Wanted to focus some attention this week on the thrift store jewelry counter. I’m always preaching to keep yours eyes open and your mind open when thrift shopping and it couldn’t be more true in the jewelry department. Every thrift store has that weird glass case of shitty jewelry. But here’s the thing with thrift store jewelry… Don’t look at it for what it is…. look at it for what it could be. I like to think of that jewelry counter as a spare parts division. Every bead, every clasp, every pendant has a better life just waiting for it. Grab that ugly jewelry, open your mind to the possibilities, and set it free!!
Here are a few examples of how I transformed a piece of thrift store jewelry into something cool….
This necklace was on the 99 cent rack because it was missing a clasp. But check out that pendant in perfect condition, and those awesome blood red beads. I haven’t figured out what to do with the red beads quite yet… but I knew that turquoise cross could make a great bohemian style choker..
I replaced the gold clasp with silver wire, and used this pendant to create a suede wrap choker. Now it has that perfect Bohemian flare!
When I saw this necklace I was drawn to all of the metal pieces and how they worked together like a snake. I also really liked the gunmetal coloring. I tried it on thinking that this necklace had a chance to be pretty cool as is.. but once I looked in the mirror, I was underwhelmed. The success of any necklace has a great deal to do with proportion…. the shape and length of the necklace and how that works with the neckline of your clothing. This necklace did not have proportion working in it’s favor. It was a weird length for any neckline. It was too long to sit on a bare neck and too short to enhance a top. A necklace like this needed to be a statement piece otherwise it wouldn’t be worth wearing…. and as is, this piece was just going to get lost. I decided it needed to be a true choker.
First I pulled it apart…. talk about spare parts!! So many fun little pieces to work with! It was the large trinkets I was interested in.
I bought some 12 gauge wire…. formed a ring based on my neck size, fed the large trinkets onto the wire, and once full, created a small hook on either end for a closure. So easy!
Now this necklace is the right proportion… and definitely a statement piece! Industrial Chic!
One of my regular thrift store haunts has this box full of “spare parts” (little trinkets, pins, small earrings, etc) always sitting on their counter. It is a true test of patience to wade thru this box of crap… but I can usually find a piece or two worth salvaging. This is a pair of earrings I found in that mess. Definitely nothing special as earrings…. but I thought the gunmetal discs had potential.
I decided to use one of them as a pendant. I attached a jet black teardrop for a touch of dark drama, and added the pendant to a velvet wrapped choker. If you like this, it’s for sale in the MeandAnnabelLeeShop on Etsy. I haven’t decided if I’m going to make 2 of these necklaces… or do something else with the other metal disc? Stay tuned!
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