Designing Jewelry from
Vintage Items

© by Rena Klingenberg; all rights reserved

I love designing jewelry from vintage items - incorporating neat old stuff into my current jewelry creations.

Antique keys can be used marvelously
in all kinds of jewelry designs.

This melding of modern techniques with items from yesteryear results in wonderfully unique jewelry that (depending on the elements used) can feel romantic, gothic, kitschy, or iconic - and people of all ages are attracted to it.

These "repurposed vintage" designs are usually handmade and one-of-a-kind - so customers sense that if they fall in love with one of these pieces, they'd better buy it now.

Parts and pieces from old typewriters
and adding machines are popular for this
kind of jewelry.

So what types of vintage items make good jewelry components, and where can you get them?

Naturally if you want to make wearable jewelry, it's a good idea to use elements that are sufficiently small and lightweight to be worn comfortably.

Vintage buttons come in
all kinds of sizes, colors, and shapes -
and are usually just the right size for jewelry!

And while you're hunting for items you can use, look beyond what most people see.

Especially consider vintage items that don't have anything to do with jewelry.

Also look for items you could take apart, and use the parts.

Similarly, look carefully for possibilities in broken items - can you use any parts of them in a jewelry project?

Vintage photos, letters, and postcards
can be photocopied, scanned, or reproduced
in other ways so you won't have to cut up
the original for your jewelry project.

• antique keys


• postage stamps


• old photos


• bits of old letters or postcards


• pictures clipped from vintage magazines or catalogs


• old jewelry you can take apart for clasps, lockets, stampings, beads, etc.


• typewriter / adding machine parts


• scraps of lace, ribbon, or fabric


• antique buttons


• game pieces


• vintage sewing supplies


• old clocks and watches, taken apart - gears, etc.


• small appliances, taken apart


• small toys, dolls, or the parts of them


• small vintage travel souvenirs


• antique spoons or other silverware


• crocheted doilies


• tiny containers - bottles, tins, etc.


• bottle caps


• Crackerjack prizes or cereal-box toys


• pieces from old tools or equipment


• medical, dental, and optical supplies


• old eyeglasses


• marbles


• baby items


• sentimental occasion items - wedding favors, anniversary items


• shards of china, pottery, or glassware.

Broken pottery shards can make lovely, unique jewelry.

See Finding Vintage Items for Jewelry Making - where and how to source wonderful old odds and ends to use for designing jewelry from vintage items.