Put a modern twist on heirloom jewels

If you've got old jewellery sitting unworn in a box, repurposing the stones might be just the thing.

When Kate Middleton received her engagement ring, the now much-copied Garrard diamond-encircled sapphire that Prince Charles had given to Diana all those years ago, most women were emerald with envy. Yet with a design that is not exactly cutting-edge, nor even particularly fashionable until recently, even Middleton might have wondered how those stones would look in a modern setting.

As an important heirloom, that's clearly not an option available to the royal-to-be, but nestled at the back of my own jewellery drawer, a little black velvet box has sat unopened for more than a decade. I was somewhat relieved to snap back the hinge and find a glinting pear-cut amethyst and white-gold ring still perched proudly on its cushion, perfect as the day it was made.

A family gift, nostalgia and admittedly guilt had made me keep the ring all these years and now greed was urging me to upgrade it. The question was, how?

My research led me to a shop called Cara in Dubai's Gold and Diamond Park (04 347 8089). As I searched in vain for a spare seat along the endless lines of glass cabinets, my eyes fell upon the sparkliest ring in the shop which Edith Thwates, a tourist visiting her Dubai-resident daughter, was trying on for size.

"I redesigned it myself," she said. "The two diamonds were mine already and I came all the way from New Zealand to have this wonderful aquamarine set in the middle. It is a lot cheaper than at home and the service is excellent in the UAE. The ring was done in a matter of days."

The ring's original middle stone had been significantly smaller, Thwates told me as she gazed upon the new magnificent centrepiece, almost an inch in length and as vibrant as the Caribbean Sea.

Cara was established seven years ago by Mr Kiran, who said that remodelling jewellery has never been more popular.

"This is now my main business. Turnaround time can be as quick as one day, and the average spend is anywhere from Dh1,500 to Dh5,000."

With a ring still burning a hole in my pocket, I continued my journey through the winding corridors of the complex until the flame-red ruby rings and luxuriously weighty sapphire cuffs in the window of Dhamani (04 341 8890) stopped me in my tracks.

The company, which has been trading in the Gulf since 1969, not only sells its own collection but works closely with customers looking to modernise family heirlooms. However, the manager Hitesh Bhatia sounded a note of caution when it comes to altering precious stones.

"I wouldn't recommend cutting or resizing a solitaire diamond into a pair of earrings, for example." he said. "You will lose weight and value, so it is really best to sell and re-buy.

"Our workshop is just five minutes from here and we have the finest diamonds from South Africa or emeralds from Colombia and Zambia if you want them."

And want them I did. Yet with one more stop on my list before I was to hand over my very modest finger furniture to the experts, I paid a visit to Zsa Zsa's Jewels (04 347 4616).

I asked the sales manager Mahesha Sheregar to explain how the remodelling of a ring takes place. He passed a conveyer belt of diamond chains under my nose and told me the creative process is very much in my hands.Indeed, should madam change her mind once the jewellery has been redesigned, no problem.

Sheregar ducked beneath the counter and produced a dazzling diamond solitaire ring. As I admired the perfect princess-cut, he told me a fairy tale.

"A man bought this diamond here two years ago and had it made into a pendant for his girlfriend." he said. "He came last week and had it made into an engagement ring."