What Was Old Is New Again

by Diana Buynak.
(Michigan, United States)

I regularly come across broken costume jewelry for cheap prices at thrift stores. It pains me to see them get thrown out, when I know I can breath new life into them.

Vintage style earrings made from a combination of broken costume jewelry

These broken pieces of earrings held no sentimental values to me as I got them in a package with some other miscellaneous jewelry findings. At one point there was a story to these pieces, I often times like to imagine who the previous owners were and what value these pieces might have had.

As I sifted through a box of miscellaneous jewelry bits I didn’t know what would become of them, but I knew they would be lovely components in new jewelry. To make these earrings I combined a pair of broken faux pearl earrings with the bails of another set of broken earrings.

I glued silver-tone leaf stamping, ear shaped brass stampings and additional brass leaf stampings together from my own collection of new findings.

To further embellish these earrings I added glass gold rocailles and painted highlights with liquid gold leaf. In order to connect the two pieces I used gold jump rings from other vintage jewelry. The have a vintage feel, but they have a new look.

What was old, is new again.

Diana Buynak
Butterfly Emporium at Etsy