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 Prospective customers come to me with old, tired, broken and out of date pieces, very often inherited from their loved ones.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 Many of us have old pieces at the bottom of our jewellery boxes that are old, broken, out of date, wrong material, wrong gemstone, wrong size etc.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