Young couples on a budget are turning to jewellery of the past

Jewellers are bringing new life to past treasures as young couples turn to antique and heirloom jewellery to celebrate their engagements, embracing history and saving money in the process.

For Brisbane couple Tom Morrey and Sarah O'Leary, an old brooch became the engagement ring of their dreams after Mr Morrey's grandmother Margie suggested they repurpose a family heirloom.

"She did that typical grandmother thing where she disappeared up into the house and five minutes later came back with this brooch," Mr Morrey said.

"I was 26, I worked in music, I wasn't exactly in the financial position to be buying diamonds, so that made a massive difference."

Mr Morrey took the brooch to a jeweller who worked with him to create a one-of-a-kind piece.

His now wife Sarah said the story of how her engagement ring came to be was just as special as the ring itself.

"But when Tom told me the story around the ring and his grandma's involvement it just became even more perfect."

Tom's grandparents were unable to attend the couple's wedding in Far North Queensland due to ill health.

So, the newlyweds packed up their gown and suit and made the trip to Melbourne to make sure they were included in the special day.

"We got all dressed up and read our vows again for them," Ms O'Leary said.

"It was so important for them to be part of this moment for us, because Margie's gift is such a big part of our story."

Creating heirlooms

Jeweller Nick Conroy has crafted thousands of unique pieces during his more than 30-year career, but said it was always privilege when he was asked to 'create an heirloom' for a client.

"There's very few businesses that get to actually make something that will be passed down through generations, so it always means a lot to me," Mr Conroy said.

At his East Brisbane workshop, Mr Conroy had noticed more customers seeking to re-use old materials as the cost of raw materials went up.

"The cost of stones is rising, and gold has gone up by a third in just 12 months with no sign of slowing down," he said.

Mr Conroy said he was always willing to recycle materials for clients where he could.

"Every gram that I don't have to supply saves them money, so that's always a good way to go," he said.

For those who don't have a trove of family treasures to draw from, antique markets offer an opportunity to snap up quality stones and settings at a fraction of the cost.

Antique seller Celia Bonica has been dealing in Victorian and Edwardian jewellery for over a decade and said the appetite for treasures of yesteryear had never slowed down.

"People know that antiques are generally better quality than anything modern you can buy, and they like the fact that someone's worn it before," Ms Bonica said.

"I'd of course rather beautiful antique pieces stay as original as possible but anything that's keeping the history alive and re-using and re-cycling is all good by me."

Experts in the sustainable use of minerals are also on board with the re-purposing trend.

University of Queensland researcher Dr Lynda Lawson said recycling jewellery was "not just good for the pocket but also the environment".

"Someone who decides to buy a beautiful antique ring will be not only honouring history, but they'll also be looking after the natural environment," Dr Lawson said.

"You get to have a beautifully sentimental piece of jewellery while also protecting natural resources, addressing climate change and doing what you can to recycle and to contribute to the circular economy.

A new chapter

For Sarah and Tom, it was an honour to use a piece of old family history to commemorate their young love.

"I think one of the reasons I love my ring so much is because of the process Tom took to make it so unique," Ms O'Leary said.

"He worked with the jewellers to design something one of a kind, from materials that were already special to begin with."

They said it's not yet the end of the story for grandma's brooch.

"We didn't use all of the material in that brooch so one day if we're lucky enough to have kids, we'd love to be able to make another piece for them from it too, to keep the story going," Mr Morrey said.