Making Jewelry From Recycled Materials Like Trash!

When most people think of jewelry, he/she may think of gold, silver, and/or diamonds--you know, the pretty expensive stuff. Those are only the high-end jewelry (if it's real, that is!) It doesn't have to be expensive to have and wear beautiful jewelry. Did you know that some jewelry designs are derived from recycled materials? That is true! The good news is that you cannot tell that this type of jewelry is repurposed. In addition, it is a way to become more eco-friendly and saving the environment and planet.

This is where this term, trashion comes into play. What is trashion? Of course, it is a combination of trash and fashion; it refers to using elements that already have some other defined purpose and turning it into art.

This bracelet is a great example of trashion:

The beads in the bracelet were made from recycled newspapers!

Trashion was originally used in reference to art-couture costume that was frequently connected to contests or fashion shows. But as the environmental issues became more mainstream and recycling was the norm, this term suddenly was very fashionable, even with jewelry.

Just think of trashion as a very innovative and creative idea and at the same time saving the environment. Creating jewelry, or anything else from recycled materials, can also be called trashion. The benefit: you can make very fashionable and stylish wearables to that of upcycling, in which it begins with fashion innovations. Like upcycling, trashion re-utilizes objects that are valued for a second chance at life (I am not suggesting that anyone participate in dumpster diving--it's pretty illegal in many jurisdictions and it's just plain gross!), however, depending on the artisan's skill level, it may be on the low-end or on the high-end.

Did you know that indigenous people from across the globe have been creating jewelry from trash for thousands of years? This is fact--ever since people have been existing on planet Earth! For example, the people of Africa created bags from juice and ice packets. Also, Haitians came up with the creation of sculptural jewelry as a result of old oil cans.

The bottom line: this word trashion has been around for the longest, but we were not aware of it. Since the beginning of time, individuals were creating wearable products from "useless" resources. I guess the saying goes, "What is one's trash is the other one's treasure!"

That's it for now!

I will "see" you later!