Thursday, March 28, 2024

What To Do With Old Gold Wedding Bands

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Make The Wedding Perfect With Beautiful Wedding Rings

Transforming Gold – Taking Old Wedding Rings And Making Them New – Todd Alan

The smooth yellow gold wedding rings from the Art déco era are particularly popular with our customers. They are something like the epitome of value and discreet luxury. The alloy of 22 carat gold, which has been very popular for several decades, has a very classic appearance with a rich and beautiful depth of color. Absolutely straightforward and timeless, each ring in this collection meets the highest standards! Experience the enthusiasm for antique wedding rings at Antique Jewellery Berlin. Among other things you can buy wedding rings of this kind from us:

  • women’s rings and men’s rings from all eras, e.g. Victorian, Art déco and vintage,
  • Smooth wedding rings in silver, rose gold, platinum, white gold and other precious metals,
  • Antique single pieces in different widths, e.g. 2 mm, 3 mm up to 7 mm,
  • Rings with handmade engraving, e.g. from the Victorian and Art déco,
  • Extraordinary vintage wedding rings, e.g. set with stone, sometimes multicolored / bicolor.

Finicky Alloys In Gold Cause Trouble When Re

14k gold jewelry is an alloyed mixture made of 58% of pure gold and of 42% other metals. Gold as a pure metal, can be used over and over again.

Its the other metals that are used as hardening alloys that can screw up the batch.

Without scientific testing in a lab, its impossible to know what the alloy metals in your old gold are, much less their quantities.

When those alloys that arent chosen for their ability to be cast repeatedly are asked to combine and be re-cast weird things can happen.

Doing a single piece casting from a bunch of old gold and its mystery alloys, risks discoloration, porosity, and cracking.

Having done single casting earlier in my career, Ive experienced all three bad outcomes.

I’d been advised never to use old gold in casting and I felt like a proper idiot when I did it anyway and created various disasters.

A Guide To Upcycling Jewellery And Family Heirlooms

There are plenty of reasons why you would want to take old jewellery and turn it into a brand new piece. Maybe you have broken jewellery that you dont want to see go to waste. Maybe you have your grandmothers wedding ring and have a sentimental attachment to the piece despite it being much too small for your finger. Or you might have inherited a collection of *quirky* vintage jewellery from your auntie and none of it suits your style.

For any of these reasons and more, upcycling your old jewellery can be the perfect solution.

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Add A Memorial Diamond

You may want to keep wearing your wedding ring as-is, but might feel it needs a bit of a refresh after your spouse dies. But instead of taking your ring to a local jeweler for a total redesign, why not try something more unique?

Adding a memorial diamond made our of your spouse’s ashes or lock of hair alters the appearance of the ring, but adds an extra-special element. You can send in your spouse’s ashes or hair to a memorial diamond company , and once you receive your diamond, take if to a jeweler to add the extra gem.

Tip: Most memorial diamond companies offer several colors, cuts, and styles. Think about if you plan to wear the ring every day, what hand you’ll wear it on, and so forth before you make your decision.

For example, going with a colorful diamond brings the ring’s style into the everyday cocktail ring category, while going with a white diamond will keep the ring closer to its original look.

If You Have Sentimental Reasons To Re

Antique 18k Rose Gold Engraved Wedding Band by TheCopperCanary

If you have strong feelings about your grandfather’s wedding band or the ring that came over from the old country 100 years ago, it’s understandable that you may want that actual gold to used in your design no matter what.

There is a way to do this. I work with a refiner who will refine the troublesome alloys out of a small amount of gold. I can then directly use your gold, add more fresh gold and do a single casting that will use your gold. It is not an economical way to go, but it is doable.

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Turn Something Old Into Something New

Love the ring but hate the memories associated with it? Why not repurpose it by taking it to a jeweler and having it made into something new? Chances are it is set in some beautiful gold or silver and has some eye-catching gems that would make for a lovely piece of jewelry.

It would be a shame to let something of such great value go. A quick google search will introduce you to a world of possibilities for your new future piece. Whether it be a pendant for a necklace, some earrings or a new ring, make use of those precious metals and gemstones.

What To Do With Old Gold Wedding Bands

What do you do with your wedding band when your marriage comes to an end after you upgrade the wedding band?

Dont you think that there are better uses you could put the ring to if the ring is now sitting in some jewelry box and the memories around it arent that bitter-sweet anymore, or if you just need to purge some of the old jewelry because of a recent upgrade and are.

As a result, looking for the best strategies around your wedding band, then this article is exactly what you need.

Generally, there is so much you could do with the old gold wedding band, but these are some of the best options.

