Holly Anne Mitchell Jewelry - Recycled Newspapers and Comic Strips

We want to be as eco-friendly as possible. If that means wearing jewelry made with pre-used items, we are all for it, as long as the design is interesting and the functionality of the item isn't compromised.

In a throw-away society, things like the daily newspapers, comic strips, stock reports, and losing lottery tickets all find their way rather easily into the trash can. But when Holly Anne Mitchell gets hold of these pieces of paper detritus, they become something not only worth keeping but actually worth wearing. To our way of thinking, that is eco-friendliness at its best.

While Holly Anne originally began her endeavor using newspaper comic strips because of the rich color patterns, her designs have evolved over the years to include sweetener packets, expired grocery coupons and losing lottery tickets. Makes us want to gather up our paper recyclables and ship it to her instead of taking it to the local recycling station so she may use it all to make more art-to-wear delights.

This pair of earrings is called Recycled Newspaper Political Cartoon





Holly Anne's technique calls for her to painstakingly handcraft each paper bead. She cuts the paper into strips, hand-forms each strip into uniform-sized beads, then stitches them together. She embellishes them with metallic beads or sparkly crystals to create multi-layered necklaces, bracelets, cuff links, brooches, and earrings. The textural, innovative results are wonderfully stylish and a really fun conversation starter.

These amusing pieces are called Comic Strip Earrings







This bracelet made with California losing lottery tickets is called Shattered Dreams. It's lush, has a strangely satisfying heft to it, and is embellished with brass beads. Brass seems to be an appropriate metal to use to signify a lost lottery fortune. Gold would be a powerful choice of embellishment if one actually were to win the lottery . . . . and wearing recycled paper jewelry to lessen one's eco-footprint would be appropriate in either case.







This pendant is called What's Black and White and Red All Over ? Amusing touches such as this are found throughout Holly Anne's website.





A bit of political philosophy emerges in a piece called The Martin Luther King Commemorative Necklace. This piece is made with Holly Anne's signature recycled newspaper beads in several different colors. As she puts it:

"The color of each bead (white, black, red, yellow, etc.) is representative of a race. The beads are juxtaposed in a pattern representative of Reverend King's dream."



We appreciate her nod to a cross-cultural design and expression of a noble sentiment.


Eco-friendly materials, intriguing designs, and dedication to uncompromising technique. We find these pieces inspiring.

What do you find inspiring about this work?

Leave us some comments, we'd love to hear from you.

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Amy Pfaffman Jewelry - Recycled Jewelry Made with Found Objects

We have a strong attraction to jewelry made by those artists who create their work using found objects. Using recycled, reclaimed and natural materials in her jewelry designs, Amy Pfaffman seeks to create items of personal adornment that brings together her love for the beauty of functional objects, her passion for sustainability and her sense of design.

These earrings are called Colored Pencils with Onyx

Her use of actual pencils cut into uniform pieces gives us a strange sense of satisfaction. We like knowing that all those stubby, leftover pieces have found a new home and can still enjoy the light of day when worn by someone who cherishes their not-so-humble existence.

Here is a piece called Pocketwatch Necklace

Amy expresses her point of view rather well on her website when she says,

"I walk through the world looking for possibilities in everything I see. I can find inspiration in the most unlikely places. I love cutting materials into smaller pieces, somewhat disguising their origins and becoming gems of sorts. . . . . When these unlikely materials are worn as jewelry, they're reconsidered and seen in a new way."

Here's a photo of a necklace made with pebbles and stones called 3 Charms

Her range of materials includes items such as old Bingo numbers, vintage watch faces, vinyl records, brass locker tags, knitting needles, broken pottery, guitar picks, colored pencils and alot more. She also makes molds of things like coffee beans and alphabet pasta then has them cast in sterling silver.

