Give your old stones some new lovin'

At some point north of 40, jewels you acquired in your 20's look dated, unless you have antiques of fine quality.

If the pieces were set with tiny diamonds, you likely no longer wear them. Hell, you may have trouble seeing them.

This is the tangle at the bottom of your jewelry box.

Paulette Goddard, fiancee of Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks (and apparently a few others) solved the problem by making a charm bracelet from her old engagement rings.

Another idea: restyle the pieces into one breathtaking item that you wear with joy.

Jeweler Shahasp Valentine works in an unusual medium, Precious Metal Clay (PMC). The malleable quality of the material allows her to mold, carve and set pieces, then fire them in her kiln. As durable as cast metal, PMC is pure silver, or 22k to 24k gold, not an alloy.

She shows two collections on her web site, Organic, very modern, free-form designs, and Modern Artifacts, more traditional with a whisper of goth-edgy.

Above, the Grande Fleur necklace, a showcase for your neglected diamonds. They won't look forlorn anymore!

Below, the Knife Edge necklace with diamond in 14k gold prong setting, pearl and pearl in chain and clasp. I'd choose this to repurpose a long-ago engagement ring and rock on. Don't miss the entire Knife Edge series on her site.

Ms Valentine's work is also shown at Metalworks Gallery, San Francisco.

Photos: www.precieux.com