Autumn came to us with a few pieces of family heirloom jewelry that needed restoration and alterations. She wanted to get them out of the jewelry box, to be worn and enjoyed.
Brother’s chunky silver and turquoise ring, and Grandmother’s vintage cross pendant were simple, yet priceless reminders of beloved family members who wore them before they passed.
ABOUT THE JEWELRY
+ Hand sculpted sterling silver cross pendant set with family heirloom colored stones.
+ 3 Hand sculpted sterling silver pendants set with family heirloom turquoise stones.
Family heirloom jewelry is personal, and each piece has a unique story behind it—a person loved, a special moment in time. The value is sentimental—tied to the love and memories they represent. Wearing a piece that belonged to a lost loved-one can be comforting and inspirational for surviving family members.
To be worn again, Autumn’s heirlooms needed more than just minor repairs. The foundation of Grandmother’s cross was deteriorating and the stones were loose. And Brother’s ring was far too large and bulky for Autumn, her sister or her mother, who are all petite women.
She trusted Hunsinger’s expertise and vision to transform them into something new. She wanted to restore Grandmother’s cross, and create three new pendants from the silver and stones from Brother’s ring for her mother, sister and herself to wear.
Since Grandmother’s cross needed a completely new foundation, Hunsinger decided to use the silver from Brother’s turquoise ring. He removed the turquoise stones and melted down the metal. He hand sculpted a new cross out of wax, which was then cast with the heirloom silver. The colored stones were carefully placed in the finished piece in the same positions as Grandmother’s original cross.
The remaining silver was hand rolled and hammered into three new pendants, each with a unique shape and size. “The contours of each pendant were inspired by the distinct shape of each individual stone,” Hunsinger said. “I incorporated other elements of the original design of the ring including the rope and the silver balls. I like to design one-of-a-kind jewelry, so I wanted each piece to be unique in it’s own way, yet stay somewhat true to the original piece because of it’s high sentimental value.”
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