While making work for this project, I found myself thinking about the history of the materials that have arrived for me to makeover. Who was the first person to own the necklace that I just broke apart and rearranged with new gems? Were those pearls the wrong style for their original owner? Was that bracelet lost on the subway and found too enchanting to leave on the ground by someone else?

Thinking about the history of the materials I received for this project, I decided it was appropriate to also mine from the rich history of jewelry narrative while considering my jewelry format. From Josephine reflects on a necklace that was gifted from the French military and political leader Napoleon to his wife, Josephine. While France was in great poverty, Napoleon created a royal gem for his love. In an opposite way, this necklace has been mined from non-precious materials and I like to think that perhaps this is Josephine’s donation to the Radical Jewelry Makeover.

I like the relationship that a piece of jewelry formed from unconventional materials but employing a traditional format creates.

From Josephine was made of pearl-colored and emerald-colored beads that were woven together, stitched and knotted using French cotton embroidery thread onto a vintage golden necklace. 

I decided to use these bracelets because they have such great movement. These two delicate interlocking bracelets just needed a pop of color and a bit of bling to transform their minimal style to something a bit more fun and funky.

I used two of my favorite variegated French cotton embroidery threads to add color, secure the rhinestones in place around the bracelets and make the inside of the bracelets soft against the wearer’s skin. While I hope these bracelets will have a nice long life as bracelets, the piece could certainly be broken down into parts and used again for future makeovers.

Hoops

Choices made in the creation of contemporary jewelry and sculpture in my practice are guided by strong women in history.  The bamboo hoop earring is a history that belongs to women of color. ‘Salt’, ‘Pepa’ and ‘DJ Spinderella’ in the 1980’s Hip-Hop group, “Salt N Pepa” adorned themselves with “doorknocker” bamboo hoops as they promoted messages of female sexual freedom in their music. 

The bamboo hoop is a charged piece of jewelry.  Popularized by hip-hop artists in the 1990’s that demanded racial equity yet worn by communities in contemporary culture that fail to recognize that history and that struggle.  I hope that presenting the bamboo hoop earring in a contemporary jewelry exhibition brings about a meaningful discussion of race and acknowledges the power that jewelry has to create that conversation.

Ear backs

The ear back is a support.  It is treated poorly, lost, stepped on, stretched out, disposed of.  It functions almost as a frame on a painting, used only to present the work, never actually the work.  I have made many styles of jewelry over the years, demanding different ear backs to support those styles.  I have a large bin of ear backs that have not worked, for one reason or another.  This series utilizes sterling silver and 14k gold ear backs that were in my personal collection of rejects, as well as a collection of misfits that I was able to glean from the “mined” jewelry handed off to me through RJM.  Elevating the ear back to front of the ear and even to necklace status gives me great joy and hopefully surprises and delights the future wearer of these pieces.