Finding Vintage Items for Jewelry Making

© by Rena Klingenberg; all rights reserved.

Using vintage items for jewelry making can give your designs a sense of nostalgia, romance, and even quirkiness.

Gears, hands, and other bits and pieces taken from vintage clocks are fabulous in steampunk jewelry creations.

Once you’ve got some ideas for designing jewelry from vintage items, it’s time for a treasure hunt!

Where can you find the types of wonderful old odds and ends that work well in jewelry? Well, finding the really neat stuff is part location, part strategy, part persistence – and a lot of serendipity.

Antique keys are great to use in jewelry - and so are antique escutcheons, the metal plates that surround keyholes.

Places to Hunt for
Vintage Items for Jewelry Making

• Yard sales / garage sales / tag sales.
• Flea markets.
• Resale stores / thrift stores.
• Estate sales.
• Auctions (auctions often have boxed “lots” of related items, and these can be a great treasure trove of potential jewelry components!).
• Antique stores.
• eBay (although by the time you pay for shipping, this isn’t always the best deal).
• Attics, closets, and jewelry boxes of friends and relatives who’d like to get rid of these things (it never hurts to ask – often people have been wanting to unload some “old junk” but have no idea what to do with it).

Vintage game pieces often make interesting jewelry components. For the best deals, look for old games that are damaged or missing some parts.

Now for Some
Treasure Hunting Strategies

• Most antique and resale stores move inventory in and out all the time, so it’s a good idea to check back often for new stuff in your favorite shops.
• Instead of going out in search of a specific item, go with an open mind and be ready for serendipity to show you some cool possibilities. Look at things with your creative eye, see past the dust, and imagine what you can do with various items you come across.
• Let friends and relatives know what kind of stuff you’re looking for, and ask them to keep an out for these things for you. Our loved ones often enjoy being part of the treasure hunt, and can turn up some fantastic finds we’d miss otherwise!

Pictures and words snipped from old postcards can be used in photo or collage jewelry. Use a photocopy or a scan instead of cutting up the original.

• Ask antique, resale, and thrift shops if they have a mailing list for their newsletter or announcements of their sales, events, and new inventory. If so, be sure to get your name and address added to the list!
• Owners of this type of store tend to be friendly and helpful. Let them know the kind of stuff you’re seeking, and ask if they have anything like it in the “back room” or wherever they keep items they haven’t put out yet.
• Check through everything at yard sales, estate sales, and tag sales. At most of these events, the items for sale aren’t well organized – so a great find might turn up anywhere in the offerings.
• Also, at these sales you’ll get the best deals at the end of the day (or on Sunday, if it’s a weekend-long sale). By the end of the sale, owners just want to get rid of everything and will often accept any offer (or toss in all kinds of other items) just to unload the stuff that didn’t sell.
• Boxes of assorted items are often where you’ll find just the treasures you’re looking for.
• Look at bigger items with an eye to taking them apart and using the pieces to make jewelry. And if you’re considering purchasing a broken or damaged item so you can use the parts, be sure to ask whether you can have a discount because of the item’s condition.
• It’s a good idea to be prepared to pay with cash or check. Private sales (and some shops) don’t take credit cards.
• When you find a flea market vendor or an antique, resale, or thrift shop that has good vintage items for jewelry making, let them know what you’re interested in. Often the owners of these places are willing to keep an eye out for things you’d like to buy from them as they select their new inventory. Also, if something comes into their shop that they think you’d like, they’re often willing to call you so you can come have a look at it.
• Bring a flashlight and magnifying glass or jeweler’s loupe with you if possible. It’s often a good idea to take a close look at the condition of vintage odds and ends before you buy them.
• While you’re out on your vintage treasure hunt, also keep an eye out for items you can use in your jewelry display. Fabrics, baskets, interesting trunks or boxes, elegant vintage gloves, wig stands, dolls, various racks, picture frames, hangers, etc. can often be cleaned up, painted if necessary, and turned into fantastic, unique jewelry displays!

How do you find vintage items for making jewelry?