Coming Unhinged!

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- Rena Klingenberg

Coming Unhinged!

by Joan Williams
(Springfield, MO)

One of the local antiques dealers has gotten used to me coming in looking for weird things to make jewelry with, so now he just hands me boxes of mixed junk and lets me paw through them.

He looked skeptical when I pulled out this old hinge but I was thrilled - the shape of it! the old red chippy paint! He let me have it for a dollar and I hurried home with it.

The bracelet itself is very simple - I just threaded two chains together and attached one end to the hinge and attached an oversized lobster clasp to the other end. A few czech glass dangles on a short piece of chain adds a little gypsy flair, and that's it!

Joan Williams
Lilruby - jewelry design and more

Comments for
Coming Unhinged!

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Great vintage piece
by: Leigh

At first I was not sure about the red paint on the hinge but after really looking it is what makes the bracelet have that vintage look.

coming unhinged
by: kate

did you have to clean it up a little and would you have had to give it a coat of varnish?
That's a great way to use these pieces. I looked at your site and you have some attractive pieces on there. You are very innovative, thanks for showing us.

An idea for you
by: Rena

Joan, I love this!

Also, after reading your writeup on this piece, I had an idea for you:

Would your antique-shop owner be interested in taking some of your vintage-component finished jewelry (like this piece) on consignment or wholesale? I think any of his customers who are interested in antiques / vintage stuff would be very drawn to your repurposed jewelry art!

And he couldn't help telling them about the artist who comes in, searches through the odds and ends, and makes these jewelry pieces from them.

I think people would love that.

It might also be the starting point for people coming to you with their own vintage objects or treasured items, to have you turn them into a custom piece of your wonderful jewelry.

re: comments
by: Joan

Ooh Rena, I like that idea - incorporating other people's items into found object jewelry could be the niche I'm looking for! Thanks so much for the suggestion and thanks to all of you for your comments!