SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW

RECREATING HEIRLOOM JEWELRY

by ANNE PYBURN CRAIG

date posted: March 14, 2018

After all is said and done, your wedding day will be a cherished memory; your wedding jewelry, however, will still be with you, catching the light in sparkling stone and metal. It’s this lasting quality that moves people to consider repurposing a family heirloom into a lasting symbol of their newly forged union. What could be more perfect than a grandmother’s gemstone, perfectly reset, tying together a family’s past and future?

designs by hudson valley goldsmith

“We can take old diamonds, gemstones, and gold and refashion the parts into something completely new and wearable with today’s styles.”

Hudson Valley jewelers know how you feel and take great care to craft a piece that you’ll be proud to wear for a lifetime. “We can take old diamonds, gemstones, and gold and refashion the parts into something completely new and wearable with today’s styles,” says David Walton, owner of Hudson Valley Goldsmith. “We also do full restoration of heirloom pieces. Often jewelry that is 50 or 100 years old has been worked on by jewelers of wildly varied skill over the years. I love going in there and undoing all the bad stuff and making it great.”

designs by j bliss studios

“We reuse stones and diamonds all the time,” says jeweler Joanna Bliss of J Bliss Studios, “when people have a piece that’s not quite their style but has meaning to them and they don’t want it want to sit in a box. It’s very fulfilling work. A wedding is a very emotional time for people, and I love helping them express it. I just put one on my Instagram [feed]—a mother came in and had diamonds from a piece she had when she was younger made into a necklace for her daughter’s wedding day.”

DESIGNS BY CLEAR METALS

Some shops will be able to reuse the actual metal from an heirloom piece; others give you a credit for the metal, recycle it, and craft a new setting. Either way, the goal is to dazzle you. “I start by getting a sense of a client’s personal style and sensibilities and do some drawings,” says Barbara Klar of Clear Metals. “Jewelry is the art form worn closest to the body, and when there are deep emotional ties already attached, I want to make something that they’ll want to wear all the time, something deeply special to them.”

rings from schneider’s jewelers

“There was no pressure to buy anything, and they were so respectful of our budget! We will definitely be back for bands.”

In some families, it’s the jeweler that’s the tradition. “My parents got their rings from Schneider's Jewelers 35 years ago and made us promise to check it out,” says satisfied customer Sarah Dressel on Facebook. “There was no pressure to buy anything, and they were so respectful of our budget! We will definitely be back for bands.” Should you want Great Grandma’s stone reset, Schneider’s will do that with pleasure.

clear metals

Woodstock, 845-246-5254, www.barbaraklar.com

Barbara Klar has been creating fascinating jewelry under her business name, “Clear Metals,” since 1984. Her work has been recognized on the editorial pages of Vogue, WWD, InStyle, and The New York Times, collected by celebrities, and featured in film and television. All of her jewelry is handcrafted by Barbara in her Woodstock, NY studio. Barbara is legendary for her commission work, one-of-a-kind wedding bands, as well as wedding party gifts. Visit her studio to have something crafted especially for you!

dave urso jewelry

High Falls, 845-687-0899, ursojewelry.com

David Urso’s highly sophisticated handcrafted jewelry is a visual feast of color, form, and surface. Sensual, organic shapes and a painterly use of hand-tinted resins, which are applied in solids and in patterns, characterize this jewelry. Six of Urso’s brooches are in the permanent collection at the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art in New Paltz, NY. As always, each unique piece is entirely handmade in his studio in Ulster County.

hudson valley silverworks

Kingston, 845-901-2806, www.hvsilverworks.com

Founded by silversmith, jeweler, and instructor Raychel Wengenroth, Hudson Valley Silverworks can teach you to make your own wedding jewelry! Offering weekly classes and weekend workshops, put your own design skills to use to create your own one-of-a-kind piece, or commission Raychel to make it for you. A nationally-recognized artist and lifelong silversmith, she will use her extensive design skills to create something just for you.

hudson valley goldsmith

New Paltz, 845-255-5872, hudsonvalleygoldsmith.com

If you’re looking for something a little different, come visit the master jewelers at work at Hudson Valley Goldsmith. You can design your own one-of-a -kind ring or choose from hundreds already made and in stock. With the area’s largest selection of diamonds, rough diamonds, and precious gemstones to choose from, you’ll be sure to have something special. Come see why they’ve been voted the Best Jewelry

j bliss studios: goldsmith & gallery

Woodstock, 845-514-9820, www.jblissstudios.com

Each piece at J Bliss Studios is handcrafted by husband-and-wife team Jared and Joanna Bliss in their Woodstock studio and storefront. Whether it’s using heirloom stones, working with a motif that holds sentimental value, or creating the jewelry of your dreams, they are happy to work with you. Inspired by the natural beauty of the Catskills, using harmony diamonds and recycled gold, they create meaningful and unique wedding bands, en-gagement rings, and bridal jewelry.

schneider’s jewelers

Kingston, 845-331-1888, schneidersjewelers.com

This Kingston landmark has displayed everything you might want in jewelry, watches, bridal jewelry, and unique gifts since 1928. They also offer a wide variety of services, including repairs, appraisals, and bridal registries. Schneider’s prides itself on its business ethics, management, and professional and knowledgeable service.