In-person inspection in Kraków
We examine fineness, soldered joints and construction in our Starowiślna 6/1B atelier.
BigDIAMOND Goldsmith Atelier · Kraków
Gold Remodelling in Kraków — Bespoke Jewellery from Your Own Gold
Do you have unworn, inherited or broken gold jewellery and want to reuse the precious metal in a new bespoke design? At the BigDIAMOND atelier in central Kraków, we evaluate the fineness, construction, soldered joints, gemstones, and usable mass in person. Only after a hands-on physical inspection can our master goldsmith confirm whether and how your gold can be repurposed.
Quick guidance before your visit
Key advice: bring the complete item without attempting disassembly at home. Do not remove gemstones, solder, or clasps yourself, and never clean older jewellery with aggressive household chemicals. In our Kraków showroom, we will inspect the metal alloy, discuss sentimental elements, and explore the new form you wish to create.
Individual bespoke design
Transform sentimental family gold into modern wedding bands, rings, pendants or signets.
Preserving gemstones
Existing diamonds and gemstones are assessed individually for safe extraction and resetting.
Key Considerations
What determines whether old gold can be reused?
Knowing that a piece is made of gold is not enough on its own. The exact composition, structural condition, and requirements of the new bespoke design are decisive.
Alloy composition and fineness
The goldsmith evaluates the hallmark fineness and checks whether different elements form a single consistent alloy or require separate handling.
Construction and soldered joints
Historical solder, earlier repairs, spring clasps, and hollow components alter how the metal behaves during melting and refining. This cannot be judged from photos alone.
Gemstones and technical fittings
Diamonds, coloured stones, enamel, springs, and non-precious components require individual assessment. Do not attempt to extract them at home.
Requirements of the new piece
The new bespoke jewellery must be durable, comfortable for daily wear, and feasible with the available mass. The design is finalized after physical inspection.
Inside the Atelier
Watch gold melting at the BigDIAMOND atelier in Kraków
Precious metal is heated under controlled conditions in a ceramic crucible. Melting is only one step in the goldsmithing process — before reaching this stage, the goldsmith must inspect the alloy and isolate non-homogeneous components.
Craftsmanship Overview
What does remodelling gold into new jewellery involve?
Gold remodelling involves preparing supplied precious metal for integration into a new bespoke design. It is not an automated 1:1 pouring into a mould, but a skilled artisanal process that begins with alloy assessment and structural planning.
Surface colour alone does not disclose the true alloy composition. Vintage and heirloom jewellery often contains solder alloys, reinforced clasps, steel springs, hollow shells, stones, or mixed metals from past repairs.
Different components must be evaluated separately because a finished vintage piece is not identical to uniform raw casting grain. Only after in-person inspection can we confirm whether the metal can be directly melted or requires refinement.
The new piece is conceived as an original bespoke design. The goldsmith accounts for proportions, everyday ergonomics, stone settings, and durability, confirming the technical feasibility upon physical assessment.
Feasibility
Can all gold jewellery be melted and reused?
Feasibility cannot be confirmed responsibly without physically inspecting the specific item.
Factors requiring assessment include differing finenesses, past soldered joints, repair areas, hollow tubing, spring clasps, diamonds, enamel, and foreign metal pins. These elements do not mean an automatic refusal, but they explain why physical inspection is indispensable.
We deliberately do not publish an oversimplified "acceptable / unacceptable" list because qualification depends on the specific construction and intended new design. Every piece of jewellery is assessed individually on its merits.
Mixed or unknown alloys
If an item comprises multiple components of differing fineness, the goldsmith examines each part separately and explains practical options.
Delicate components
Gemstones, enamel, and mechanical parts require gentle handling and different thermal tolerances than the precious metal itself.
Target design specifications
What can be created also depends on the required wall thickness, profile, ring size, and durability requirements of the new piece.
Gold Fineness & Hallmarks
Gold Finenesses 333, 585, 750 and Polish Assay Office Hallmarks
Understand pure gold content across different alloys and the official Kraków District Assay Office hallmark.
Pure gold content breakdown: 333 (33.3%), 585 (58.5% – the fine jewellery benchmark) and 750 (75.0%). Official hallmark of the District Assay Office in Kraków.
Opracowanie: BigDIAMOND Pracownia Jubilerska Kraków · ul. Starowiślna 6/1BArtisan Calculator
Calculate your savings when repurposing your own gold
Enter the weight and fineness of your gold to estimate its equivalent 585 precious metal value and savings on your new bespoke piece.
Kalkulator Wartości Twojego Złota na Wymianę
Wpisz wagę starej lub zniszczonej biżuterii, aby sprawdzić, o ile obniżysz koszt nowego wyrobu lub obrączek w BigDIAMOND Kraków.
g
Równowartość złota próby 585 na nową biżuterię:
10.0 g (585)
Szacowana oszczędność na materiale:
ok. 3 070 zł
Workshop Transformation
Transforming supplied gold into bespoke wedding bands
See how unworn gold jewellery and scrap metal are transformed into seamless, polished 585 wedding bands with Comfort Fit interior.
