If she wanted, jeweller Carolina Bucci could have created a unique pair of rings for her and husband James to mark their wedding. Instead the couple chose to wear wedding bands which once belonged to James’ grandparents. Wearing heirloom pieces and passing down jewellery is well and truly back in fashion.

"I was given lots of jewellery belonging to both my grandmothers and great-grandmothers, but instead of storing them in a vault, my parents encouraged me to wear these pieces," explains Bucci, a jeweller based in Motcomb Street, London. "I’ve always admired the making of fine jewellery from another age."

Born into the trade, Bucci was surrounded by jewellers and jewellery from a young age (her father was a jeweller in Florence). She was taught to appreciate jewels, but more importantly to love and enjoy wearing jewellery, especially the heirloom pieces she was given.

According to Bucci, it’s the 'extra sentimental element’ that gives heirloom pieces a special quality, but this she feels does not restrict them to being worn only on special occasions. The same goes for the couple’s wedding bands, which they wear every day, Bucci believes the rings have a 'special feeling’ attached to them.

"A necklace, a bracelet, or a ring belonging to a loved one will always bear that special element to it," insists Bucci. That’s why she’s keen her next child is a girl (she’s currently eight months pregnant). "I have no daughters yet which for a jewellery designer is a little frustrating. If I don’t have a girl I will definitely pass down jewellery to my nieces and one day to my daughters-in law."

What’s the best way to wear heirloom pieces? "Enjoy it. Nothing is too precious to be worn. And to give gold and diamonds the perfect shine, all you need is a quick polish with a dab of gin."

Marisa Hordern together with her sister Michelle and their mother Sofia, form Missoma, a London-based jewellery label which creates a mix of contemporary directional design with classic elegance.

Although Hordern believes jewellery makes a great alternative heirloom to furniture and paintings she’s not sure it’s always a welcome gift. "It’s very difficult nowadays to be handed down something that fits in with your lifestyle and what you wear."

Hordern’s solution is to 'mix it up’. She believes older heirloom pieces worn with more contemporary jewellery will bring them to life. "If you have a locket or pendant, you can layer it with other necklaces to give it a modern feel. It’s the same with bracelets or bangles which you can stack up."

Another suggestion is to remodernise an heirloom by asking a jeweller to take out the stones and reset them in a necklace or ring you can wear every day. Hordern says: "It makes the piece more interesting and it also reflects your individual style and personality."

Don’t worry if you haven’t been given any heirloom pieces, according to Hordern there are plenty of places to bag yourself some vintage. "The best place to buy old jewellery is at auction. This is where you will find plenty of beautiful one-off pieces." All the big auction houses like Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Bonham’s regularly hold jewellery auctions, with some pieces selling at lower re-sale prices than expected.

Bespoke jeweller Ming Lampson agrees jewellery is very much back in fashion as an heirloom. Lampson is based in trendy Westbourne Grove where she creates one-off commissions for a long list of celebrity clients.

Bespoke jewellery is on the rise, with more and more people choosing tailor made pieces over advertised commercial ranges. "As things are so mass produced now and with the advent of the Internet everything is so readily available, people are going back to treasure things which are made by hand exclusively for them," advises Lampson.

That’s why Lampson believes handing down jewellery is making a comeback. "You can get beautiful pieces of gold jewellery for less than £1,000, which will last forever, rather than a coat which will only be in fashion for one season."

For Lampson, what sets jewellery aside from heirloom paintings, furniture or clothes, is the stories behind the pieces which makes it special. "If you meet somebody and say 'I like your necklace’, they are likely to say something like 'it belonged to my grandmother who bought it in Russia’ or something like that. They will always tell the story, and this is what makes jewellery the ultimate heirloom."

And unlike fashion, jewellery is more likely to be worn than some of the clothes from past eras. Lampson gives the example of Victorian clothes which seem rigid and uncomfortable looking, compared with a pair of Victorian earrings which would definitely tick the vintage box.

To have something that you’re the only one in the world who has it, to me that is the ultimate luxury," enthuses Lampson.

It is clear that jewellery is still very much the ultimate heirloom. It’s far more portable and flexible than a painting or an old chair, and it can be reset, layered and worn with more modern jewellery to bring it bang up to date.

It’s also a great way to pass on a little bit of style and inspiration to a younger generation, who are already enjoying jewellery from shops like TopShop and Accessorise bringing statement, fashion forward pieces to the high street. Passing down jewellery is the way to go, after all what girl can say no to a vintage diamond or two?

By Rupa Sudra