Upcycled Vintage Jewelry: Environmentally & Socially Conscious Bling for Your Ears

Turquoise Vintage Cameo Drop Earrings

Why not lessen your environmental footprint by purchasing jewelry that incorporates vintage pieces? 

Earrings with vintage cameos or rhinestones add a uniquely vintage touch to your jewelry that ensures you won't find a friend or stranger wearing the exact same pair!

As I try to do with the majority of my designs, most pieces have at least one vintage component or in some, the only new addition is the actually earring hook, wire or leverback. 

Using a vintage teardrop for example in a beautiful white milk glass is the perfect accent to a turquoise patina finished piece. 

Finished with new red copper leverbacks, these earrings are not something you would find at any other shop than FrameBoutique.

Turquoise & White Teardrop Earrings

 

Something old, something new,

Something borrowed, something blue,

And a silver sixpence in her shoe.

Need that "something blue", "something old" & "something new", look no further because with some of our earrings you can fulfill all three of this good-luck bridal rhyme with one pair of FrameBoutique earrings. This good luck saying actually dates back to the Victorian era.

Something Old: symbolic of continuity, oftentimes a link to the bride's own family & mother's past.

Something New: represents good luck & hopes for a bright future. Wearing a new item also symbolizes the bride & bride-groom are creating a new union that will last.

Something Borrowed: symbolizes the support of friends & family by lending something that represents 'happiness', but must be returned after the wedding. 

Something Blue: symbolizes faithfulness, loyalty & is sometimes a blue garter. In the past, couples actually wore blue bands on the border of their wedding suit & dress to show their love, modesty & fidelity to each other. 

 (http://www.somethingoldsomethingnew.co.uk/)

When using vintage rhinestones, I always embrace the minimalist aesthetic. A long, elegant kidney wire won't outshine these incredibly vibrant {Tiffany blue moonstones} & will bring an {Art Deco}-inspired touch to any outfit. 

Tiffany Blue Diamond Drop Earrings, Kidney Wire

New pieces are added daily to FrameBoutique.Etsy.com (Click on the names of the earrings to be directed to each listing)

White Milk Glass Teardrop Earrings

Lapis Lazuli Teardrop Earrings

Teal Mosaic Studs

Azure Blue Drop Earrings

Opalescent Diamond Brass Drops, Kidney Wire

Fire Opal Studs

Petals of Pages, An Upcycled Brooch

As a community, Etsy sellers & buyers constantly inspire & motivate me. Having my work acknowledged or "favourited" is very encouraging & the most rewarding is when customers request custom orders & sincerely love their new FrameBoutique item.

A few hours ago, I put the final touches on a custom order of my upcycled brooch design using "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho & I thought I would share some great links on upcycling.

Soon, I'll post a DIY tutorial for my upcycled pom and brooch designs!

A few months ago I decided to try my hand at decorative poms, but I wanted to use my own unique design & material. That's when I found a new purpose for a very worn Noam Chomsky book. I was surprised by the amount of people that contacted me, created treasuries or favourited this small, 6 inch pom I had made.

There was also something strangely cathartic about ripping apart a book after graduating with my master's in English.

Then I started to research this movement a bit further & found some interesting facts. Upcycling is actually very different from recycling or "downcycling" since the recycling process creates a product that is of lower quality than before.

With upcycling, designers like myself (& there are thousands on Etsy) take something that would otherwise be chucked into the garbage or recycling bin & repurpose it into a new product that is of an improved, higher quality.

In an effort to combine this newfound love of upcycled items & jewelry, I designed a upcycled brooch which I call "Petals of Pages". This brooch is the perfect size, 3 inches in diameter and 1 & 1/2 inches tall.

I wanted to share some of the great free DIY designs I've stumble across. Here are some great links that are specific to upcycling: http://toponlineengineeringdegree.com/?page_id=116 or http://blog.sustainablog.org/six-creative-upcycling-projects/ or http://blog.gaiam.com/blog/don’t-recycle-that-5-cool-diy-upcycling-websites/

If you would like to share a upcycled project, post it here or shoot me an email. A great read for those interested in upcycling is Michael Braungart & William McDonough's "Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things".

To see my Etsy listings, check out:
Petals of Pages: http://www.etsy.com/listing/78051501/brooch-altered-book-petals-of-pages?nc=1
Shabby Chic Pomander: http://www.etsy.com/listing/78001653/home-decor-hanging-upcycled-book-shabby