Fox Business recently featured an article about upcycling where in a woman, Kelly Campbell of Kellybeth Designs, transforms old credit, debit, and gift cards into jewelry and sells them. A brilliant and inexpensive business idea, she uses discarded and donated cards to create eye catching necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. From the article:
"Craft veteran Sherri Haab, author of "Jewelry Upcycled," says when people spot familiar card designs -- out of context and strung around someone's wrist or neck -- it often inspires double-takes, especially from those new to upcycled jewelry's tongue-in-cheek aesthetic.
"People tend to identify with things that they're surrounded with when they're used in a different way," she says. "What's fun about card pieces is, it says something about the person. It's sort of like wearing a logo on your T-shirt where you might want to identify with iTunes or Starbucks or your favorite bookstore."
Kellybeth Designs products start at $16 and can range upwards of $65 depending on the piece you purchase. Bracelets are more costly than earrings for the most part.
People unfamiliar with upcycling and consumers who don't follow a green shopping concept, might feel like the benefit of reusing and repurposing credit cards is minimal. What's the real benefit to preventing a few cards from hitting the landfill, they might ask. But when you consider that traditional plastic bottles, which are of thinner material than cards, take up to 1,000 years to completely biodegrade, the benefit starts to become more real and concrete."
Looking for more clever upcycled jewelry products? Here are two cute fashion ideas from Hipcycle:
Woven Upcycled Tin Bracelet, retails for $16. More than just upcycling, this bracelet is made from tin that is rescued by workers in India- who are paid real living wages for their work. No two bracelets look the same, as each one features woven pieces of tin, for an intricate and delicate design. The colors of the piece will vary- so one might have a more red dominant design, whereas another might have green as the dominant color, etc. It all depends on the pieces of tin that are rescued and used for your particular piece.
Bike Chain Bracelet, retails for $11. Each piece is cleaned and polished and then finished with a sturdy clasp. This chain has two sizes, so that even men who desire a clever and unique jewelry item may do so comfortably. It's the perfect gift for the bicyclist, but it also makes a great gift for those who love unique pieces that stand out, and those looking for sturdy pieces of jewelry.
What is your favorite upcycled jewelry piece? Share below.
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