Most people have at least one piece of jewellery sitting in a drawer that they don't quite know what to do with.
Maybe it's a ring inherited from a grandmother - beautiful in its own way, but not something you'd reach for. Maybe it's a collection of unworn pieces accumulated over years, each carrying a memory but none of them feeling like you anymore. Maybe it's gold from a relationship that ended, sitting there not quite right in its current form.
The gold has value. The history has meaning. But the piece, as it is, doesn't get worn.
This is exactly the situation Sentimental Casting was made for.
What Is Sentimental Casting?
Sentimental Casting is what we call the process of remodelling jewellery using gold you already own - melting it down, testing it, and casting it into something entirely new. The material remains yours. The history remains intact. But the form becomes something you'll actually put on.
It's one of our favourite things to do at E.C.One, and it's been part of our work since we opened our Clerkenwell workshop in 1997. Not because it's straightforward - it isn't always - but because the pieces that come out of this process carry something that new metal simply cannot replicate.
There's a continuity to them. A weight of meaning that goes beyond what they look like.
What Kinds of Gold Work Best
This is where honesty matters, and it's something we'll always talk through with you from the start.
Not every piece of gold is equally suited to remodelling. The single biggest factor is the piece's construction - specifically, how much solder it contains.
Solid pieces - rings, cufflinks, pendants, bangles, and heavier brooches - tend to be excellent candidates. They have a high proportion of usable gold relative to their overall mass, and the casting process works cleanly with them.
Fine chains are often not suitable. Their construction involves a high solder content, and solder behaves differently to gold when melted. The resulting alloy can be unpredictable, which is why we'll sometimes advise against remodelling a chain even if it has significant sentimental value. We'll always tell you this before anything happens to it.
Before we do anything at all, we test every piece you bring in. This tells us precisely what we're working with - the carat, the alloy composition, what's gold and what isn't - and shapes everything that follows. It's a step that most people don't think about, but it's the foundation of making something beautiful and structurally sound.
Can You Mix Different Golds Together?
Yes - often, and it opens up some genuinely interesting possibilities.
If the pieces you bring in are similar alloys - 9ct and 18ct yellow gold, for instance, or two different 18ct pieces - mixing is typically straightforward. We can work with what you have, combine it where it makes sense, and supplement with new recycled gold where needed.
What's worth knowing is that when different golds are melted together, the resulting colour is unique. It isn't quite any standard carat's shade - it becomes its own thing, only fully visible after casting. For some clients, this is an unexpected delight. The piece they're holding is genuinely one-of-a-kind in a very literal sense: its colour exists nowhere else.
There is one thing we'll always be transparent about. Mixing different alloys carries a small risk of porosity - tiny air pockets that can form in the metal as it cools. This doesn't affect the appearance of a finished piece, but it can affect structural strength in ways that matter for certain designs. We'll talk through this with you during your consultation, explain where the risk is relevant for the piece you want to create, and guide you on the best approach. Sometimes that means using your gold for part of the piece and supplementing with new recycled gold. Sometimes it means proceeding as planned. It always means the decision is made together.
A Note on Platinum
We're sometimes asked whether Sentimental Casting works for platinum. Currently, our answer is no — we don't offer remodelling using customers' own platinum.
Platinum requires different workshop conditions to gold, and working with mixed or unknown platinum alloys introduces complications that we don't think serve you well in a bespoke context. What we can do is talk to you about scrapping any platinum pieces you have and putting the value toward a new commission. It's not the same as Sentimental Casting, but it means the material isn't wasted and can still contribute to something new.
What the Process Looks Like at E.C.One
Every Sentimental Casting project begins the same way: a conversation.
You bring your pieces into our Exmouth Market workshop and we look at them together. There's no obligation at this stage - we're simply learning what you have, what you're hoping to create, and whether Sentimental Casting is the right route for what you want to achieve.
If it is, we'll test the pieces to confirm the alloys, discuss the design in detail, and give you a clear picture of what's possible - including an honest assessment of whether mixing makes sense, what the likely result will look like, and how long the process will take. Bespoke pieces at E.C.One typically take five to six weeks from a finalised design.
