Upcycling a Vintage Gold Charm Bracelet
Clients often approach SAM HAM Design with old pieces of jewellery crafted from precious metals seeking to breathe new life into designs they’ve grown tired of, or simply wishing to update an old favourite into something a little different from what they had before. This is the story of one of these pieces.
Read on to find out how SAM HAM Design transformed an old and beloved (but clunky and impractical) gold charm bracelet into something much sleeker.
A client came to Sam with this vintage gold charm bracelet she had inherited from her grandmother. Although certainly not without its charm (pun intended), it was a bulky and cumbersome piece to wear. It hung heavily from the wrist onto the hand and was liable to catch on any long sleeved clothing. Its owner was keen to see if Sam could help her transform it into something more wearable, modern and chic.
Initial design idea: a charm necklace?
Looking at the detail of each charm on the bracelet, Sam recognised a lot of love and care had gone into this family piece, on which hung many charms commemorating special dates and memories. Wanting to preserve this legacy, Sam’s initial design idea to update the piece was to adapt it into a a two-tone silver and gold charm necklace. The suggestion was to polish up the old and dull gold charms to restore their former lustre and then hang them pendant-like on the chest from a heavy silver chain.
This design idea allowed for a much more modern and wearable piece, which still maintained that family heritage connection.
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Swapping the jingle jangle for a bangle
On presentation of this initial design idea, though the client appreciated the look, she felt that it just didn't fit in with her particular style aesthetic, so Sam ended up going in a different direction with the project.
Recognising that there was a fair amount of good quality gold in charms, the client suggested melting it down and recasting it into a simple but classically stylish and wearable gold bangle, which is just what we did! Take a look at the results:
I want to upcycle something too!
Have you got an idea of how you’d like to transform some old jewellery of your own? Or maybe you just have some old pieces you never wear and don’t know what to do with? Bring them to SAM HAM Design and let’s make something beautiful together.
Contact us now for a consultation and quote for your upcycle project.
Monte & Chips