Also Check: How Much Is 10k Gold Worth

Double Sleeved Wedding Rings

This is a nice way to keep the metal from somebody precious to you, as part of your ongoing journey. The first example shows an old signet ring which my client had been left by his grandpa. He was never going to wear a signet ring, but his grandfather was a very important part of his life, and he wanted to use the ring on his wedding day. We melted the old signet and remodelled it into his wedding ring, by drawing it into a wire and forming a ring to fit inside his platinum wedding band. The technique is called double sleeving – for obvious reasons. It works well with white against yellow or vice versa, but it’s fine with the same colour too, dependant on what you want to achieve.

Dont Feel Like You Need To Hold On To Your Ring

Engagement Ring Transformation. Redesigning Jewelry Using Old Gold. Old To New Heirloom Jewelry

Whether youre getting divorced or renewing your vows, dont be afraid to ditch your ring altogether. It might feel like the wrong thing to do, but it could be good for your mental health.

It will be like ditching the past and replacing it with something new and fresh. Plus, if your ring evokes bad memories from years past, that might not be something you want to think of every single day. Think about selling it to a jeweler or a pawn shop, replacing it with a ring that fits your style and persona.

Read Also: How Much Is 3 Grams Of 10k Gold Worth

Project #1 Debbies Grandfathers Wedding Band

Debbies Grandfathers Gold Wedding Band, Sized for Her and Hand Engraved. What a Transformation! The before picture is a the top of the page.

Debbie loved her Grandfather and inherited his wedding band. She couldnt picture how to wear it. It sat in her jewelry box about 15 years.

Our first step was to size it down to her size. Then because she is feminine and petite, I suggested some wonderful swirly engraving on the band. It worked and now Debbies Grandfathers love is on her hand.

Where Can You Sell Your Gold Wedding Ring

People most often sell their gold rings to jewelry brokers, gold dealers, jewelers, and bidders at auctions.

Jewelry brokers buy used jewelry in order to resell it. Some of them also operate online.

Gold dealers will buy your wedding ring with the intention of melting it down. They will pay you only for the metal.

Some might offer to also buy your diamonds or other stones, if there are any in your ring, but the price offered for them may not be the best you could get.

Jewelers will also usually buy your wedding ring for the gold in it, and many will not pay you much more than gold dealers would. Some will buy it in order to sell it as second-hand jewelry, and those may pay more than the scrap gold buyers. Few jewelers would pay a significantly higher price for used jewelry, as such pieces sell at deep discounts.

Some jewelers may offer you to exchange your ring or its stones for store credit, which you can use to buy jewelry from the jewelers shop.

Such deals have the potential to provide better value if you are not explicitly looking to get cash for your wedding ring.

Selling at an auction is likely to be more lucrative than selling to gold dealers or jewelers as long as your wedding ring has some unique feature that makes it valuable to potential bidders.

Worthy is one such service that organizes online jewelry auctions for engagement rings and diamond jewelry you can mail them your items and they will sell your jewelry for you and send you the money when it is sold.

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How To Melt Down Old Gold To Make New Jewellery

Upcycling gold is an exacting process undertaken by highly skilled goldsmiths in our workshop, and it starts with fire.

We begin by placing your legacy gold into a small dish called a crucible and using a welding torch to heat the metal to over 600 degrees Celsius. At this temperature, the gold becomes a molten liquid and is poured into a basic mould to cool off.

The goldsmith then stretches and shapes the gold in a series of rollers. Its made thinner and longer until the gold is the right gauge to begin forming it into a band.

Sophies parents wedding bands ready to be melted down

Melted down gold being annealed and shaped

Then the gold is annealed, meaning that it is heated until it glows red and then allowed to cool. This process helps the gold to become soft enough to shape and cast, but not so hard that it becomes brittle and can crack.

The ring is then filed down bit by bit, ensuring the band is symmetrical all the way around and forms a perfect circle. When the rings profile is completed, the whole thing is annealed again so that it can be shaped into the perfect size to fit whoever will be wearing the ring.

When this is completed, all thats left to do is polish! This stage of the goldsmithing process will vary depending on the desired finish of the bespoke piece, but in general the goldsmith will use multiple grades of polish to bring the surface of the ring from its natural rough texture to a gleaming, sleek finish.

Be Prepared And Be Careful

Antique Wedding Band Solid 14k Yellow Gold Filigree Flower ...

In short, our advice is this: treat your wedding ring like you would a newborn baby or an antique vase. Dont take it with you on gym equipment, climbing walls or building sites! If you avoid exposing your ring to harsh manual activities like these, you can avoid deep-set damage.

Minor scratches caused by other low-key, day-to-day pursuits are inevitable and can be accepted and loved – or easily fixed.

