Heirloom Remaking: Turning Your Mother's Jewellery Into Pieces You Will Wear
Many of us have jewellery from our mothers and grandmothers that we love but rarely wear. The designs may feel dated, the pieces may be damaged, or they may simply not suit our lives. Heirloom remaking turns that jewellery into pieces you will actually wear, while keeping its history. This guide explains how it works.
What can be remade
Most gold jewellery can be remade in some way:
- Plain gold pieces can be melted and reworked into new designs.
- Stones such as diamonds, polki, emeralds and rubies can often be removed and reset.
- Pearls can be restrung or used in new designs.
- Several older pieces can be combined into one new piece.
- Parts of a piece, such as a pendant or motif, can be kept and incorporated into a new design.
Popular remakes include turning a heavy old necklace into a lighter everyday one, making earrings from an old pendant, or resetting a grandmother's diamonds into a modern ring.
What should not be touched
Some pieces are better preserved than remade:
- Pieces with rare or fine craftsmanship, such as old nakshi, jadau or meenakari work that is difficult to reproduce today. See Meenakari and Nakshi Work.
- Pieces of historic or antique value, where the original design matters.
- Complete matching sets, which are often worth more intact.
- Pieces with strong sentimental meaning in their original form.
For these, consider cleaning, repair or restoration instead. Read Antique and Old Gold: How to Evaluate Heirloom Jewellery and Repair, Polish and Resizing.
The process
- Assessment: the jeweller examines your pieces, tests the gold purity and assesses any stones.
- Consultation: you discuss what you want, what to keep and what to change.
- Design: a new design is sketched and refined with you. See Bespoke Jewellery at Tibarumal & Sons.
- Approval: you approve the design, materials and cost before work begins.
- Making: the old piece is carefully dismantled, stones are removed, and the new piece is made.
- Delivery: you receive your new piece, with an invoice showing the gold used, any added gold or stones, and the charges.
Ask to be kept informed about the weight of gold used and any gold lost in melting and refining.
Cost logic
The cost of remaking depends on:
- making charges for the new design,
- additional gold if the new design needs more than you provided,
- new stones, if you add any,
- refining losses, since some gold can be lost when old pieces are melted,
- GST, as applicable. See GST on Gold and Diamond Jewellery.
If the new design uses less gold than the old piece, ask how the balance will be handled, as credit, returned gold, or exchange. Read Making Charges Explained.
Bringing your pieces in
At Tibarumal & Sons Jewellers, Shaikpet, many families bring us pieces that have been in the family for generations. To discuss a remake, visit us or message us on WhatsApp at +91 88855 00805 with photos of your pieces.
Visit Tibarumal & Sons Jewellers, Shaikpet
Tibarumal & Sons Jewellers
Shop No. 102, 8-1-299/121, RP Business Park, Al Hamra Colony, Shaikpet, Hyderabad 500008
Hours: Monday to Saturday, 11am to 8:30pm
Phone: +91 88855 00805
WhatsApp: Message us on WhatsApp
Instagram: @tibarumalandsons
