Heirloom jewelry can be beautiful, expensive, and sentimental, but whether you should maintain its original beauty or update it definitely poses a great question. In this article, some of the pros and cons of each option will be discussed. Hopefully, after reading this article, you can decide which option is best for you and your heirlooms.
Through maintaining your jewelry, it helps preserve a piece of family history that can be passed down from generation to generation. It also shows pride in your history and the connection your family has to that particular heirloom. By having a nicely maintained piece of jewelry, it makes wonderful gifts for families to pass down at important milestones. This is particularly true for engagement rings or statement jewelry.
However, maintaining your jewelry could possibly lead to harming the item if proper techniques are not used. While maintaining your heirloom jewelry is wonderful, this also means that only one person at a time can enjoy it.
When you update heirloom jewelry, it gives new life to a part of family history and may actually increase the value of the item. Depending on how you update the jewelry, it can be remade into multiple pieces that still carry sentiment through the metals and jewels that can be given to more than one person. Unfortunately, a lot of heirloom jewelry is outdated; this means that updating the accessory can make it more desirable to wear by giving it a modern twist that generation after generation will be thrilled to wear.
Some of the cons of updating your jewelry is losing some of the history, appeal, and uniqueness of the heirloom. It could also offend family members that have an emotional connection to that particular item. Updating the piece could also diminish the value if it is broken down to create multiple items, the stones aren’t of the same quality, or the design isn’t as intricate.
Whether or not you decide to maintain or update the heirloom, you should research the best ways to go through with your decision. Learning how to properly maintain jewelry or finding a jeweler that has plenty of experience with heirlooms will ensure that your jewelry remains in great condition. If you choose to update the heirloom, be sure to pick an experienced jeweler that will work with you every step of the way to ensure that you get exactly what you want.