Many jewelry artists and mixed media artists today are focused on recycling, reusing and up-cycling vintage and antique jewelry making components for their jewelry designs. While I contemplate using original jewelry components are significant and relevant in today’s market position, I applaud the desire to reuse a gorgeous brooch or beads that had their heyday once but now are sitting in frail crusty boxes somewhere in a dismal warehouse wrapped in feeble tissue. Using vintage components in a jewelry produce gives it that added special touch that many people descend in like with. I derive it gratifying to utilize vintage components and beading supplies in my designs radiant that some pieces of the past have found a novel home and are not discarded for raze.
In the past several years it has become increasingly difficult to collect quality vintage components. A few of my common items to spend these days are vintage brass filigree stampings once traditional for the trade to fabricate clip on earrings and brooches, these today can be transformed by adding patina, folding them over a center stone for a pendant or adding to a mixed media canvas for extra depth and dimension. Also worth noting are worn chandelier parts. I treasure to do a photo or vintage recount glued late a chandelier crystal and add some beaded chain for a one of a kind personalized necklace. Of course who can do without some incredible vintage beads! There were so many substantial colors in the 40′s and 50′s, I worship the banana yellows and the vibrant cherry reds. Giving your clients a fraction of history in a handsomely crafted jewelry build is not only qualified for the environment but first-rate for the soul.
To salvage some of these unbelievable vintage components, you can peek for some absorbing pieces at a local garage sales, your local bead store or in antique malls but by far the best station I deem is the internet for those really fresh pieces. I reach across all sorts of enormous, hard to gain supplies out there on the internet. Using a few excellent search terms and words can yield the unexpected pick up like ‘vintage jewelry components’ or more specific ‘vintage brass stamping’. If you don’t know what something is called, exhaust a basic term like ‘vintage chandelier parts’, then ogle at a suggested spot and procure more specific terms like ‘vintage two hole faceted crystal’ or ‘vintage gigantic teardrop crystal’. By adding different combinations using two to three words in a search term, you may stumble upon a mammoth website that carries exactly what you are looking for. cheerful hunting!