The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Stunning response to Marie Curie jewellery appeal.
Marie Curie asked for old jewellery to be made into new pieces for auction
A charity appeal for unwanted jewellery is set to raise thousands of pounds for families fighting terminal illness, thanks to kind-hearted Courier readers.
Earlier this month Marie Curie – the charity that provides free professional nursing care to the terminally ill at home – asked for odds, ends and broken trinkets to be donated to Dundee jeweller Lorraine Law so she could fashion something new to sell to raise funds.
Just days later the UK-wide charity, which began life 70 years ago thanks to the gift of a diamond engagement ring, received a “flood” of donations including another diamond ring.
The ring had been bought by a warbound soldier for his sweetheart. The soldier never returned, the sweetheart never married. In time, the ring passed to her sister who then left it to her friend.
After Marie Curie cared for her own sister and with no one else to leave the ring to, it lay dormant but not forgotten until The Courier story on April 9.
Now that stone – a 0.43 carat diamond – forms the centrepiece of a gold and peacock pearl necklace valued at £4,200 to be auctioned in London on Thursday.
Other items being sold include art by renowned figures like Picasso and Salvador Dali.
So much jewellery was handed in that Lorraine looks set to make at least four more unique pieces for auction later this year and also plans to present a cheque to Marie Curie for an additional £6,000 – the profits of surplus gold bullion.
Lorraine said: “Initially I thought we’d be lucky to get enough to make one piece worth around £400 or £500 but within hours of opening, the donations started coming in and they’re still coming.
“People have been so generous and so many of them have shared stories about what Marie Curie did for them or just saying that they don’t know what is ahead of them.”
Among the treasure trove are diamonds, pearls, sapphires, an emerald, opals and many pieces which Lorraine deemed too historically important to break up, including a brooch with a maker’s mark dating between 1899 to 1938.
All of these pieces will be examined by a specialist antique dealer to estimate their value in the coming weeks.
Lorraine said: “People have put their trust in me and I have a duty to find the best use and make the most of each and every item.”
As the necklace heads south to be auctioned at the London Housebuilders’ Brain Game at the Brewery on May 3, Lorraine said she is nervous about it going under the hammer.
She said: “It’s like laying your soul bare making a piece like this, you worry if people will like it, if it will sell. I just hope to do it justice.”
When an appeal was issued for pieces of old jewellery to help a Marie Curie fundraiser, few could have imagined the eventual response. The expected bits and pieces were to be used to create a bespoke piece of jewellery which would eventually be sold to raise vital funds for the charity.
It was a nice idea to help celebrate the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the globally-recognised organisation, which had its humble beginnings funded by the donation of a diamond engagement ring in 1948.
Instead of a trickle of trinkets, a literal treasure trove of items was submitted from across Tayside and Fife, including some too precious to break up.
Jeweller Lorraine Law has had her work cut out selecting the perfect pieces for her creation, the centrepiece of which will be another diamond engagement ring with a heartbreaking back story.
Of course, we are not surprised by the generosity of our readers – it has become the norm that they step up when asked to do so.
What the response does show is the depth of feeling for the charity, which provides nursing care for those with terminal illnesses.
As central funding gets increasingly squeezed, gestures such as this will become even more important.
Charities know they will always be able to rely on Courier Country’s generous public.