A Lost Garrard Ring, Acquired in the 1980s, is Remade Almost 40 Years Later
When a client approached one of our sales executives with a special request, a story began to unfold that led to a hunt through the Garrard archives and a private commission to recreate a lost jewel, filled with memories and greatly missed. In the 1980s, the client had purchased a horseshoe ring from Garrard. Crafted in yellow gold and set with emeralds and diamonds, it accompanied many fun times with her children—so much so that the ring came to represent their childhood. Could Garrard possibly remake it, she asked?
More than 30 years later, the horseshoe ring was still being worn regularly, until it slipped from her finger while playing with her grandchildren. “It was a bit of a blow to lose the original ring while enjoying the same fun things as I did with my children decades ago,” the client told Luke Cairns, the sales representative in charge of dealing with this unique request. “Its value is in the joyful memories.”
Cairns immediately contacted Claire Scott, who oversees the Garrard archives. It wasn’t the first time she had received such a request from a client who had sadly lost a treasured piece and was looking to recreate it. “Between the information received from the client and our archives, we always strive to remake pieces as faithfully as possible,” says Scott. “With our 290-year history, we are not always able to locate a record of an archival piece, but we will do all we can to make sure the client is happy with the end result.”
On this occasion, a photograph of the exact ring was found in a catalogue, printed in 1988. The horseshoe ring shared a page with a stirrup pendant, a chunky gold necklace in the form of a horse’s head, a Wellington boot brooch and a diamond golf club, giving an insight into the motifs and pastimes that were popular at the time. As a partner of Royal Ascot since 1842, Garrard has shared close links with the world of horse racing for hundreds of years. “Horseshoe and horse motifs were quite prevalent in the 1980s,” explains Scott. “They would have been popular with Garrard’s British clients, many of whom would have had some connection with horses.”
The horseshoe has been regarded as a luck-bringing symbol since the Middle Ages. Always depicted upright, to ensure the luck doesn’t fall out, having an exact image of the ring enabled Garrard to faithfully replicate all the details, right down to the setting of the emeralds and diamonds. From initial enquiry to completed ring, the bespoke process took approximately three months.
“As a family, we have a few pieces of Garrard jewellery, and this ring was my favourite.”
When the new horseshoe ring was presented to the client, she was thrilled—and immediately began contemplating how lovely it would be to own a matching pendant. “As a family, we have a few pieces of Garrard jewellery,” she shared. “This ring was my favourite. The amazing service you have given is a marker of your loyal service to your customers.”
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