Soul Fishing©: Diy Project: Recycle Your Old Jewelry

I love jewelry. I love it so much in fact, that I have not one, but… okay, I don’t know exactly how many drawers I have choc-a-block full of jewelry, some of it that I haven’t worn in years. You know how these things pile up, you get a few birthday presents with jewelry you’d never wear and then you lie to your friends that the bling is great in order not to hurt their feelings and then the bling stays safely hidden in the drawer.

Then, there are the impulse purchases; you think something is going to look great on you and you’re so psyched about it that you buy it, picturing yourself wearing it for the rest of your life, because it’s so friggin’ great, but then it turns out it’s completely impractical to wear. I remember purchasing a really cool pair of earrings, the design was and still is, absolutely perfect, I love them – but they are really very heavy. I mean, I don’t want to end up with drooping earlobes, like those old ladies from African tribes. So I don’t wear them, which is a shame because I do love them.

That is how I came up with this tutorial. If you don’t like it, recycle it, no shame in that. Think of it as giving a tired old jewelry a face lift.

Here’s what you’ll need:

-sharp scissors

-a thin but strong elastic band (in Ljubljana, you can get it in Antus, Prometej or Levček in BTC)

-all the old pieces of jewelry in dire need of a face lift

Before diy-ing a really cool piece of jewelry, it’s important to know the trends. I have to say that they are currently not in favor of big chunky statement pieces as they had been just two seasons ago. This season is all about delicate, thin pieces of jewelry. That is why I’ve decided to design a bracelet with just one statement bead, in my case, the good luck piggy bead that I got at Beads & Stuff in Trubarjeva Street, and the rest of it are just teeny-tiny Indian beads.

Secondly, after having taken apart many, many, many necklaces and bracelets, I have learned to take the beaded jewelry apart over the lid of the box. That way, the beads won’t fly all over the place. Trust me, searching for the lost beads on your knees kills the creative spirit.

Thirdly, be creative. Think outside the box. What else can you recycle and incorporate into the bracelet? An old necklace pendant? An old charm pendant? A piece of old earring? Play also with different materials. Plastic vs. Swarowski crystals, wood vs semi-precious stones, Murano beads vs. plastic Indian beads, etc. The eclectic boho-chic mix is so fashionable right now, use it in your designs!

I bought these gorgeous rich burgundy red beads in Libya. They are made of a semi-precious stone called granate. The Turkish eye pendant is of course from Turkey and it’s about 15 years old, brought to me as a present. The monkey glass bead I purchased in Beads&Stuff in Trubarjeva Street years ago.