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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  Prospective customers come to me with old, tired, broken and out of date pieces, very often inherited from their loved ones.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  Many of us have old pieces at the bottom of our jewellery boxes that are old, broken, out of date, wrong material, wrong gemstone, wrong size  etc.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.





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Creative space

As a Jewellery Designer and Artist I earn a living by being creative. When first starting I  had loads and loads of ideas.  But the longer I reside in the design world, the more being creative feels like work. That puts added pressures on me as an artist, to perform. When I experience pressure my brain starts to shut down and become rigid rather than allowing the flow of creativity. Every so often, I have to just stop and empty my head of work and responsibilities. I need to walk and draw what inspires me so that my brain can start to untangle and begin to function.


Creativity needs space!


Space to unravel!


Space to just stop and sometimes to have physical space around me. Standing on top of the Sugar Loaf or the Blorenge  and looking at the hills, valley and towns sprawled before me, or walking amongst trees and listening to the gentle tinkle of leaves falling on the forest floor. Feeling the gentle breeze on my face up at The Kymin and the chirrup of the birds. Seeing a sunset and feeling the rain on my skin. All these things seem to miraculously heal and allow my brain to defrag and reset.


It’s important for me to take time out but also being creative can mean just needing to walk away from a project and allow the brain to relax or think of other things. Creativity takes time. I cant always come up with a design immediately, sometimes it has to wash over me like the waves on a beach. A good example of this was a pendant I was asked to make. Nothing was right with it and it wasn’t gelling with the brief or my expectations. So I walked away and got on with some other jobs.  When I returned my mindset had shifted  and suddenly all the problems seemed to dissolve and the resolution became so much clearer in my head. I was able to finish the piece and keep to  the brief.


I seek inspiration from the landscape around me. I am particularly drawn to natural objects but architecture and engineering can also excite. Recently I walked the Severn Bridge with a friend and was struck by the beauty of some of the structures holding the bridge in place. I was inspired to create a necklace inspired by that functional and every day object.


My own ideas include a scuba tank with a rubber hose and a breathing mask in Silver, a Silver birdcage pendant with opening hinged door and a silver envelope with hinges opening where you can post your loved ones a letter.


Is it time for you to make some space? I would love to hear from you as to how you make space in your head. So do write to me and let me know.  In the meantime, I read a blog recently which might help. Here’s a link :


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Don't you love your jewellery all black and tarnished?

How do you keep your jewellery clean?

I am asked this so many times a year and it is a real issue for all jewellery or silver lovers worldwide. Gold doesn’t tarnish but silver does. Silver doesn’t tarnish as bad as copper or brass but yes it does go black over time. So, clearly, nobody wants to be going around wearing jewellery that’s black or leaving a stain on your skin and some skins turn a piece of jewellery more than others. Obviously, we can’t change our skin either so we need to find a solution to this problem.

Now, Covid and lockdowns were hard for most people and, clearly, it was a very difficult time. One of the worst things about jewellery that came out of Covid was the hand sanitisers. They tarnish silver very very quickly indeed. I hope we are now past this stage for a while but it’s always good to know what to do if you have to use hand sanitisers.

You may have also noticed that if you leave your silver in a jewellery box it tarnishes. So what can be done?

Well, I am going to tell you!

The first port of call should be your Jewellery professional. They are equipped to clean your jewellery and advise on how to keep it clean. Like you would go to your doctor if you have spots, go to the professional for advice.

But, if you want a home solution I will tell you my secret. It lies in a product which is a silver dip and a polishing cloth. It’s simple. It’s easy. It takes less than five minutes. It works! There’s a link to the product which costs only £7 (or £6.50 if you sign up for a subscription) at the end of this blog. If you are local to me there is no postage, you can pick it up from me. I also have the polishing cloths too in my shop and they are well worth the outlay of £3.50! But there’s more!!!


One tip for keeping your silver clean and shiny and bright is to pop your silver in a plastic bag with a strip of anti-tarnish cloth and it stays cleaner for much longer. I can also supply those if you would like.

So, in a nutshell, you will need the silver sparkle, a cloth and an anti-tarnish strip.

What are you waiting for? Click this link now or give me a call for more advice on 07885829316.

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