It’s a fact; pieces of fine jewellery often get passed down through families.  In fact I myself am lucky enough to have my great, great grandmother’s wedding ring.  My sister owns a gold and emerald dress ring given to my grandmother by my grandfather, and my mother has a beautiful brooch that belonged to her grandmother.  I certainly intend to pass the ring I own down to my children when they are older, along with any other fine jewellery I inherit or acquire.

It’s not just the jewellery that’s important to be passed down in my opinion.  Actually, the jewellery is in fact secondary to something far more important: the story behind a piece.  My grandmother wrote me a letter when she left me the ring explaining when and where the wedding took place, the dates of birth of my great, great grandmother and grandfather, and more information about the history behind the ring.  I intend to keep that history alive and known in the family by passing it down, along with the piece of jewellery, to my own daughter one day in the hope that she too will do the same after I’m gone. This way the important family history and knowledge doesn’t die with the original owners of a piece of jewellery but lives on and is remembered through that piece.

The very fact that a lot of fine jewellery is passed down through generations is testament to the fact that it can last a lifetime and in fact much longer.  In order to keep fine jewellery looking its best and also to help it last it’s important to care for and clean it regularly.  Some items should be taken to a professional as they may not be easy to clean at home, and you should certainly seek advice from a professional before cleaning an old item of jewellery for the first time.

If you are fortunate enough to inherit a piece of fine jewellery the most important advice I can give you is to find out any story you can behind it, for example who was the first person in your family to own it, what did they do and how did they come to own it.  This information should be kept with the jewellery and passed down to your next of kin if you intend to keep the jewellery in the family so that they know a little bit of history about it.  I would also recommend you get the item valued, particularly if it is very old, by a professional and get it insured if it is very valuable.  As explained, keep it clean and in a safe and secure place but above all treasure it, as that is why it was given to you.