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 auction in order to raise funds for the charity.
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 engagement ring.
The ring had been bought by a war-bound 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 which will 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 for an additional £6000 – the profits of surplus gold bullion – to Marie Curie later this spring.
Lorraine admitted the response has been overwhelming.
She 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 in.
“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.
“It has been very humbling, people are giving what they can to help.”
Amongst 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, including platinum rings, will be examined by a specialist antique dealer to estimate their true worth 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 more than a little nervous about it going under the hammer.
She said: “I’ve been having panic attacks. 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.”
Marie Cure was founded on the donation of a diamond engagement ring in 1948 and three engagement rings have been donated to this month’s Tayside appeal.
Charity patron Petra McMillan said: “The volume of donations, the quality and the value of the items is amazing but more than that it is humbling to be gifted items of huge sentimental importance.
“It is an indication of the love and trust that Courier readers have for Marie Curie and a recognition of the value of the work they know we do in their communities.
“With just £20 ‘buying’ one hour of high quality, hands on nursing care for individuals with a range of terminal conditions, including cancer, this is a massive boost to our community nursing service and we cannot thank them or Lorraine enough for their support.”
The Marie Curie Magpie Appeal closes today.
Items can still be accepted at Lorraine Law’s Union Street shop tomorrow; at Jessie’s Kitchen, Broughty Ferry or Jehl Hair & Beauty in Carnoustie