After: 585 Comfort Fit wedding bands
Before: Unworn jewellery and scrap gold
Inspection
What does the goldsmith inspect before work begins?
An in-person physical inspection clarifies material facts and design options, separating verified properties from assumptions.
The goldsmith checks the hallmark fineness, alloy consistency, joint methods, and the presence of stones, clasps, or steel springs. Traces of historical repairs are carefully noted, as past solder can alter thermal behaviour.
Concurrently, we discuss your desired new jewellery: finger size, profile curvature, daily wear patterns, stone setting styles, and surface finishes. The material must satisfy the design requirements, and the design must respect the material constraints.
Fineness and usable mass
These figures determine the achievable design directions, verified precisely on precision laboratory scales.
Construction and condition
Solder, hollow shells, clasps, and past repairs dictate how the metal must be prepared or refined.
Gemstones and settings
Condition, facet integrity, and dimensions of existing stones are verified before deciding on resetting.
Step by Step
How is bespoke jewellery crafted from supplied gold?
The following workflow outlines our consultation and crafting procedure at the Kraków atelier. Each material and design requires an individual approach.
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1. Gather all components
Bring the complete item, including detached links, clasps, and loose stones. Do not attempt to prise stones or solder apart beforehand.
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2. Hands-on inspection and identification
The goldsmith evaluates alloy hallmarks, separates technical fittings, and identifies parts that require special treatment.
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3. Discussing the new bespoke form
We explore whether you wish to craft wedding bands, an engagement ring, a signet, or a pendant, focusing on proportions and comfort.
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4. Confirming feasibility and metal allocation
The jeweller explains whether the supplied metal is sufficient for the chosen design or if alloy adjustment is needed, ensuring complete clarity.
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5. Melting and alloy preparation
The precious metal is melted and prepared according to the agreed specification. Short video clips on this page illustrate crucible heating.
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6. Handcrafting and finishing
The new piece is shaped, forged, sized, and polished by hand. Gemstones are securely set in custom-cut bezels or prongs.
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7. Quality control and collection
The finished jewellery is inspected for structural integrity, hallmarked where required, and presented at our Starowiślna showroom with aftercare guidance.
Gemstones & Details
What happens to gemstones and technical components?
Gemstones, settings, clasps, and mechanical springs should remain intact and untouched before your consultation.
The goldsmith assesses whether stones can be extracted safely, how they are held, and whether their condition allows resetting. Carat weight, facet wear, girdle chips, and geometry all affect the new setting type.
Not every vintage gemstone is suitable for every modern setting. A delicate emerald, for example, requires protective bezels rather than high tension prongs, and some technical fittings must be replaced with fresh hallmarked precious metal.
Do not remove stones at home
Bending prongs with household tools risks chipping stone girdles and damaging setting seats.
Retain loose fragments
Even damaged fragments provide valuable historical and metallurgical clues for the goldsmith.
Highlight sentimental features
Tell us about family engravings, symbolic motifs, or specific elements you wish to carry forward.
New Bespoke Creations
What can be created from supplied gold?
Most remodelling commissions focus on bespoke wedding bands, signet rings, custom pendants, or contemporary engagement rings discussed one-on-one.
Not every design can be produced from every available mass. We treat your design ideas as a tailored discussion point rather than a mechanical catalog selection.
Wedding bands
Heirloom family gold can be repurposed into timeless wedding bands with Comfort Fit profiles, tailored to your exact finger dimensions.
Explore wedding bandsRings, pendants or signet rings
Create a contemporary ring, pendant, or monogrammed signet ring proportioned to your style and everyday wear habits.
Learn about custom jewelleryIndividual bespoke projects
Sketches, reference photos, and vintage elements serve as the foundation for an original CAD-designed creation.
View bespoke portfolioPricing & Turnaround
What determines material quantity, price, and turnaround?
Scope, artisan pricing, and completion dates depend on physical material assessment and design complexity. We confirm verified figures rather than speculative estimates.
| Factor | Relevance to your commission |
|---|---|
| Material quantity & yield | Proportions, profile, finger size, and casting margins determine required mass. The available metal may be sufficient for one design direction while another requires supplemental 585 gold. |
| Craftsmanship scope & valuation | Artisan labour reflects refining, alloy preparation, 3D CAD modeling, stone setting, hand engraving, and multi-stage surface finishing. |
| Turnaround schedule | Turnaround depends on design complexity, casting schedule, stone setting, and assay office hallmarking. Precise delivery dates are confirmed upon consultation. |
Typical Scenarios
When do clients choose to remodel their own gold?
