When people leave this life, often people are left with something from their loved ones. Whether this is a sum of money, an old artefact from your childhood or even some beautiful pieces of jewellery. Sometimes, these pieces left to you are not useable anymore and require something done to them for you to get use of it. Some things may be damaged, whereas other things may just need a good cleaning. There is no way you are going to throw these due to sentimental reasons. So in this article, we will go through some methods by which you can upcycle jewellery and other family heirlooms.
Have your jewellery professionally cleaned
One of the best ways to have your jewellery upcycled is to go and get it professionally cleaned. If you have a piece that looks like it is in good condition, but has some stubborn dirt in areas that you can’t reach, it is sometimes best to leave it to the professionals. Although you can clean the vintage jewellery on your own, it is always best to leave it to the professionals. There are benefits to this, the first is they have all the right solutions and equipment to do a thorough job. The second is they will be able to tell you whether the piece is going to need more work done in the future such as a new setting etc.
Have the gemstones reset
Another way that you can keep jewellery in the family is by having the gemstones reset into something more your style. As we said earlier, some pieces are simply unwearable and pieces can be damaged, so instead of it being left in your jewellery box, have the gemstone reset into something more your style. Often when old jewellery such as a vintage sapphire engagement ring has not been looked after properly or has been hidden away for a while, the pieces will get tarnished and the setting may get loose. By having them reset, you will always have a piece of that person who left it you with you.
Use old serving platters as a wall gallery
If someone loved the kitchen, chances are you will be getting all of the kitchen and cooking stuff. This is a great heirloom as there is so much you can do with them. You could obviously use them, but if you were left with big platter trays or china that you simply won’t use, then why not use them on the wall? Instead of them gathering dust in the loft, you can instead use them as beautiful decorative pieces. You could either use self-adhesive stickers, but these may not hold well, the other alternative is to purchase plate wall hangers, yes, these are a real thing. Then you can fix them to the wall and hang your decorative pieces on the hooks.
There are many different ways in which you can upcycle jewellery and other heirlooms, it just takes some thinking outside the box and using your imagination. If you have been left any pieces, do ensure that you don’t just let them gather dust or get wrecked, they were left to you for a reason.