.I was devastated at the time and spent many hours searching the house and garden. An engagement ring is such an important symbol of love, your future together and the promises you will make with the one you love.Losing that stone meant I could no longer wear my special ring and it was placed in my jewellery box where it spent the next 23 years never being worn

Missing Gemstone

Oh The Irony

My sadness abated but I never forgot the ring and it’s significance. I didn’t know at that time, the importance of having the claws checked by a professional Jeweller every year and I had no clue as to how to keep it clean. I also didn’t know anyone that had the skills to replace the stone and make it wearable for me.

How ironic that I ended up changing my career and becoming that person who could finally resolve this dilemma. Another irony is that, although I could now sort it, I haven’t! I’m much too busy repairing other peoples jewellery and creating new jewellery that the ring is still sitting there at the bottom of the jewellery box, discarded and alone.

A New Beginning

Writing this blog has given me the incentive to bring that ring out into the open and I’m now going to melt it down and create a whole new contemporary design with the original diamonds and a brand new centre stone.would you like to see what happens next and see the results for yourself?I will let you know when it’s all finished.

How Can You Benefit?

If you have a gemstone missing, or you have a special piece of jewellery that is broken or out of date or needing some attention, consider whether you want to create something new out of the old for you!!if you want to find out more have a chat with me or your local Jewellery Designer and find out what’s possible. I would love to hear your storiesabout lost gemstones or broken jewellery. Get in touch in the way that suits you

Studio at No.10

I have a new Studio!

Its located in Coleford in The Innovation Spaces Hub at No. 10. I have been looking for a new studio for a while now and really wanted somewhere to be able to put on lots of workshops, chat to customers, share my work and also work myself. I can’t wait to share this space with you.

Since moving in on the 1st April (I do hope that’s not significant 😂) I have been working hard to make it look lovely and inviting for you all. I want you to be able to come and have a chat over a cuppa, see and feel my work which I’ve never been able to do. I will be running courses, workshops of all types, open days, and this will be the first year that I will be taking part in the Faropen Trail which is taking place from the 1st-9thJuly 2023.

During Faropen, on the days that I am open you will be able to come along and interact and play with materials, enjoy some refreshments and really engage with my work.

Already I have a lot of new workshops listed on my website, a Beginners Jewellery Techniques course and I am going to be putting on a very special Retreat in June so watch out for that date, I would love to hear from you if you have any ideas for workshops you would like to attend or times or days that are more suitable for you. I really want this to be an interactive experience where you are happy with what I’m offering. Do come and see me and say Hello, I’m not at the studio every day but will be posting a schedule on my website and Facebook page so that you can see what days I’m there.

My studio will also be available for hire so if you want to put on your own workshop or have a meeting or a private event just get in touch. Details will be published soon but I am happy to chat with you about what you want. Can’t wait to see you soon!!

The greatest threat to our planet ….

  “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it”

Robert Swan

A great deal of my work involves the melting down and reusing of my customers gold and silver.  Prospective customers come to me with old, tired, broken and out of date pieces, very often inherited from their loved ones.  It is my job to melt down the old, reuse the gemstones, if needed and bring the piece into the modern world.  There are so many benefits to this process.

Today, more than ever before, it’s is important to recycle as many things as we can and jewellery is no exception.  As gold prices continue to rise, people are looking for ways to get the most out of the gold and silver in their jewellery.  In addition to being environmentally friendly, recycling your old jewellery is a great way of maintaining family links and bonds. A lovely way of creating something new from an old heirloom that has belonged to someone special in your family.  Many of us have old pieces at the bottom of our jewellery boxes that are old, broken, out of date, wrong material, wrong gemstone, wrong size  etc.  The list is endless.  I am trying to resurrect those old pieces and make them into something special that you will love wearing.

Jewellery is a unique way to express your style, personality and emotions.  It can be a gift from someone special or a piece that you have treasured for years.  If you don’t wear it, then it’s use is diminished.  Why not pull those old pieces out and see what can be done.

Recycling gold and silver is not a cheap option though. There are various steps that have to take place in order to enable that precious metal to be used in a new piece and your local expert will have to carry that out on your behalf.  The processes involve melting down the gold {for instance}, pouring it into a mould and then extruding the gold into the shape needed.  This is both hard work and time consuming.  I don’t have any machines to help with this process so it’s all done by hand. During the extruding process the gold can fracture, split and crack rendering it useless and meaning the process has to be redone.  Sometimes, I have to use my experience and skills to try to ensure this does not happen again and it can be very difficult. But in the end the satisfaction of seeing your new piece made from old is very satisfying and meaningful. Customers come to me wishing to combine their parents wedding rings which is a lovely way to putting the two together whilst retaining the integrity and sentiments attached.

At Chris Lewis Jewellery Design, I believe that all precious metals and gemstones should be recycled in a responsible way.  That’s why I offer these services to enable you to have something new made out of old. I also offer bespoke jewellery making where you can choose your own gemstones and have them set in a beautiful design that suits your needs perfectly.

A word of caution though.  I can only melt down gold and silver that is hallmarked.  That doesn’t mean just a 925 stamp on silver, it has to be a hallmark by the Assay Office in the UK.  Why so fussy?  Well, other metals not only don’t perform in the right way ie they just melt into a lump of goo and in some instance they are carcinogenic, making them really dangerous for me to work with, beside the fact that it’s illegal! I have also discovered diamonds that were made of plastic, gemstones set on cardboard and other horror stories.  So, if you come to me with your precious items and I can’t melt them down, don’t despair, there’s always an alternative.  I can supply the gold and silver and re set your precious gems. Always happy to have a chat about the options available.

If you are looking to keep these precious memories alive while helping the environment at the same time, then look no further and get in touch with me today.

I also use recycled boxes and packaging in all my gift wrapping.

Pictured is an example of a wedding ring and an engagement ring that came together to form this delightful spinner ring.

My number is 07885829316. Ring me today for a chat about what I can do for you.

www.chrislewisjewellerydesign@aol.com

chrislewisjewellerydesign@aol.com