14/10/2026
Tonight , BBC1 , 8pm, meet Joe Riley from Kent, carrying his grandfather Tom’s signet ring. Originally crafted in 1932 as a wedding gift for Tom’s father, the ring bears the initials MC for Mary Cummings, Joe’s great-grandmother. Tom wore the ring every day, becoming a father figure to Joe after his parents divorced. Now wafer-thin, cracked and too small to wear, the ring has been rejected by jewellers unwilling to risk repairing its hollow construction. I take on the challenge, reinforcing the fragile structure with a custom-made internal shim, carefully soldering and laser-welding the cracked top plate, and finally passing the ring to engraver Sam Marsden, who delicately restores Mary’s original initials before I have chance to visit Joe and pass on some valuable tips on polishing such a precious item.
