Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Re purposed


Today I thought I would take a moment and tell you a little about the way some of  my designs come together and what re purposed material might go into a finished piece of jewelry. The necklace I call "Lousia" is a good example as any I have in my collection to give you an idea of how my stuff is made and what items end up making into a piece of my jewelry. This necklace was a collaboration between my mother and I, as she works with me on some designs. She has a great eye for design and color. We love working together to bring alive beautiful pieces of wearable art. If you would like more info on this necklace  click on the link "repurposed necklace" below the pics




This necklace is a good example of the type of recycling I get to do. The pendant is composed of three different pieces: a very old glass clip on earring, the silver tone leaf broach and a small pewter bar with shell inlaid. The backing was removed from the clip on earring and laid flat. Then the broach had all of it backing removed and any rough edges filed down. Then the three pieces were wired together and held in place. The piece is finished with a combo of crackle glass beads, large acrylic beads and glass pearls. The toggle is leaf motif that play well with the the leaf theme in the broach. Now its a solid piece of affordable and unique jewelry. The clip on glass earring was a great find. A hand blown circle of   opaque and clear glass that resembles lace. The bar of pewter with the shell inlaid was a broken piece that laid in a drawer for years. I loved the theme and motif of the broach but the pin back no longer worked and it seems  to be happy as the new centerpiece in this unique find. I am always looking for unique elements to add to my designs. I love to re purpose, fix or improve a piece and make it wearable and useful again. Do you have an item you would like to breathe new life into? Contact me, maybe I can help. 
Repurposed Necklace






Here are some other examples of re purposed that have been designed by me over the years. 
Mix of materials- a cornucopia of beads: African trade, semi precious stone,
 glass, vintage, bone, clay, wood- chunky and colorful and one of a kind.  


memory wire bracelets made with a mix of vintage glass and acrylic pearls and other beads with tones of pink, orange and copper accents.

Vintage mother of pear shell bead and mix of tiny shell chip beads
These are part of a lot of vintage mother of pearl shell beads. I made the ear wires and found these chunky beads as part of a broken necklace stash in a little antique store in the Shenandoah Valley of Va. 

A vintage silk ribbon paired with a bronze tone bird and rose charm and a strand of vintage bronze metal beads.
A Large faceted teardrop necklace with a pendant that had its former life as part of a sparkling chandelier. I was able to acquire two of these and holding onto the last one to make another show stopper.

The vintage shell made it into this piece as well. The nugget was also a part of a broken stash and I paired it with some hazel wood beads and some flat shell discs. The piece reminds of my 1950's Polynesian  beach decor and fashion.

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