Another Man's Junk....

I love jewelry, but I don’t own a ton of it. I have a few simple pieces and am quite content with what I own.

While I’m not one to parade around wearing gobs of bling; I will admit that I have a fascination with shiny or brightly colored objects – one could say “different pieces”. I prefer pieces that contain an element of the unusual, BUT nothing gawdy. No Grandma Betty jewelry for me.

Many of the pieces I’ve collected during my travels. For example, I have a rock pendant, wrapped in copper wire that was made by a band of roving hippies from the White Mountains of New Hampshire. I have a “stone money” pendant made from the husk of a coconut by the betel-nut chewing crack addicts of Yap. I also have a turtle-shaped pendant that has been carved from elk horn, which was most likely made in China, but I like to tell everyone I carved it myself while on safari in Montana.

As I said, unusual stuff catches my eye and before you think I’m totally off my rocker, I should point out that I don’t actually wear any of this stuff. I just purchase it. Shiny objects are my downfall. Enough said about my eccentricities…

While traveling I also love to beachcomb. I can spend hours strolling the beach looking for “diamonds in the rough” (aka junk). You name it, I’ve brought it home found it – rocks, shells, coins, drift wood, ceramic tiles, marbles. The list is endless. I even pack extra Ziploc bags for the return trip, so that my “treasure” has a place of its own (and to keep the sand out of my underwear).

My favorite beach collectible is sea glass – pieces of discarded garbage that over time has turned into un-precious gems. Apparently I’m not the only one with the sea glass obsession and I’ve recently learned that you can actually make a living out of collecting and making jewelry out of it. Who knew?

You could turn this....

Into this...

(Photo Courtesy of Gayle Bird Designs)

What’s the point of this post? Well, I’m pretty excited. I’ve just enrolled in a jewelry making and silversmithing course, which starts next week. With this course, I’m hoping to learn a skill which will enable me to make my own line of collectible jewelry and maybe one day, my own boutique “Creations From the Deep by TDG”.