Turn a loss into a gain: giving new life to a piece of jewellery

It's been a while since I've posted to this blog. I'll explain in another post but basically I moved from Jamaica to the US and it's been quite a journey but I'm back ^_^.

Have you ever lost 1 of your earrings and just had the other one sadly looking at you? 

This has happened all too many times to me. What do you really do with the odd earring though? Well you can either mix and match and wear earrings that don't match or you can repurpose them. 

What do I mean though really? I am a beaded jewellery maker and I turn earrings into pendants or brooches or bracelets- I use it to make something else. 

I also realize I'm a bit of a hoarder, a neat one but a hoarder nonetheless. I hate throwing out things. Usually I'll hold on to it for a while then my head will take me and I start shedding stuff because the place feels stuffy and I rearrange and throw out or give away items.  I digress but the point is I can make lemonade from the lemon of a lost earring.

Here this is my mother's earring. She loved these earrings and it is in her favorite link. One day she lost one and that was it for the pair.  It was real gold and I thought hey I must can do something with this. I could have melted it down and make something else or do cash for gold, etc. I recently came across it and thought about how I love rings so I tried it to see if it could fit any of my fingers. It fit my middle finger to my delight.  Just like that I had a new ring. 

 

I broke off the hook that would have been inserted into your ear and I will also use my pliers to break off the little things jutting out. This can snag clothes. In fact the other day I was putting on my moisturizer on my face and forgot I had on the ring and scratched my face.

So if you lose an earring,  don't just throw it away, turn it into a part of a craft project, make another piece of jewellery or get cash for it. Turn a loss into a gain!

 

Xoxo

Ronnie 

Clear enamel- make your costume jewellery last longer

Sometimes we have the issue of costume jewellery losing it's luster or tarnishing/'turning'. Not all of us can afford the 'real thing' i.e. gold and silver jewellery.

This is the simple trick I use to prolong the life of my pieces: mist your jewellery with clear enamel.

Don't spray it directly as it may leave a white film, so mist it.

This product is available at hardwares and craft stores.

Get more value for your money by making the items last longer.

I was reminded of this tip I use when I was on Facebook and someone (Cheapalicious) had a post saying she couldn't wait to try it.

Some people also use clear nail polish but the enamel works better I find.

The story behind this tip is a friend of mine that does patio & garden art pieces (www.sanzisart.weebly.com). She used it to finish her pieces so that they wouldn't fade and I thought what a clever idea so I decided to try it on my costume jewellery.

Also if the colour fades or something, you can use nail polish to bring life back to an item.

XOXO
Ronz