Grandmothers bracelet

[HermioneGrangersHair]

Hi all I have name changed as I know my DCousin is on here.

When my grandma died I was about 11 - in her Will she left me a gold charm bracelet. It’s very much of its time - 1970s - when they were popular. It’s worth quite a bit, just looking at the the gold price and its weight.

Here’s the thing, I have never worn it and won’t ever wear it, so have been thinking of having it melted down and made into something I would wear like a ring and bracelet maybe.

I am afraid it could be seen as a family heirloom to pass down the generations although that’s never been said. My dad and aunt are still alive and I don’t want to mention it to them in case they are against the idea, but then part of me thinks well, it’s mine I have had it for over 30 years and it’s been at the bottom of my jewellery box all that time.
Dad occasionally asks ‘ have I still got it?’ Aunt has never asked. BUT I worry that if I bring it up I’ll cause an issue. I don’t really know why it came to me ( and not my aunt) plus I have a cousin who I am not sure what she got of my grandmas in the Will. I was a child and I never asked at the time.
I’m torn really.
What would you do?

I wouldn't do anything drastic without speaking to the family.

I wouldn't melt it down.

Could you use some of the charms in a different way - on a necklace perhaps?

I had all of the jewellery I inherited from my paternal grandmother remade. A diamond ring I had turned into necklace, another one reset in a simpler setting and lots of bit and bobs of gold; broken chains, Victorian brooches etc I traded in and had cufflinks made for my sons. The gold weight really added up and I paid virtually nothing for remaking.
I did check it out with my father first and he was perfectly happy that the things were being used.

I've had inherited jewellery re-designed and altered, but not in the UK. A charm bracelet sounds like a good candidate: I never wore mine, and then it disappeared in a break-in. I think it's up to you, especially if you check with your dad.

i think it would be a lovely idea if you could take one or two of the charms as they are and melt down the rest of the gold to make something that you would use. as your GM i would much prefer to see you using my stuff than leaving it in a cupboard

I have a similar issue, in that I inherited my grandmother's eternity ring. I would never wear it - not my style, plus the gold has worn really thin at the back, so I'm worried it might break. It has 5 lovely stones in it, rubies and diamonds, and I'd love to get it all re-purposed. Maybe into a pendant for a necklace. Just not sure how my Dad would feel about it.

If it was specifically left to you, then your family have no right to claim it as an heirloom.

When your Dad asks if you still have it, does he ask to see it? Or has it just been in a box and hasn't seen the light of day in 30 years?

My grandmother left a load of old jewellery to me and my mum, all very dated and neither of us would ever have worn it. We took it to the Jewellery Quarter, sold it, split the money and both treated ourselves to something we actually liked instead.

Thanks for your thoughts everyone. Mixed - as I am myself. @ReginaGeorgeous - it’s been in a box, never worn for all these years. @dreamingofsun @Peony99 that’s an idea - charms are rather dated too and couldn’t really be used in a necklace I don’t think but it’s food for thought!
I’m going to have to bite the bullet I think and ask him - I really can’t predict what he’ll say though!

I would speak to family first.

You could offer aunt an cousin a charm each off the bracelet before melting it down?

How much is it worth? Could you offer to sell it to aunt or cousin at a discounted rate if they are against you melting it down?
It sounds as if you would melt it for the gold price rather than to remake it. Have you taken it to be valued? It could be worth something as an antique if it was your grandmother's and you have had it yourself for 30 years.

@CircleofWillis yes I have had it valued for insurance purposes, which is quite a lot (over £3000) but gold price it would be worth about £900 I think (judging by the weight and prices I have seen on line).

I wouldn’t melt down a charm bracelet. Each charm usually has some personal significance to the person, so it seems much too connected to have it melted. I have had one since my childhood and I wear it, I have my mother’s too. If I had my Grandmother’s, especially if it had been left to me, and I didn’t want to wear it, I would probably wear one charm as a pendant and keep the bracelet to be handed down.
I think it would be very sad to melt it, and on a financial basis, would decrease the value hugely, as older gold charms are very collectible and worth more than the gold by weight.

If you just want to sell it and have the cash, then sell the charms individually on ebay.
But much nicer to give it to another family member.

Fashions in jewellery do go full circle - my DD asked last week to borrow my silver charm bracelet to wear tomorrow night!
But if it's really not your style and you haven't worn it for years why not offer a couple of charms to your aunt/cousin as keepsakes and take the rest to the melt?

Don't melt it down! Both Liberty and Selfridges stock beautiful jewellery made from vintage charms made by Annina Vogel. Liberty also sells individual vintage charms at several hundred pounds each. They aren't out of fashion...

www.anninavogel.co.uk/

I would personally change it or sell it but then I’m not sentimental about things like that. If it’s outdated and you’ll never wear it what’s the point of it festering in your jewellery box?
I don’t understand people who place such meaning on material things - it’s the memories of your gran that matter more. I wouldn’t care what my dad or aunt thought either!

Based on your update, I'd flog it. I really cannot see the point of you keeping something that's been unworn in a box for thirty years. Take it to a specialist antique jeweller and get them to give you a price.

The item was left to YOU. Not your dad, not your aunt, not your cousin. It's yours to do as you please with.

Is there a part of it you’d wear? The bracelet perhaps, without the charms? My mum gave me hers a few years ago and I loved it as a child, but I could never wear it; apart from anything else the jangling noise it makes annoys the hell out of me. But everything on it represents a significant part of her life - a wedding and engagement charm my dad gave her on their wedding day, a three legged Manx wheel from their trip to the Isle of Man, etc.etc. Just think, in 60 years there’ll be people on Mumsnet asking what to do about their inherited Pandora bracelets!