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 you’re anything like us, you own more than a few cherished pieces of jewelry that rarely see the light of day — an elaborate ring that’s missing a stone or two, a gorgeous-but-dated broach inherited from a family member, or a much-loved earring that’s missing its mate. But you’re 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.
PinAn old pair of gold earrings was melted down to be used for the bezels and balls in this new custom piece with beautiful hand-selected stones.
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. “Typically, customers reach out and say, ‘I want to make XYZ — a ring, a bracelet, a necklace,’” she explains. “I have them either come in [to the studio] or start the conversation by phone if they have something specific in mind … or they describe what it is they want and the pieces they have that they would like me to use.”
PinThis special pearl necklace was designed with a husband to commemorate and tell the story of his wife’s big promotion at work.
“My favorite pieces to design are definitely those that are passed down from generation to generation. For instance, where [a piece] was the grandmother’s and now her daughter wants to give it to her daughter,” Mclaine adds. “It’s that multi-generational family heirloom aspect that is always the most satisfying, but it’s also exciting to repurpose older pieces — even our own old Margaret Ellis pieces — to reinvent them into a new design.”
PinPictured here is a cuff bracelet that was made using old ME earrings. The result is absolutely stunning!
A recent example of this custom design process is a set of rings Mclaine created for a mother’s two daughters using old family stones. “[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,” Mclaine tells us. “One 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.”
PinMany customers turn to Margaret Ellis Jewelry for custom pieces to memorialize special events, such as weddings and birthdays.
Mclaine’s favorite component of this custom design process is learning about the history of the pieces that are being repurposed. “Just having that understanding of how it’s going to be used and worn and how it was used and worn is such a fun and unique process,” she says. “I actually just designed myself a new set of stack rings. I took the diamond out of an old ring that my mom gave me for my 13th birthday, along with her original engagement diamond, and a diamond out of my late grandfather’s tie pin, and made myself a very sentimental piece. The possibilities are endless.”
PinWhether you have an old family stone that you would like to repurpose or an earring that’s missing its mate, the experts at Margaret Ellis Jewelry specialize in creating custom jewelry from treasured pieces you already have on hand — like Mclaine’s own sentimental stack ring.
Margaret Ellis Jewelry also has a commitment to sustainability. “[We’re] reusing the old stones, and we’re also reusing any metals we can that are at least 18K or 22K gold,” says Mclaine. “We also recycle all of our scrap metal, whether it’s used in a piece or taken back to the refineries. [And because] everything we make is made to order, we have very little waste to dispose of.”
PinThese earrings were created from gold jackets a customer thought were too formal, and they kept coming loose from her diamond studs. Margaret Ellis Jewelry redesigned them using her existing stones and melted down and reused parts of her original jackets in the new design to create earrings the customer loves to wear.
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. “We 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,” Mclaine explains. “I used our scrap silver to create a couple of unique, one-of-a-kind pieces in a similar style that I’m obsessed with. ME collectors have come to expect new and different artistic expressions each and every season.”
PinMargaret Ellis Jewelry is also committed to sustainability and local production, using recycled scrap metal and ethically-sourced stones to create pieces. This stunning, one-of-a-kind cuff is made from scrap metal and is now available for purchase.
While jewelry styles have 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 a new design that will be worn and cherished for years to come. They’re 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 this 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 is StyleBlueprint’s Associate Editor and Sponsored Content Manager. She is an avid fan of iced coffee and spends her free time reading romance novels.
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