Handmade Guitar String, Steampunk & Found Object Jewelry
I create jewelry made from found objects, and what I like to call “junk art assemblage.” I make jewelry out of previously played guitar strings, broken clocks and electronics, old paper, salvaged hardware, game pieces, light bulbs, and whatever else I come across that I think would look great as a piece of jewelry.
When I was in junior high I went to an all ages punk show where a girl approached me and asked if I would buy her bracelet for a dollar so she could get a soda. Her bracelet was made entirely out of old hardware (nuts, washers, O-rings, etc.) which were strung onto an old shoe lace. I fell in love with it, bought it, and wore it until the shoelace broke. I used the hardware to start making my own pieces of jewelry, and over 20 years later I still love making jewelry out of trash. I started making jewelry from guitar strings over a decade ago. One day I looked at a wound guitar string and saw the ideal material for making coiled wire jewelry.
I find my materials at thrift stores, estate sales, garage sales, and flea markets. I also find my supplies on the street, and I have a lot of people who are supportive of my art and collect things for me. I try to support independently owned and local shops when looking for materials and supplies. I rarely buy any of my found objects in bulk from wholesalers. Almost all of my clock gears, typewriter keys, resistors, etc. are salvaged and cleaned up by me after spending sometimes hours disassembling old rusty and corroded devices.
My jewelry has been featured in the March 2014 issue of Elle magazine, the autumn 2013 issue of Jewelry Affaire magazine, is in the book "Retrash" by Nathan Devine, and has been on numerous websites including Vogue Italia.