This necklace made with recycled plastic is called Ducks in a Row

We especially like the fact that Amy is inspired by everything, everywhere. As she says, "I walk through the world looking for possibilities in everything I see." To us, this is the true definition of inspiration. Truly, inspiration is all around us, yet so many can't seem to see much of it. We also strive to see the possibilities in everything around us. . . whether for writing, or creating jewelry, or even decorating a home.

Do you believe that inspiration is everywhere?

Are you inspired by everyday objects, mundane locations, idle chatter?

Where do you find your inspiration?

Share your thoughts with us, we look forward to hearing from you.

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Lulu Smith Jewelry- Vibrant Color and Elegance in Resin and Silver

We enjoy jewelry that is both fun and elegant at the same time. Fun and elegant is how we describe the hand-pigmented resin and sterling silver jewelry made by LuLu Smith.

This humorous piece is called Ripple Bracelet

Bold color combinations matched with simple designs makes for jewelry that could easily be worn during the day at work and for a special occasion.

This rather orderly pendant is called Big Space






Our love for colorful things is sparked by Lulu's use of vibrant color and bold shapes.




These delightlful earrings are called Coneflower

We also enjoy reading her blog......especially when she describes her workflow as taking a significant amount of time from idea to product......her words describe it best:

"several months…from pencil…to paper…to computer…to model…to caster…to mold…to silver….and then back to me for assembly… soldering… cleaning… pouring… grinding.. edging… clear coating."

Yes, we can certainly see the amount of work that goes into each piece.

This entertaining piece is called Junction Bracelet

Starting with simple shapes, many organic in style, the colors create the energy within each piece. Simple pieces become more layered and create more vibrant energy.



This wonderful piece is called Cubist Pendant

Colorful, fun, energetic . . . it's all hand-pigmented and hand-poured. The sterling silver outlines provide structure -- the resin provides intense color. A great combination.

What are your thoughts about energetic color?

Are you inspired by active, vibrant, energetic designs?

What are your thoughts?

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Shahasp Valentine Jewelry - Combining Elegant Design with Precious Metal Clay

One of our favorite PMC jewelry designers is Shahasp Valentine. The grace and elegance of her precious metal clay pendants, necklaces, rings, and earrings are reminiscent of old-fashioned heirloom pieces.

This necklace is called Nouveau #3




Even though her handcrafted jewelry is new, it looks antique, like an heirloom handed down through generations.


This one is called Rococo Necklace




These are pieces that speak to the spirit of remembrance; to the spirit of memory that lies within us.


This one is called Classical Necklace #2

She describes her work in such an enchanting way:

"historically-inspired designs based on great jewels of the past, architectural details, stained glass windows of great cathedrals, and elements taken from virtually every period of history. .......the work in this collection is distinctly regal and intended to appear ancient. "

This necklace is called Salisbury




The flowing designs she creates in this Modern Artifacts Collection are mesmerizing. Each piece is hand-formed, signed, and numbered.

Here is a necklace called French Shell




We'll conclude by saying that we believe Shahasp is an artist who creates a whole lot of enchantment and romance in the form of jewelry. This is romance we can wear. Each lovely design, while formed with bold intention, displays every delicate detail that the artist envisioned. Her inspiration is apparent in every design.

How do you find your inspiration?

What mesmerizes your imagination and pushes you to create?

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Kathleen Dustin Jewelry - Inspiration Celebrated in Polymer Clay

Ever since we first saw her work several years ago, we have found inspiration in the polymer clay jewelry art of Kathleen Dustin. We find ourselves repeating the words, over and over again, "Wow. This is polymer clay. How does she do that. How does she create that."





This one is called "Leaf Bracelet."



Most noted for her exquisite evening bags, her work has been celebrated for its emotional images of women, for the translucent depth of surface that she creates, and for her painstaking use of both vibrant and natural colors.



Her art-to-wear jewelry is equally as striking.



This one is called "Pinchpot Necklace." Looking at her work we feel inspired. Inspired by her ideas. Inspired by her techniques. Inspired by her choices of color and form and texture.




