Snowdrop Inspired Jewellery Remodel

One of my regular customers asked me to remodel a brooch that she was no longer wearing into something entirely new. Alongside the brooch, she also wanted a pair of coordinating silver earrings using some diamonds from the original piece.

The original brooch was made from 9 carat gold, but the catch no longer felt secure enough to wear safely, so we transformed the gold into a new design instead.

She wanted the new brooch to have a floral feel, inspired by snowdrops she’d seen at the start of February.

I started by creating CAD designs to explore different arrangements of flowers and diamonds. We refined the positioning and proportions over several rounds of CAD updates until we settled on a final design.

I then melted down the original brooch so I could reuse the gold within the new design.

After melting the gold, I rolled it out and prepared it for the individual elements of the brooch and soldered them together. We collaborated closely throughout the project. I shared regular progress updates during the making process and asked for feedback at different stages as the brooch gradually took shape.

An important aim for the remodel was to create a piece that felt far more secure and wearable than the original brooch, so I used sturdy tack pins with wing backed catches to keep it safely attached when worn.

The finished brooch contains around 20 separate components and at least 20 solder joins. I made the leaves, stem and stone settings from the customer’s original 9 carat gold brooch, while I made the petals and clasps from recycled silver.

Remodelling jewellery can give sentimental pieces a completely new life, whether that means reworking inherited jewellery, unworn pieces, or using existing gemstones and gold in a completely new design. If you’ve been thinking about creating something bespoke or remodelling jewellery you already own, you’re very welcome to get in touch to discuss ideas.