You’ve inherited your grandmother’s jewelry collection and diamond ring, but now you may be wondering what you can actually do with it. That’s a very personal decision and is often emotional because it involves family history, memoires and feelings of obligation.
Should you wear it? Should you keep it for a future generation? Can you remake it into a different piece of jewelry? Would she want you to sell it and should you feel guilty if you really want to sell it?
Here we explore different options to help you decide what might work best for you:
1. Wear it
Many people decide to wear the jewelry they inherited, often because it fits their style and it’s nice to honor your grandmother or grandfather. Jewelry is worn because it makes us feel good and it tells a story of our life. What’s better than having a story that crosses generations?
2. Remake it
Sometimes the pieces your grandmother hands down aren’t a style or quality that fits what you want to wear. In that case, remake it into something else.
Take your grandmother’s diamond out of her ring and reset into a new ring for you to wear (or propose with!). Or set the diamond into a necklace to wear around your neck. We’ve even taken a grandfather’s wedding band and transformed it into a heart-shaped pendant, which still had all of the original engraving intact.
3. Break it up and share it
You can also remake something into several pieces that can be shared. For example, we’ve remade a grandmother’s diamond tennis bracelet into six new pairs of diamond stud earrings for two daughters and four granddaughters. Each were proud to wear something that came from their grandmother’s most cherished possession.
4. Put it away for a while
The last thing you want to do is regret getting rid of a cherished piece of jewelry down the road, so be patient and just keep it in a safe place until you decide. Take it out, hold it in your hand and maybe wear it a few times a year so see if your feelings have changed towards it. Remember that your tastes change over time and perhaps someday you’ll want to wear what you’ve inherited.
5. Trade it for something new
Most jewelry stores will give you a good cash price and an even better store credit price if you want to trade in her jewelry towards something new. This can often be an emotional decision but recycling her jewelry into something you’ll cherish for years can be incredibly satisfying.
6. Sell it
Sometimes it may be in your best interest to sell the jewelry to get another piece that you can then pass on in your own future family. If you decide that you’d rather have the value (the cash) instead of the jewelry and it will improve your life, you should sell it without guilt. Believe us, plenty of people sell what they inherit and never look back. We recommend bringing the diamond ring or other jewelry to a trusted store or using a safe, secure service like Farewell Diamond.
We hope this information helps you make the right decision and get the most enjoyment out of your grandmother’s diamond engagement rings and other jewelry.