Create Custom Jewelry Designs From Your Already-Treasured Pieces
If you own cherished pieces of jewelry that rarely see the light of day, you're in luck! Margaret Ellis Jewelry specializes in custom designs that incorporate (or upgrade) your beloved items in need of a little TLC.
If youβre anything like us, you own more than a few cherished pieces of jewelry that rarely see the light of day β an elaborate ring thatβs missing a stone or two, a gorgeous-but-dated broach inherited from a family member, or a much-loved earring thatβs missing its mate. But youβre in luck! Margaret Ellis Jewelry (also referred to as ME) specializes in custom designs that incorporate (or upgrade) those special items desperately in need of some TLC.
Mclaine Richardson, owner and designer at Margaret Ellis Jewelry, says the first step in this custom design process is telling her about the piece you want to be repurposed and describing the vision you have for its new life. βTypically, customers reach out and say, βI want to make XYZ β a ring, a bracelet, a necklace,ββ she explains. βI have them either come in [to the studio] or start the conversation by phone if they have something specific in mind β¦ or they describe what it is they want and the pieces they have that they would like me to use.β
βMy favoriteΒ piecesΒ to designΒ are definitely those that areΒ passed down from generation to generation. For instance,Β where [a piece] was the grandmotherβs and now her daughter wants to give it to her daughter,β Mclaine adds. βItβs that multi-generational family heirloom aspect that is always the mostΒ satisfying, but itβs alsoΒ exciting to repurpose older piecesΒ β even our ownΒ oldΒ Margaret EllisΒ pieces βΒ to reinvent them into a new design.β
A recent example of this custom design process is a set of rings Mclaine created for a motherβs two daughters using old family stones. β[The mother] came in, described her two daughters, and showed me the stones she had. She wanted to keep the value of the stones equal for each daughter, but each [of them] has a very unique personality,β Mclaine tells us. βOne was a lot more of a conservative-style ring in the design, the choice of stones, and the simplicity. The other one was a very eclectic style where we mixed lots of shapes and sizes. [We were able to] reflect the different personalities of each daughter.β
Mclaineβs favorite component of this custom design process is learning about the history of the pieces that are being repurposed. βJust having that understanding of how itβsΒ going toΒ be used and worn and how it was used and worn is such a fun and unique process,β she says. βI actually just designed myself a new set of stack rings.Β I took the diamond out ofΒ anΒ old ring that my mom gave me for my 13th birthday, along with her original engagement diamond,Β and aΒ diamond out of myΒ lateΒ grandfatherβs tie pin, andΒ made myself a very sentimental piece. TheΒ possibilities are endless.β
Margaret Ellis Jewelry also has a commitment to sustainability.Β β[Weβre] reusing the old stones, and weβre also reusing any metals we can that are at least 18K or 22K gold,β says Mclaine. βWe alsoΒ recycle all of our scrap metal, whether itβsΒ usedΒ in a piece orΒ taken backΒ to the refineries. [And because]Β everything we make isΒ made to order,Β we have very little wasteΒ to dispose of.β
When it comes to new collections for Margaret Ellis Jewelry, Mclaine calls upon her love for history and fashion. She tells us she often looks back at the Margaret Ellis archive as well as lessons she learned in art history for inspiration. βWe just did a collection this summer where I was inspired by the sculptor Louise Nevelson. She used found objects to make collage sculptures and then painted it all white so that it all was uniform,β Mclaine explains. βI used our scrap silver to create a couple of unique, one-of-a-kind pieces in a similar style that Iβm obsessed with. ME collectors have come to expect new and different artistic expressions each and every season.β
While jewelryΒ styles haveΒ certainly changed over the years, Mclaine and the Margaret Ellis Jewelry team are dedicated to keeping the legacy and sentiment of your most treasured pieces intact when they transform them into aΒ new design that will be worn and cherished for years to come. Theyβre a remarkably special studio to keep in mind for gifts and for marking special occasions. Make sure to add yourself to the top of your list thisΒ holiday season!
You can visit the experts at their Nashville studio located at 2809 Bransford Avenue. Or, discuss your vision by calling Margaret Ellis Jewelry at (615) 255-3255.
This article is sponsored by Margaret Ellis Jewelry. All photography courtesy of Margaret Ellis Jewelry.
Brianna Goebel
Brianna is StyleBlueprintβs Associate Editor and Sponsored Content Manager. She is an avid fan of iced coffee and spends her free time reading romance novels.