Your Cart is Empty
TEXT RINGS TO +1 (833) 993-0491 TO GET 15% OFF YOUR NEXT ORDER
Some jewelry stories stay with me long after the piece leaves the studio. This is where I collect some of my favorite Custom and Reconstruction projects, from inherited diamonds and redesigned wedding rings to one-of-a-kind pieces created completely from scratch.
Every project begins differently. Sometimes a client arrives with a jewelry box full of family pieces and no idea where to begin. Sometimes we start with one incredible stone, a well-loved wedding ring, or an idea that's been living in someone's imagination for years. What connects these stories is the opportunity to create something deeply personal, beautifully made, and meant to become part of someone's actual life.
If you've ever wondered what's possible with heirloom diamonds, old gold, sentimental jewelry, or a vision for something entirely your own, I hope these stories give you a few ideas.
When LP Giobbi asked me to design her and Chad's wedding bands, it felt like a full-circle collaboration. LP's engagement ring centered around a sentimental diamond daisy that belonged to Chad's mom, so our job was to design around that heirloom without overpowering it.
We created two curved gold bands that nest beneath LP's engagement ring and two individual bands for Chad that echo those same curves and are permanently joined in the back. Hand-carved in wax, refined in person, and cast in solid 14k gold, the finished rings became modern heirlooms rooted in partnership, artistry and family history. Read LP & Chad's story.
Andrea came to her Reconstruction project carrying a story that stretched across generations. Her grandmother's diamond, her mother's anniversary ring, her father's signature love of bold square jewelry and stones representing Andrea's own children all became part of one deeply personal design.
The finished square ring carries pieces of four generations without trying to recreate the jewelry exactly as it once was. It is one of my favorite examples of how an heirloom can keep its history while becoming something entirely suited to the person wearing it now. Read Andrea's story.
After retiring, Angi was ready for a new chapter and wanted her jewelry to evolve along with her. In her Reconstruction project, we transformed a diamond ring inherited from her mother into a bold new piece that preserves its history while feeling completely at home in the life Angi is living now.
It's a beautiful reminder that honoring an heirloom doesn't always mean leaving it untouched. Sometimes giving it a future is the most meaningful form of preservation. Read Angi's story.
Lorie came to us with a vivid green tourmaline she had purchased years ago while traveling internationally, along with inherited rings that no longer reflected her style. For her Reconstruction, we created a bold, modern ring in sterling silver and gold that feels architectural, deeply personal and unmistakably hers.
The final piece carries pieces of her history without being bound to the forms they originally took. It's also one of my favorite examples of a client giving me one very good design directive: make it juicy. Read Lorie's story.
Cara and Cor had been married for more than twenty years when they came to CMD ready for a second chapter. Their original wedding rings no longer fit their hands, their lifestyles or who they had become together over time.
Using their original diamonds and inspiration from their well-loved pieces, we created a modern mixed-metal wedding stack for Cara and a custom band for Cor. The result feels grounded, personal and deeply reflective of a marriage that has evolved beautifully with them. Read Cara & Cor's story.
Cori drove more than four hours to visit The CMD Shop with seven diamonds from her mother and an idea for a nontraditional wedding stack. What started as a mixed-shape concept evolved into an all-square design layered with yellow gold, rose gold, oxidized silver, sterling silver and heirloom diamonds.
The finished five-ring stack feels edgy and architectural while carrying the history of the stones that made it possible. Read Cori's story.
After more than two decades with the same wedding set, Becky was ready for something new. We reworked the diamonds from her original jewelry, including her 1.14-carat center stone, into a timeless all-round stack combining white and yellow gold.
The centerpiece became a bold 6mm band surrounded by two diamond bands built from Becky's original stones and a few carefully sourced additions. When she received the finished custom wedding stack, she told us it was the most beautiful thing she'd ever owned. Read Becky's story.
Stephanie's mom wore her emerald-cut peridot every day. After Stephanie inherited the ring, it remained in her jewelry box because the original design simply didn't feel like her.
For Stephanie's redesign, we carefully removed the stone and gave it a completely new setting: a bold modern square band with a warm gold bezel. The stone stayed, the memory stayed, but the jewelry finally became something she wanted to wear. Read Stephanie's story.
Lee came to me with a beloved moonstone ring and a delicate diamond band that held meaning but no longer felt like her. Together, we transformed them into a bolder, more architectural stack designed around the materials she already loved.
Her finished Reconstruction combines a wide matte sterling silver square ring with her moonstone securely bezel-set at the center and a 14k yellow gold band using diamonds from her original jewelry. The contrast gives the stack depth while letting the sentimental materials take on a completely new identity. Read Lee's story.
If you've been holding onto inherited diamonds, sentimental jewelry, old wedding rings or precious metal you'd like to recycle for credit, you don't need to know exactly what it should become before reaching out. That's part of the process we work through together.
Start with my complete guide to CMD Reconstruction and jewelry recycling to learn more about materials, timelines, appointments, recycling credit and what to expect.
Thank you for trusting us with your stories.
xo,
Colleen ✨
© Colleen Mauer Designs. All rights reserved.
Published: February 24, 2026
Updated: August 26, 2026
Comments will be approved before showing up.
Robin's mom, Ronnie, was a performer, a singer and the kind of woman whose presence filled a room. Her glamorous diamond necklace was perfectly Ronnie, but it wasn't Robin. Together, we transformed all 25 diamonds into three completely new rings, carrying a piece of her mom forward in a form [...]
After twenty-one years of creating, growing and evolving, I’m finding myself at another crossroads. A long-overdue afternoon pruning my backyard reminded me that growth isn’t always about adding more. Sometimes it’s about cutting back, trusting your intuition and making room for whatever is growing [...]
If you have inherited jewelry sitting untouched because it simply doesn’t feel like you, selling it isn’t your only option. Before you let it go, bring me the stash. That old gold, outdated setting or collection of mismatched stones might be the beginning of something you’d actually wear. It's worth finding out what you're [...]
Karen
July 20, 2026
Ring redo from divorce. Three stone ring 2 new sapphires 1 diamond.🫤.