Her own thoughts are inspiring also:


"People often ask me, ‘Where do your ideas come from?’ I feel that part of my job as an artist is to pay attention, ....The imagery of my work comes from taking a deep look at my life, responding to it, and expressing it so that it strikes a cord in someone else too, encouraging them to pay attention."



This is "Tornado Bracelet" from her archived collection.
When viewing Kathleen's work we find ourselves having a strong emotional reaction that takes us to new places in our minds and ignites our creativity.






ok, so we just had to sneak in a photo of one of Kathleen's exquisite evening bags...... maybe it’s not jewelry, per se. But as true "art to wear" it still qualifies as jewelry for us....we would wear it as a piece of jewelry, no doubt about it. (It's called Corn Catchfly Purse.)


As Kathleen states on her website, ". . . these purses are functional, you are supposed to touch them, caress them and examine them. Your life is enhanced because it´s wonderful to carry beautiful things around with you and use them. And that is what I want my creations to do."



We leave her website thinking about inspiration and the role it plays in keeping us motivated to achieve our goals.

We're sure you've had a similar experience where you find yourself deeply influenced by an artist's work.

It is this energy of inspiration that can be used as fuel to keep us moving in the right direction.


So, what inspires you to keep pursuing your art jewelry dreams?


Where do you find inspiration?

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Dead Artists Might Have Made Jewelry

It would be awesome to be able to see, purchase, wear, and discuss jewelry made by some of the world’s great artists, who never actually made any jewelry.

Our point of view is that their particular artistic creativity might actually have translated quite well into pieces of wearable art.

For instance, wouldn’t it be interesting to see what kind of necklace Louise Nevelson might have created? Once described as, ‘one of the most important American sculptors of the mid-20th century,’ we imagine that with her large, chunky sculptures and monumental installations, it would seem that her jewelry might have appeared just as chunky and monolithic. She wasn’t intimidated by new ideas and creativity in sculpture, so our feeling is that she wouldn’t have held back in her jewelry design, either.

How about someone like, Georgia O’Keefe. How would jewelry that she might have designed actually translate into fashion? With her eye for color and texture, her artwork was fairly commercial in her lifetime. It’s quite likely that her jewelry might actually have become extremely commercial, also.

Again, what if someone like Lenore Tawney, using her weaving skills, and her eye for texture and substance, had been inspired to create fiber-based necklaces? A woman who achieved greatness in the weaving discipline, beginning her career at age fifty, and living to the age of 100, Tawney helped create the fiber art medium, as we know it today. We imagine those pieces would definitely have found homes in some of the museums of the world. And a lot of celebrities probably would be diehard fans of her jewelry, too.

Another icon of the art world, Eva Hesse, produced for so short a period of time, that who knows, maybe she may have actually been led to the field of jewelry had she had enough time. With a career spanning only ten years, we feel she had the most possibilities in pursuing a new field.

Who knows what these masters of their genre might have produced had they shifted their focus for awhile and tried their hand at a new field of endeavor.

We, Shelby and Carmela, would love to have seen their work. How about you?

Do you feel, as we do, that once one expresses creativity in one medium, that there is a strong possiblity that one may actually translate that creative spark to another?

Who would you like to have seen produce jewelry who did not actually make jewelry in their lifetime?

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Welcome

Welcome to The Secret Life of Handcrafted Jewelry.


We love handcrafted stuff.....especially jewelry.


WE imagine you love handcrafted stuff, too.


Especially jewelry.


The purpose of this blog is to share our love of the handcrafted, artist-made jewelry that we have discovered on the web over the past few years.


Here are designers, artists, artisans, jewelers.


Here are the self-taught individuals and those with degrees. Here are the people who create from their need to share their vision. These people inspire and enlighten us with their spectacular creations. Their jewelry is truly Art to Wear.


Share and enjoy this journey with us.


Offer your comments, ideas, ramblings, suggestions.

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