Collection Re-Use
Posted by in Home and Decorating
When I was a child, I had a charm bracelet. It was so fun to add charms to the bracelet. My parents gave me charms for special occasions or as gifts. I loved it. It hibernated in the bottom of my jewelry case when I got older. When I had a daughter, I contemplated giving it to her, but the charms would have no meaning for her. She ended up with her own bracelet and her own charms. I still loved mine, although it’s not something I would wear as an adult. I still thought it was pretty. I decided to display the charms inside a frame. I removed the glass and used fishing line to sew them onto the backing. The frame is in a curio cabinet in my bedroom.
The top center is a lobster we bought in Maine. Next to it is my initial. The dog is a golden retriever, which is the breed we’ve always had. The one in the center is my birthstone. The Christmas tree was a Christmas gift. The horseshoe and shamrock were for luck. The bottom right is a pelican we bought in Florida. Its mouth opens and there is a fish inside.
Do you have any great ideas for re-using a collection that has outlived its original purpose?
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This is indeed, a great idea!
Do your charms tarnish? My originals from the ’60s and the bracelet are shiny silver, but charms bought in the ’90s (and never added to the bracelet) are tarnished. Any advice?
Mine don’t. I would put a coat of clear nail polish on them to prevent it.
What a great idea! I had a charm bracelet, too, but unfortunately it was stolen when our apartment in Paris was robbed.
That’s such a good idea! My mom has been trying to give me some of her jewelry but I think that it has more meaning to her than to me right now, which makes sense. But if her stories accompany the pieces the way yours do I think that I would feel differently!
Tell her to save it for your kids. I have some of my grandmothers’ jewelry and it means a lot to me. It’s so old it’s cool. And I re-purpose that too. I’ve got one pin I use in my hair. A double strand necklace I wear as a long single strand, and an ivory pin she bought in Africa we had made into a tie clip for my son. I also wear my grandmother’s original engagement ring setting with an aquamarine in it.
How fun! I have a childhood charm bracelet around here … somewhere… that’s a great idea, and would remind you of the meaning behind the charms every time you looked at it.
And for someone who never wears jewelry, other than my wedding band, I seem to be the collector of the family heirlooms. I have no idea what to do with it all.
You are so lucky to have these memories and to have found a way to display them!
Clever!
What a great idea. I have several charm bracelets that are just sitting in my drawer. Gotta try this.
I love this kind of re-purposing thing. It makes pieces meaningful all over again.
What a lovely idea.