In Rachel Burgess’ jewelry collection, one might find outdated magazine articles, Bible pages ripped from their binding or used tea leaves.
The Ohio University freshman studying video production crafts and sells jewelry from those and other recycled materials including pennies, old coffee grounds and flower petals.
Her idea for the jewelry came from her boyfriend’s mother, Janis Sweet Hoye, who has been crafting the recycled jewelry for about five years. Though Burgess said she makes some of the pieces herself, she mostly helps Hoye by selling the jewelry on OU’s campus.
“I really like the tea and coffee ones,” Burgess said, referring to the natural materials used to make the jewelry. The homemade pieces include everything from large beads and earrings to hair clips.
The items have a natural feel and employ the use of recycled materials that are held together by copper pieces, Burgess said. Some pieces have religious tones with cutout Bible verses and small angels while others are OU-themed.
“I always wanted to make something out of nothing and create something of beauty where there didn’t seem to be any beauty,” Hoye said. “So that was kind of my motivation behind it.”
She explained that she has not encountered issues with her pieces falling apart despite using seemingly delicate materials.
“It’s going to matter how well they put it together,” said Mary Griffin, visiting assistant professor in the environmental and plant biology department, though she advised to keep the jewelry away from water.
“(To make) the paper beads, I simply cut pieces of paper, glue them together and then use different types of polyurethane on them to make different surfaces,” Hoye said.
Polyurethane is a type of resin that works like a glue to seal and give the paper a glossy finish, Burgess said.
“(Burgess) has flower petals she just keeps and dries them up,” said Malachi Hoye, Burgess’ boyfriend and a freshman at Hocking College. “She has a little dehydrator, so they just kind of get crispy and then she crushes them and takes little bits and rolls them up.”
Burgess said she also makes memory beads, which can be crafted from flower petals gathered from floral arrangements at funerals, weddings or other major events.
In addition, she completes special requests, some of which have included making jewelry out of locks of hair, articles of clothing from loved ones and cremated ashes of cats and people.
“It just turned into such a sentimental way for me to help people for their grieving,” Hoye said. “So that’s just kind of a neat part of my hobby.”
The pieces Burgess sells at OU cost $12, she said. Specialty items can cost as much as $200, depending on the material and work put into the piece.
je726810@ohiou.edu
