Jay Blades and the team revive three treasured family heirlooms, resuscitating the precious memories that they hold.

First to arrive, looking for the assistance of goldsmith Richard Talman, is Chris Quinn. He has brought in a precious possession that belonged to his late mother, Esther. The silver shamrock brooch was gifted to Esther by her sisters and represented their family’s Irish heritage. Esther was a caring mother to a large brood of nine children, often going without to make ends meet. This pretty brooch was one of the very few nice things she owned. Sadly, Esther died when Chris was a young lad, and he chose to keep the brooch as a reminder of his mum. However, it’s now crying out for some TLC. A few years ago, Chris attempted to repair it himself, replacing the missing green precious stones with pieces of green glass, with limited success. To make matters worse, the clasp is also failing. Richard carefully gives the brooch a new lease of life.

Next to arrive is Claire Hardman. She is entrusting her childhood fascination to the care of silversmith Brenton West. The miniature brass replica kitchen was bought for her nana by her father in the 1960s. Nana collected brass ornaments and displayed them all over her home, and Claire and her sister loved playing with the kitchen every time they visited, pretending to cook with its tiny kettles and pots. It was only recently, decades later, that the kitchen was unearthed at her parents’ house, and the happy memories came flooding back. It’s not as shiny as she remembers, and several pieces are missing, but she’s very keen for Brenton to get the kitchen back to its best.

Electronics whizz Mark Stuckey, alongside Dominic Chinea, waits eagerly for the final visitor, Wojciech Witoszynski. He’s brought in a distinctive metal desk lamp that belonged to his Polish grandparents, who bought it from a fashionable manufacturer in the 1920s. Wojciech spent wonderful summer holidays with his grandmother and clearly remembers the lamp displayed in her home. Since he inherited it, he’s been too fearful to switch it on, not trusting the outdated electrics. Now he hopes the team can bring the lamp and the memories it holds back to life. Show less