I find jewellery always makes a welcome gift - and never more than when it comes with the sentiment of being a family heirloom. These simple rules apply to anyone lucky enough to find themselves with new sparklers in/on their hands! In an ideal world, these pieces will come your way weeks before they need to be worn. This gives time for a few must-dos. First on the list: bring the item(s) into a jeweller to be cleaned, and to have all prongs checked to ensure the stones are still safe in their settings. Small tweaks are easy - I often talk about adding posts to clip-on earrings, for pierced ears. But another great one to know about is rhodium plating yellow gold - a fairly inexpensive and usually straightforward procedure that is far cheaper that resetting a whole piece, especially if the colour is the only thing putting you off because platinum or white gold is what you usually wear. Full redesign of a piece is of course no problem. Finally, keep things fresh by changing how a jewel is worn. Modernise a brooch - attached it to a ribbon to tie around a wrist or neck, or get your stylist to sew it into your hair, for special occasions. Depending on the shape and size of the brooch, the pin could be substituted for a shank by a good goldsmith, to make the most dazzling cocktail ring. If you would like us to look at modernising a piece you already own, just be in touch - we would love to see what you have!