I Repurposed A Sentimental Necklace Into A Ring (Spoiler: It Turned Out Amazing!)

About six months ago and after cleaning out my closet to make room for the renovation, I rediscovered a very special necklace. Blake and I dated in high school, and for an anniversary he gave me a teardrop necklace with a beautiful oval amethyst front and center. I wore that necklace ALL the time for years. In fact, there are so many of my old high school photos with me wearing it (when I say I cleaned out my closet, I mean it, ha! Down to the printed digital camera photos!). When I found it again, I held it in my hands and thought of two teens very in love and how much that necklace always meant to me. Though the style felt dated for me now, I really wanted to be able to wear it in some way. That’s when I considered repurposing the amethyst into a piece of jewelry I would wear today…

I have followed the jewelry designer, Shaesby, on social media for ages. They are PROS at dreaming up stunning custom pieces and repurposing old jewelry into something fresh and new. I also love the entirely handcrafted approach…the whole process is so incredibly special, start to finish. I was lucky enough to meet with Travis, the head designer at Shaesby, to help me create the most beautiful ring – and see the process in action. From our first design meeting to the ring casting and my final try-on, I had the absolute best experience…and totally teared up after putting on the final ring (and maybe cried seeing progress images along the way, ha)…crazy how sweet it is to wear something with so much history. Heart bursting kinda feeling!

Also – I want to mention that I do still have my wedding ring for those curious! But with two wiggly toddlers and diaper changes 24/7, wearing something with prongs doesn’t work right now. I usually wear a thin rose gold band, but once this ring was in the works, I knew it would be so perfect for my ring finger. Eventually I will have it resized to fit another finger when I can wear my wedding rings again.

^^See? Wore my necklace all the time in high school! Also omg the Halloween photo..ha!

^^A quick snap from our first design meeting. I went in with a good idea of what I had in mind…thicker yellow gold band, the amethyst front and center, set flush with the band. Initially there were no diamonds involved…until Travis showed me some amazing ideas that kept the amethyst as the focal point, but still added some extra sparkle. If you scroll to the first image in this post, you’ll see a handful of sketches Travis made including different diamond options. I really loved the two pear shaped on either side!

^^This part was truly amazing. After I approved the wax ring, Travis melted gold to create the ring casting. The molten gold is nearly 2000 degrees!!

^^The setting is officially created!

^^Travis placed the stones into the ring so I could get a glimpse at what it would look like prior to officially setting. Wow it was emotional…! There is something about a piece with meaning that just hits differently. The absolute coolest thing.

^^And, the final product! I mean…if that isn’t THE most amazing thing to wear again. 15 years later and a beautiful life created together…and a special story I get to share with our boys down the road. I will be wearing it proudly! Okay, here come the water works! 😉

If you’ve got a piece of jewelry that’s been passed down, or something you’ve held onto but the style doesn’t feel like “you,” I highly recommend repurposing it into something you will love and cherish – and wear! It’s such a great concept and still keeps the beauty and meaning of the original piece alive. Shaesby was SO wonderful to work with, their whole team was so helpful and creative, I have no doubt they could dream up something amazing for you, too.