These examples reflect real consultation scenarios. Every decision begins with hands-on material examination.
Heirloom gold with sentimental value
Preserve the emotional significance of family rings by transferring the metal into modern wedding bands or daily-wear rings.
Broken or unworn vintage jewellery
Old chains, single earrings, or dated items lying unworn in a drawer become the raw precious metal for a contemporary bespoke creation.
Updating vintage styling to a modern silhouette
Transition from heavy ornate mountings to sleek minimalist designs that harmonise with modern lifestyles and wardrobes.
Before Your Visit
How to prepare your gold and ideas for a consultation
Arriving with complete items and clear design preferences makes your showroom consultation productive and enjoyable.
- Bring the entire piece, even if broken, bent, or missing links.
- Include any detached gemstones, loose fragments, or past certificates.
- Do not attempt to prise stones or clasps apart with domestic tools.
- Avoid cleaning older jewellery with abrasive pastes or harsh chemicals.
- Share any known history of previous repairs or metal alterations.
- Collect 3–5 reference photographs or sketches showing styles you admire.
- Highlight sentimental motifs or inscriptions you wish to incorporate.
- Describe how the new piece will be worn daily and alongside which other jewellery.
Kraków Showroom & Atelier
Where in Kraków can you discuss gold remodelling?
Discuss your gold remodelling project in person at the BigDIAMOND jewellery boutique and workshop at 6/1B Starowiślna Street.
BigDIAMOND / BD Katarzyna Lichwa operates at 6/1B Starowiślna Street, 31-032 Kraków (between the Main Market Square and Kazimierz).
Telephone: +48 574 470 119. Email: biuro@bigdiamond.pl.
Showroom hours: Monday to Friday 10:00–19:00, Saturday 10:00–14:00 (closed on Sundays).
In-person inspection
Examine alloy fineness, stone settings, and ergonomic proportions directly with the master goldsmith.
Contact before visiting
A phone call answers quick logistical questions; an email lets you send photos and ideas ahead of your visit.
Connected services
Explore our bespoke atelier portfolio and wedding band collection for design inspiration.
Editorial Verification
How we verify gold remodelling information
All technical information is curated and verified by the BigDIAMOND master goldsmithing team at Starowiślna 6/1B in Kraków.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about gold remodelling
Can every piece of gold jewellery be melted into new jewellery?
Feasibility cannot be confirmed without physical inspection. The fineness, alloy purity, historical soldered joints, mechanical parts, and requirements of the new piece all influence suitability.
Can gold of different finenesses be combined?
This can be considered only after inspecting each component. Different finenesses (such as 333, 585, and 750) may require refining or balancing with pure gold to achieve a standardised, durable 585 alloy.
Can existing gemstones be extracted and reused?
Often yes, but this cannot be assumed before examination. The goldsmith checks the stone’s facet condition, girdle integrity, cut geometry, and compatibility with the planned new setting.
Should I remove gemstones myself before visiting?
No. Leave all stones, prongs, and clasps untouched. Home extraction risks fracturing the stone or deforming delicate metal needed for accurate identification.
Will my supplied gold be sufficient for a new piece?
This depends entirely on the mass of your gold and the dimensions of the intended design. The goldsmith weighs the metal on certified scales and calculates precise requirements during consultation.
Can we make wedding bands from family heirloom gold?
Yes, heirloom gold can be melted and crafted into bespoke wedding bands. Because wedding rings require daily durability, the alloy quality is carefully tested before proceeding.
What determines the price of remodelling gold into jewellery?
The artisan cost reflects refining, 3D CAD modeling, stone setting, hand engraving, and multi-stage polishing. Final transparent pricing is confirmed after assessing the metal and approving the design.
How long does the gold remodelling process take?
Turnaround depends on design complexity, casting schedules, and assay office hallmarking. A firm schedule is confirmed during your consultation.
Should I clean the jewellery before bringing it in?
No. Bring the jewellery in its current condition. Avoid aggressive home chemicals, ultrasonic baths, or adhesives that could complicate inspection.
Are emailed photographs enough for an accurate quote?
Photographs provide a helpful starting point, but they cannot reveal micro-cracks, soldered joints, or alloy purity. A binding quote requires in-person examination.
What should I bring to my consultation?
Bring all jewellery components, loose links, and detached stones. Reference photos or sketches of designs you like are also very useful.
Where is the BigDIAMOND atelier located?
The BigDIAMOND showroom and goldsmith atelier is located at 6/1B Starowiślna Street, 31-032 Kraków. Open Monday–Friday 10:00–19:00, Saturday 10:00–14:00.
BigDIAMOND · Kraków
Bring your gold and discuss your bespoke vision
At BigDIAMOND in Kraków, we will inspect your jewellery, identify its components, and discuss how your precious metal can become a cherished new piece.