Bespoke Heirloom Reworks

 

I. Your Brief

At Jessie Harris we love and encourage the creation of new pieces using our clients’ existing heirloom stones. As they hold value both financially and sentimentally, it is important to understand the processes that your stone will go through when reworking it into a new piece of jewellery, and how this may affect it.

Based on the complexity of design, bespoke heirloom remakes normally take 12+ weeks from concept to completion, with prices for bespoke engagement rings (mount only) using an heirloom stone starting from £2,500 (inc. VAT).

We will make sure to keep you well informed with images and updates at each step of the way via your custom Bespoke Presentation Pack.

 

Unfortunately we are not able to directly repurpose the gold from heirloom jewellery as Jessie creates pieces using the casting process which requires specially treated, recycled gold bullion for the best results. 

For this reason most casting companies won't use heirloom gold as they can't be sure of what other alloys have been used and can sometimes lead to flaking or cracking of the metal when recast.  If of interest, we can arrange to get a scrap valuation for your existing gold.

 

II. Initial Consultation

After an opening correspondence you are invited meet to discuss your initial ideas, design direction and any metal preferences.

You are encouraged to bring your intended heirloom stone for Jessie to take measurements from and give a preliminary examination. If your heirloom stone is still in its original mount, a rough measurement will be taken for drawings to be worked on, and then measured and weighed to confirm the final dimensions and weight once the stone has been unset by the workshop.

II. Your Heirloom Stone

All diamonds and precious gemstones sourced for Jessie’s bespoke commissions are individually selected by Jessie from only her most trusted suppliers and dealers for both their beauty and their quality.

In the case of an heirloom rework, and because the original source and history of the stone is unknown, Jessie cannot vouch for the quality and structural integrity of an heirloom stone. Heirloom stones may have received knocks, chips or blows throughout their lifetime that may affect their durability. They also may have internal inclusions that might lead to a weakness in the structure of the stone.

Throughout the processes of being reworked into a new piece of jewellery, there is a certain amount of pressure that will need to be applied to the stone, for example, when being unset from its original setting or set into a new piece. This pressure can cause damage or breakage to a stone that has existing wear and tear or naturally occurring internal inclusions. *

 

* Due to the aforementioned points, in the case of an heirloom stone, Jessie cannot accept liability if any damage is caused to an heirloom stone during the reworking of it into a new piece of jewellery. It is possible to have your stone assessed by a professional gemologist ahead of repurposing if you are unsure about the durability of your stone. Please feel free to ask should you require any help or guidance with this.

 

III. Design Presentation

Based on your design ideas, inspirations and heirloom stone(s) you will be presented with a series of hand drawn, to-scale designs. Jessie can also provide you with quotations for your shortlisted stone/design combination.

Given the time intensive nature of these initial stages, if you decide not to proceed with your ring following your drawing presentation, please note that a £450 design fee will issued.

Should you decide to proceed with the same design at a later date, this design fee will be deductible from your balance 50% invoice upon completion of the piece.

IV. Your Final Design

Once the final design is approved and your heirloom stone unset, we can set in place a provisional delivery date and based on your quote ask that a 50% initial payment be arranged, with the balance to be paid upon completion.

This payment will allow us to start covering the costs of materials and services and therefore is non refundable.

Once work has started on your bespoke piece, Jessie reserves the right to charge an additional fee to cover the costs of any major alterations or design changes.

V. CAD

Jessie will now begin to create your bespoke piece! Depending on the design and specification set in place, traditional and modern techniques and processes will be carried out to craft your piece.

The majority of our rings are created with CAD, in which we will build your ring digitally and send over renders to allow you to see your ring in 3D.

VI. A Wax/Resin Print

Jessie will arrange for a wax or resin version of your ring to be 3D printed.

This will eventually be cast in the metal of your choice but ahead of doing so, we can use the print to test the scale/fit with your heirloom stone.

VII. The Casting & Assembly

Your ring will be cast in your chosen precious metal and then cleaned up and assembled by our expert mounter. The stone(s) will be set by our master setter, then polished and hallmarked.

VII. Your Finished Ring

Once complete, Jessie will arrange with you a time for the collection/postage of your piece. We will provide you with any relevant grading reports alongside your receipt and jewellery care and insurance advice, detailed inside your finished Bespoke Presentation Pack.

Your ring will be presented to you in our custom box and dust bag, ready for you to enjoy.

 
 

The Timings

The length of time taken to create each piece varies from ring to ring based on the complexity of design and build, and client to designer communication (the initial design stages being the most varied for each project).

To gain a rough idea of the stages and timings involved, please see below:

  1. Design Stage (Initial Consultation, Stone Unsetting, Drawings, Extended Drawings) - 3 Weeks +

  2. CAD - 1-2 weeks (ring complexity/amendments dependent)

  3. Wax/Resin Print - 1 week

  4. Casting - 1 week

  5. Mounting - 1-2 weeks

  6. Setting - 1-2 weeks

  7. Hallmark and Polish - 1-2 weeks