a vintage piece and updating it, it can be a really
delicate process that takes my jewelers hours
of work to preserve the original construction of
the piece.”
Lustig tries to have an open and honest
conversation with clients before starting any
upcycling job — not just about the financial
element, but also about the potential risk to the
original jewel.
“You have to be extremely transparent along
the way because things can happen,” she says.
“Stones can break while they are being unset, or
perhaps were broken all along but being held
together by an old piece. Sometimes I take a
piece apart and start the modeling process of
a new piece and realize it’s not going to work,
either [from a construction perspective] or
aesthetically. I always try to be communicative
so my clients have a chance to pivot or give me
design freedom to make changes. Every situation
is so different.”
Gems that are tens or hundreds of years old
can be tricky to work with. “I always check on the
condition of the stones,” says New York jeweler
Deborah Pagani. “If anything is particularly
fragile or looking like it’s not in the best shape, I
would be hesitant to reset it.”
REFRE SHING THEIR LOOK
Pagani believes one reason upcycling is enjoying
a boom right now is that many of us are releasing
our inner Marie Kondo during lockdown and
clearing out the clutter from our lives. “Too many
of us have older pieces that never find their way
out of our jewelry box for one reason or another
—myself included,” she says. “I started off
revamping my own jewelry, using the stones and
gold from pieces I had frommy grandmother to
create something new, and friends and clients who
admired the pieces asked if I could do the same for
them. From there, it’s become a bigger part of my
business, especially now that so many people are
at home cleaning out their closets and taking stock
of what they have.”
As for what items customers are bringing in to
upcycle, this varies from client to client.
“There isn’t a particular era that we’ve come
across the most. We’ve had people bring us
pieces from the
s to as recent as today,”
says Stephanie Wynne Lalin, one half of the
design duo behind New York jewelry brand
Jemma Wynne. “In cases where someone is
bringing us something more recent, it’s often a
client who has outgrown their engagement ring
and wants to revamp it. Often, the original pieces
“THE GEMS CARRY WITH THEM A
TIMELESSNESS, THE MYSTERY OF
THEIR PREVIOUS OWNERS AND
STORIES. IT’S VERY EASY TO FALL
IN LOVE WITH THEM”
that are brought to us have sentimental value to
them, but they aren’t being worn. By bringing
their pieces to us, the client has the opportunity
to design something they love, reflecting their
personal style, knowing that we’ll maintain the
piece’s history and integrity.”
Lustig agrees that the types of jewels coming in
are “constantly evolving and changing,” but also
notes that “what people are inheriting now is a
little more ’ s, ’ s style.”
The slow nature of the upcycling process will
no doubt attract shoppers seeking sustainable
alternatives to mass-produced fast fashion.
However, it’s unlikely that upcycling will ever
be a truly mainstream trend.
“Will all jewelry designers start to use only
antique stones to create jewelry? Absolutely not,”
says Yarden Katz of Los Angeles-based company
Carbon & Hyde, arguing that there aren’t enough
recycled diamonds of varied sizes on the market
to create large amounts of new jewelry. His own
brand recreates antique styles such as Georgian
collets, but only works with new diamonds.
Still, upcycling continues to be worthwhile
for independent jewelers that have time for
bespoke commissions and great relationships
with their clients.
SEPTEMBER
DIAMONDS.NET
1.
Single Stone Juniper bracelet
in vintage platinum and 18-karat
yellow gold with old European,
marquise and square-cut
diamonds.
singlestone.com
2.
Kassandra Nicholson
Teardrops earrings in 14-karat
yellow gold with blue zircon.
kassandranicholson.com
3.
Jemma Wynne bespoke
Radiant Canary and Double
Diamond Pear open ring.
jemmawynne.com
2
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