Old Gold, New Joy

Custom made diamond bezel necklace

I have a client who had a substantial amount of jewelry to sell and wanted to create some unique pieces for herself from the proceeds. When I removed the diamonds from her vintage-style earrings, I noticed they were old European-cut gems, and they were a perfect match. They spoke to me, so I proposed creating a pair of diamond stud earrings.

Similarly, she really liked a gold-linked necklace of hers, but it was far too long. So an easy adjustment was to shorten the necklace to her desired length of 18”, sell the remaining gold, and give her a necklace that can be worn by itself or with a pendant.

Finally, we made a piece using a single diamond earring and smaller diamonds from a pair of earrings she wasn’t wearing to fashion a new necklace. That necklace took the longest time to create. We had to cast a bezel for her diamond, and then find a setting for all the little diamonds that could be attached along the length of the necklace. There were many moving parts to this piece, so it took some time to create. Once it was made, I looked at it, and it didn’t sit well on my neck. Still, I was willing to show it to her to see what she thought. We both decided it wasn’t quite right. So I came up with the idea of making a single bezel-set diamond necklace and using the smaller diamond clusters to make earrings.

Both came out perfect!

Diamond stud earrings from the European-cut diamonds, the shortened gold-link necklace, the single bezel-set diamond necklace, and diamond cluster earrings.

Once I delivered everything to her, it worked out well, and she was able to enjoy her jewelry on her vacation!

Sometimes I create something that doesn’t turn out quite right, but I am always willing to work with the client to make something she'll love for a lifetime.

Tip: Creating a piece of jewelry is a collaborative partnership. Find a jewelry designer who is willing to work with you and adjust as needed.