the magic of reuse

Last semester in my studio class, I challenged myself to use only the metal and scraps I had left over from previous semesters to create a semester's worth of jewelry. I wanted to create designs from on-hand materials rather than buying materials to create preconceived designs... this may, of course, originated from the fact that I was a poor student and couldn't afford to buy more materials at the time, but it was a challenge in creative problem-solving, none the less. In the end, I had pieces that I was even happier with than the pieces I created during previous semesters with a design in mind beforehand.
Above are some of the designs I managed to come up with using only left over metal and chain and, in some cases, vintage book pages (left over from when I created the place cards for my wedding).

This is another technique I worked on that consisted of reusing scraps, which I fell heartbreakingly in love with, called water casting. (For those who don't know, water casting is where you melt metal until it is molten or liquid and pour it into cool water to create these organic, unique shapes.) I had saved all of my scrap metal... literally tiny pieces of metal that would have been considered garbage... and was able to create these beautiful pieces of art, many of which became pendants. Not only was the act of melting metal gratifying to me, but to see the different shapes I created each time was so exciting. You have very little control over how the pieces turn out but that is the sole reason the result is so awe-inspiring!

Even after the semester ended, I still try to find ways to reuse materials in my pieces, from scraps to vintage findings. I always save scraps of chain that eventually I turn into the earring design above. The mixture of different link styles, lengths and number of chains creates a unique pair of earrings every time, that are both simple and beautiful.