If you have enjoyed this article and would like to learn more about ethical jewellery, make sure you sign up below to receive our newsletter and tell a friend about our services. Dont forget to if you need further advice.

Read Also: How To Buy Wow Gold Without Getting Banned

Turn It Into A Necklace

Sometimes the best thing to do is find a way to turn your ring into something new. For some people, theyll still want to wear it close to their heart. In such cases, we recommend repurposing your wedding ring into a necklace.

Black wedding rings will work especially well for this, especially when paired with a gold, silver, or rose gold chain. For rings with prominent diamond studs, you could even think about turning them into a pendant. Whatever option you decide to explore, make sure you make it personal. Otherwise, why even hold on to the ring?

Melting Old Jewellery Into New Jewellery

To make the most out of old gold jewellery, the design ideally needs to be one that can easily be hand made. Most jewellery designs as some point in time were hand made, however there is a skill and labour requirement at this point, and the decision then is whether you mind the increment this entails. Casting jewellery as single items still requires a lot of work in mould making and resources, and as I explain in this article, it is not possible to combine gold gold jewellery in a commercial casting operation, without spending a considerable amount on extra gold. A bit like going to see a movie and reserving the whole cinema for yourself..

The good news is that stone settings, mounts and rings can be hand made, and depending on the design ambitions, remodelled to produce beautiful new heirlooms.

You can read the case study on this ring remodelling project, as simple objective, creating a new ring from family jewellery melted into a single bar, and made into a new twist wedding ring.

Also Check: How Much Is A 10k Ring Worth

Making An Old Wedding Ring Into A Bracelet

Another great case study for a piece of work we a carried out for a client, wedding rings don’t have to be wedding rings all their existence. An old ring that isn’t going to be worn again, could be upcycled into a different symbol, here, appropriately, an infinity symbol.

These are just few examples, as clients are always coming up with interesting new challenges for us! Double sleeving wedding rings is not an expensive undertaking as it would be to buy the ring new. Likewise, reshaping rings into new jewellery starts on an economical footing, but chains, extra diamonds etc will add to costs.

Before And After Gallery

How To Make An Ethical Engagement Ring – Upcycling Old Gold Jewelry & Diamonds – What’s The Process

Our client cherished her collection of opals but wanted a single pendant to feature the beautiful and meaningful gems. The multi color and shape opals really stand out in this rose gold waterfall style design.

These sapphire jewelry pieces were not being worn in their current design. We combined the gemstones to create this showstopping new pendant. We love the combination of rose gold and blue sapphire!

A childhood love for a costume piece inspired our client to create this custom design that she can cherish along with fond memories of her past.

We had many items to combine to create one, magnificent new ring! This showstopper features diamonds that were previously not being worn, which now dazzle in this new daily wear ring.

Set in white metal, the natural beauty of our clients yellow diamond was not showing through. We set the diamond in stunning 18k yellow gold to emphasize now truly beautiful the diamond is. The supplied accent diamonds are a gorgeous contrast to bring light and life to the ring.

We kept the feel of the original ring and gave the ring a modern update. The diamond is now being enjoyed by a new generation.

These rings were combined to create a big diamond look in a new ring. We love how much of a difference resetting your diamonds can make!

The emerald and diamond ring was split into two new rings. These heirloom gemstones are now being cherished by two different family members.

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Can I Use My Divorce Diamond In My Next Wedding Ring

Now we get into an area where some people feel that you cant do that. I do not agree. If youre worried about bad karma, bad juju or bad energy you can do something about it.

My Healer, Scultptor Friend Francis is Big on Burning Sage to Cleanse a Diamond.

One of my clients is a very spiritual person and a self-described energy worker. She recommended soaking the diamond in sea salt water for a day and a night or burning sage around it.

Im thinking that all the time it spends in my ultrasonic cleaner getting vibrated clean would bring it back to neutral, but I guess thats why Im a jewelry worker and not an energy worker.

As long as your new husband is OK with it, then its OK. Many people dont go there, but I thought since were talking about what to do with divorce diamonds that Id include this.

Put It Away For Safekeeping

In some cases, you might be ready to stop wearing your ring but not ready to let it go. That’s okay. Instead, you may want to put it away for safekeeping.

Youll want to put it in a safe place so that it is not damaged or lost. This option can also help you decide what you want to do with the ring. It may take some time before you know what to do with it.

But in the meantime, you’ll have peace of mind knowing that it is safe. For some people, this is the first step in letting go of this physical reminder. Other people put the ring away but make no plans to get rid of it. Either way, storing your ring may be the best option for you.

Tip: Consider putting the ring in a fireproof box or a safe deposit box for safekeeping. You dont want the ring to get damaged or misplaced.

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