Smooth (and Soft) As Silk

I am always looking for new materials to use in my jewelry. Maybe I shouldn't say new because one hard and fast rule I have is that all the beads and chain in my jewelry must actually be vintage. I'm a stickler for recycling, reusing, upcycling and repurposing. I take discarded, unwanted or broken things and turn them into fun, wearable pieces. The first "new" material I discovered was t shirt yarn and I have created many necklaces with it. It is easy to use, has a raw, unfinished look which I love to combine with vintage pearls and fancy glass beads and it is very soft around the neck. But I am not just a seller on etsy, I am a shopper too. And recently, I have been looking at things, mostly scarves, made from recycled saris. I found a shop, Designtalentedone,  that sells lovely silk ribbon made from recycled saris and I ordered some. The ribbon is the right heft and thickness for my purposes, comes in exquisite colors and is very soft.

I created several prototypes and gave them to my trusty "testers" to wear. Whenever I make a new design, I have friend and family wear them for a while to make sure they are sturdy enough, comfortable enough and wearable in the real world by real people. They raved about the lightness and softness of the necklaces and the number of compliments they got while wearing them. So I used up the rest of the ribbon making new necklaces (like the ones in the photos) and have placed them in a special section in my etsy shop, threepeats Jewelry. Enjoy!