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16 February 2011

BTW::Custom Upcycle

I did it! I finally remembered that it was BTW before it was actually Wednesday!

{reinventing the bling - Julsbeads choices}

{sentimental favorites - Humblebeads choices for the two daughters}
{pulling it apart to put it together}

Tonight I managed to finish three necklaces.
I was given the opportunity to take some sentimental pieces from a friend from church named Rosan - like her mother's three strand costume pearl necklace and a pair of over the top crystal cluster earrings - and turn them into something new.

 The three-strand pearl necklace was not in the best shape, but the piece is sentimental to my client. She asked me to make an updated necklace for two of her daughters. I featured Humblebeads in both of these necklaces, using coordinating seed beads as spacers to make the beads go further, since a fair number of them had their lustre worn away over time. I mimicked the lines in the Humblebeads with the wavy silver and gold disks that remind me of flower petals.

I still have to make a double strand bracelet for my client from the remaining faux pearls. And to make it special I am going to use the ornate filigree pearl clasp as a little dangle.

Rosan also presented the challenge to take a very bling-y black crystal cluster earrings (complete with silver plated bows!) and tone it down a bit to make it something she would actually wear. So I selected a Julsbead from my prodigious stash and pitched the idea of breaking up the crystals into a necklace and earring set. I took apart about 30 crystals off their head pins and still only managed to use one of the earrings.

I like the way this piece turned out and think that Rosan will be proud to wear them now!

Turning someone's treasures into something they will actually wear is a great rush for me. It is like breathing new life into something that was forgotten or neglected.

10 comments:

  1. Nice job on all these pieces! I wish I shared your enthusiam for reworking treasures. Several months ago a lady gave me a pair of very worn sandals that were her mothers who had passed away. She wants me to take the faux jewels off and turn them into something beautiful. The jewels are made with cheap gold plastic surrounds, and already the gold is wearing off. I'm not inspired at all. Can you come to Kansas and help me? I need some of that 'rush' to get me started.

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  2. What a great new interpretation. And how wonderful from the lady to give her two girls a necklace made from you and out of something sentimental to her.

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  3. I love the story and the necklaces. They really are special.
    When I first started designing jewelry 20 years ago I used to make "treasure necklaces". People would give me sacks of their grandmothers and mothers old jewelry. I would take it apart and add things to recreate a new piece that would contain all those special pieces. It would give me such a warm feeling when the client would see it and love it.
    Thanks for bringing back those memories.

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  4. What I really like about this, other than your beautiful design, is that the daughters get to share a family heirloom. They are things they will wear rather than tuck away in a drawer.

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  5. I so admire your ability to rework those treasured pieces into something fresh! I'm sure that she will love the finished products :)

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  6. You are so good at this. You take the time to listen and pick up on those little things that just make the person feel it was made just for them.(even though they know it they feel it too) AWESOME!

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  7. What a fun project! I'm sure everyone will be happy with their new treasures - they're lovely and creatively reimagined!

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  8. Lovely!

    And you said:

    {pulling it apart to put it together}

    I do this a lot when I can't think creatively. If a piece has sat in my inventory for a year, out it goes, and it's taken apart and sits in a pile until I'm inspired to do something else with it.

    And I have a few customers who will bring in things from their jewelry boxes and ask me to "Lori it up!". Doesn't that feel good, when people trust you to do that?

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  9. What a wonderful job you did! Now she and her daughter's can all cherish their relative's jewelry!

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  10. They are all great! I love the choices and I think what you did with them was amazing!

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