Throughout the making, you're kept informed. When the casting is done and the goldsmithing begins, we can share updates. And when the piece is finished, we'll always tell you: the finished article is invariably more beautiful than any sketch suggested it would be.
Why It Matters Beyond the Piece Itself
There's a dimension to Sentimental Casting that goes beyond the jewellery itself, and it's one we think about a lot.
Remodelling inherited or unworn gold is, by its nature, sustainable. No new mining. No new extraction. The material already exists - it has existed, in some cases, for generations - and it's simply finding a new form. For clients who care about where their jewellery comes from and what its production cost the planet, Sentimental Casting is the most sustainable commission possible. The footprint is as close to zero as fine jewellery gets.
But the reason most people choose it isn't environmental. It's personal.
There is something quietly extraordinary about wearing gold that belonged to someone who mattered to you. Not their piece, exactly - not the ring as it was, which perhaps never quite suited you - but something made from it. Something that fits your life, your hand, your style, now. The history doesn't disappear when the old form does. It comes forward.
We've made engagement rings from a grandmother's wedding band. Pendants from a father's cufflinks. Stacking rings from a collection of pieces inherited from different members of the same family, worn together as a set. A pair of earrings from a brooch that hadn't left its box in forty years.
In every case, the people who commissioned them wear them constantly. That's the point.
Frequently Asked Questions About Sentimental Casting
What does Sentimental Casting mean? Sentimental Casting is the process of remodelling your own gold - inherited, unworn, or otherwise meaningful - into a new piece of jewellery. The gold is melted down, tested, and recast into a completely new design, retaining the material while entirely transforming the form.
What kinds of jewellery can be used for Sentimental Casting? Solid pieces tend to work best — rings, pendants, bangles, cufflinks, and heavier brooches. Fine chains are often not suitable because of their high solder content, which affects the quality of the melted metal. We test every piece before advising, so there's no need to guess in advance.
Can I mix different carats of gold together? In many cases, yes. When mixing similar alloys — such as 9ct and 18ct yellow gold - combining is usually possible. The resulting colour is unique and only fully visible after casting. We'll always discuss the small risk of porosity (tiny air pockets in the metal) and advise on the best approach for your specific design.
Do you offer Sentimental Casting in platinum? Not currently. We don't remodel customers' own platinum, but we can discuss scrapping platinum pieces and putting the value toward a new commission. Come in and we can talk through what makes most sense.
How long does a Sentimental Casting commission take? From a finalised design, most bespoke pieces take five to six weeks to complete in our Clerkenwell workshop. The initial consultation — where we look at your pieces, test the gold, and discuss the design — adds time at the start, but there's no obligation at that stage and no charge for the conversation.
Is remodelling jewellery a sustainable choice? Yes - it's the most sustainable form of fine jewellery. No new gold needs to be mined. The material you already own is given a new form, extending its life indefinitely. At E.C.One, we're a certified B Corp and everything we make is crafted from recycled or reused metals and responsibly sourced stones wherever possible.
What if I'm not sure what I want to make? That's completely fine - and honestly, it's where some of our best work has started. Come in, bring your pieces, and we'll have a conversation. Sometimes the design becomes clear once we've looked at the gold together. Sometimes it takes a little longer. There's no pressure and no obligation.
Will remodelling the piece destroy its sentimental value? The opposite tends to be true. Remodelling doesn't erase the history of the gold - it carries it forward into a new form. The pieces our clients have made through Sentimental Casting are almost always worn every day, which is exactly what a meaningful piece deserves. An heirloom sitting in a drawer, unworn, is more lost than one reshaped into something you reach for without thinking.
Come and Talk to Us
If you have gold sitting unworn - inherited pieces, old jewellery, a collection that no longer feels like you - we'd love to look at it with you.
Bring what you have into our Exmouth Market workshop and we'll tell you honestly what's possible. No obligation, no pressure. Just a conversation between people who care about what things are made from and what they mean.
