Can You Set Heirloom Stones Or Transform Old Jewelry Into A New Custom Design?
What You Should Know Before a Custom Redesign of Old Jewelry
In many ways, the most meaningful pieces of jewelry aren’t the new ones we purchase, but those that carry a personal story. A great number of American consumers look at custom jewelry not as a way to begin anew, but as a method to continue the legacy of previous generations. Redesigning an old piece is ultimately the highest form of honoring an inherited piece of jewelry: it allows you to preserve the emotional value of a family heirloom, while transforming it into a functional, modern, new version of the piece to last multiple generations.
Technical Assessment Before Using Heirloom Materials
At Olertis, we specialize in setting heirloom stones into your existing jewelry or transforming old jewelry pieces into new custom designs. However, before we begin the design process, we conduct a detailed gemological and metallurgical analysis to determine if there are any potential safety or structural issues with the antique piece.
As an engineering-based jewelry company, we are committed to evaluating each piece of jewelry, regardless of its age, before beginning the design process. This allows us to better understand how the antique components will react when incorporated into a new design, and whether additional reinforcement is required.
Ultimately, our goal is to create a piece of jewelry that will exceed the expectations of our customers in terms of its ability to provide years of service and wearability. Once the technical analysis is complete, we will select the most suitable setting method, ensuring that the antique piece is preserved in the most reliable way possible.
Evaluating Heirloom Stones for Custom Redesign
Designing a custom piece of jewelry from an existing antique piece is a common practice because it allows the customer to connect with the past. Additionally, antique stones are often extremely fragile due to age and previous treatments. Therefore, during the complimentary consultation, every stone is thoroughly cleaned, inspected via microscope, and in some cases, further evaluated using advanced gemological equipment.
Before designing and crafting your custom piece of jewelry, each stone is evaluated to ensure it is suitable for modern jewelry manufacturing techniques (i.e., high temperatures, mechanical pressure). We prioritize evaluating the risk of potential damage during the production process. The most common types of damage include:
- Heat-Sensitive Gemstones: Opals, Turquoise, and Clarity Enhanced Emeralds are just a few examples of stones that may fracture or discolor when exposed to extreme heat.
- Structural Defects in Materials: Stones that have been fractured or have cavities may catastrophically collapse upon exposure to heat or pressure.
- Vulnerability: Any stone with an open crack is more susceptible to being damaged from impact and is often rejected for high-stress settings.
Refining Old Gold for Custom Jewelry
Olertis offers the option to recycle your gold, platinum, or palladium into a new custom jewelry piece for a $150-$200 upcharge. This fee covers the process of purifying and restoring the structural integrity of your metal.
Refining an old piece of jewelry is fundamentally different than purchasing certified recycled gold. Legacy metals may contain solder contaminants (lead, cadmium) and inconsistent mixing, which over time can lead to porosity (brittle areas) in the new casting.
To restore the structural integrity, our metallurgists add alloying elements to the client-supplied metal. This is particularly important for custom ring settings that are subject to constant stress. Please note that the original setting often fails when attempting to remove the stone — “the original setting will not survive the process,” which is an expected result.
CAD Engineering for Durable Custom Settings
Our custom jewelry redesign process focuses on predictive durability. Using advanced CAD software, we simulate every critical parameter (wall thickness, load points, and stress distribution) before the production commences. This allows your antique stone to be placed in the most structurally optimized setting possible.
We improve the quality of your recycled metal by chemically refining the gold or platinum prior to the final casting. This removes impurities, enabling the new piece to meet the structural requirements for high-end custom jewelry.
Custom Jewelry Liability, Pricing & Documentation
Olertis provides full transparency throughout the entire process. Our predictable process allows you to know the exact status of your custom piece at all times:
Consultation → CAD/Renditions → Production → Quality Check
Our insurance policy covers loss or damage if directly caused by our negligence during the approved manufacturing processes within our workshop.
Pricing is always broken down and clearly displayed: Design Fee + Metal Upcharge + Cost of New Materials + Manufacturing Fee.
Clients who would like an official appraisal of their redesigned piece can request one upon completion to support insurance needs and/or valuations.
Peace of Mind in Heirloom Jewelry Redesign
Once you have chosen to design a custom piece of jewelry with Olertis, you no longer have to worry about the historical context of the materials used; you can focus on the significance of the design and the joy of gifting. We handle all of the engineering complexities, metallurgical purification and risk assessments, ensuring that the legacy lives on in a beautiful, durable and structurally sound form.
Ready to repurpose old jewelry into a custom piece? Discover our heirloom jewelry redesign process with full design control and request your custom jewelry redesign with Olertis.
