When my husband and I got engaged he bought me the most beautiful necklace, bracelet, earring set from White House, Black Market. I love it to this day. The earrings were by far my favorite - simple grey beaded earrings. I wore them several times a week until I lost them about six months after we got married. For the last year I've kept my eyes open for a similar pair, but with no luck. I don't wear the bracelets very often because they usually would interfere with computer work. But last night I put them on to go out to dinner and it hit me! I could use one of the three bracelets to make earrings almost identical to the ones I lost. Now there's an idea! They would still match the set and they would be free.
So, this afternoon I put my boy down for a nap, dug up a picture of me wearing the original pendants so I could study their design, pulled out my jewelry kit, dissected one of the bracelets and went to work. Thirty minutes later I had two new pairs of earrings. I'm tempted to dig through my jewelry case and see what else I don't wear often that could be reused and restyled into something else.
So, instead of rushing out to buy this season's hottest jewelry trend, consider perusing your current jewelry stash for inspiration. If you've never made your own jewelry before, don't be intimidated. Designing decadent adornment is really quite simple and inexpensive. All it requires is a trip to the craft store, a little patience and imagination and some fun! Below is a list of helpful tools to get started recycling your own jewelry.
1 PAIR OF FINE JEWELRY PLIERS, $7
1 PAIR OF PLIERS WITH BUILT IN WIRE CUTTER (PROBABLY ON YOUR HUSBAND'S WORK BENCH), $7
1 PACKAGE EARRING HOOKS (OR SPLURGE AND GET ONE GOLD, ONE SILVER), $3/EA
1 PACKAGE MULTI SIZE EYEPINS, $4
Those findings will get you started on earrings but there is endless selection at your local craft store. The best way to start is experiment and have fun. Happy recycling!
