A JEWELLERY box is a family history book with added spangles. Much like my own, my mother’s was a mix of regularly worn treasures tangled with broken brooches, snapped chains and pieces that hadn’t seen the light of day for years. A colourful pick-and-mix, decades-old hairwork mourning brooches and all, imbued with family secrets. At that stage if it sparkled, my sister and I coveted it. As we got older and my mother started to distribute the spoils, things got more interesting. Anything of value was carefully considered to ensure fairness. But just because your brooch is set with a few nice rocks, will you actually wear it?
One of the pieces I inherited from a grandmother was a ring sprinkled with tiny old-cut diamonds in an orange-gold setting. It was pretty enough but very of its Victorian time and felt a bit dinky on my (quite large) hands. A friend mentioned resetting some brooches and directed me to London jewellers Robinson Pelham. I had to reject the first design I fell in love with because I couldn’t afford the setting. But more designs were calmly brought forward, and after a few months I was unboxing a fabulous
