Represent Your City with Hanger 3′s Recycled Subway Token Necklaces

by Lori Zimmer, 01/12/12

Hanger 3, recycled subway tokens, upcycled subway tokens, eco-friendly jewelry, sustainable jewelry, recycled jewelry, upcycled jewelry, recycled fashion, upcycled fashion, recycled accessories, upcycled accessories, eco-fashion, sustainable fashion, green fashion, ethical fashion, sustainable style

Fashion and transportation history collide with Hanger 3′s line of quirky necklaces, which designer Dustin Wood fashions using vintage subway tokens from around the country. Representing cities from Conestoga, PA, to Beaumount, TX, each piece of ephemera bears a unique, city-specific design, courtesy of the transit designers of yesteryear. Wood pairs the tokens with a well-worn ball chain that complements their vintage patina. Not a bad way to add some local color to your wardrobe or to show your allegiance to greener commutes.

+ Subway Token Necklace $13.99-$39 (originally $19.99-$42) at Fab.com

+ Hanger 3


Hot Off the Presses: Necklaces Made From Vintage Letterpress Type

by Jasmin Malik Chua, 01/10/12

Gwen Delicious, eco-friendly necklaces, sustainable necklaces, recycled jewelry, upcycled jewelry, recycled fashion, upcycled fashion, recycled necklaces, upcycled necklaces, eco-fashion, sustainable fashion, green fashion, ethical fashion, sustainable style

Typography geeks, wordsmiths, and lovers of the alphabet will fall for the charms of Gwen Delicious, a Canadian accessories label that fashions necklaces from vintage printing-press type. Burnished with scuffs and other imperfections that make each piece unique, the repurposed brass blocks are strung from a gunmetal chain and secured with a toggle clasp for ease of wearability. Dangled around your neck with the type obscured, the pendant’s identity isn’t immediately obvious. Then again, do you really need to spell everything out?

+ Letterpress Necklaces $37

+ GwenDelicious


3D-Printed Necklace Features Slots For 100 of Your Shiniest Pennies

3D-Printed Necklace Features Slots For 100 of Your Shiniest Pennies

Pennies are good for more than squashing on train tracks. Dutch designer Michiel Cornelissen likens them to “little industrial gems”—the perfect components for statement jewelry, in fact. His do-it-yourself coin necklace is a three-dimensionally printed bauble with slots for holding 111 5-cent Euro coins, which are made of copper like American pennies were pre-1982. “Copper …

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Coca Rocha, Senhoa Design Jewelry to Benefit Survivors of Sex Trafficking

Coca Rocha, Senhoa Design Jewelry to Benefit Survivors of Sex Trafficking

 
 

Coco Rocha may only be 23 years old, but the Canadian supermodel certainly isn't twiddling her thumbs between runway appearances and photo shoots. Together with Senhoa, a California-based nonprofit that supports victims of human trafficking through income-generating opportunities and programs for social integration, Rocha has developed a collection of seven jewelry pieces, handcrafted by the same women Senhoa is seeking to rehabilitate and empower.

 

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Fonderie 47 Recycles Confiscated AK-47 Rifles Into Luxurious Jewelry

Fonderie 47 Recycles Confiscated AK-47 Rifles Into Luxurious Jewelry

 
 

Fonderie 47 is on a mission to turn weapons of mass destruction into implements of mass distraction. The burgeoning enterprise, co-founded by Ethos Water CEO Peter Thum, transforms confiscated AK-47 rifles from the Democratic Republic of Congo into ornate accessories that belie their violent history. By melting down the steel components, and working with jewelers Philip Crangi and Roland Iten to refashion them with gold into rings, earrings, and cuff links, Fonderie 47 has successfully removed more than 6,000 assault rifles from the war-ravaged nation.

 

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MuKee Recycles Broken Skateboards Into Edgy Wooden Jewelry

MuKee Recycles Broken Skateboards Into Edgy Wooden Jewelry

Any skateboarder worth his deck goes through boards faster than bullets slice through butter. Rather than let them go to waste, Denver-based label MuKee transforms castoff boards into one-of-a-kind wearables that are as much a feast for the eyes as they are to touch. From earrings to belt buckles, …

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Upcycle Broken Christmas Lights into Sparkly Holiday Accessories

Upcycle Broken Christmas Lights into Sparkly Holiday Accessories

 
 

Have last year’s Christmas lights been sapped dry of their holiday cheer? Don’t send them on their merry way to the landfill just yet. The perfect size for hanging from your ears or neck, these tiny lights can still shine with the addition of jewelry findings and some creative flair. Here, we show you how you can create your own holiday-themed accessories—for next to nothing—simply by seeing damaged goods in a whole new light.

 

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

Old Christmas lights
Pliers
French hooks
Necklace chain
Jump rings
Thumbtack
Wire and beads (optional)

TO MAKE EARRINGS
1. Remove lights from Christmas strand. Take your tack and poke a hole through the plastic end part of the light.

2. Thread a jump ring through the hole.

3. Thread the French hook through the jump ring and close up with a pair of pliers. …

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Peace Bomb’s Resolution Wrap Helps Post-War Laos Get a Fresh Start

Peace Bomb’s Resolution Wrap Helps Post-War Laos Get a Fresh Start

Bike to work. Unplug on weekends. Binge less. Floss more. No matter what your New Year’s resolution, Peace Bomb’s vintage-silk wrap offers a tangible reminder of your pinkie promise to yourself. Crafted by Laotian artisans, each wristlet comes with a hand-cast tag derived from Vietnam War scrap metal, along with a card …

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HJ Designs Upcycles Used Plexiglass Into Glittering Cocktail Jewelry

HJ Designs Upcycles Used Plexiglass Into Glittering Cocktail Jewelry

Hazel Studstill had always loved creating jewelry, but she never expected a cruise past a dumpster to prove so serendipitous. After discovering a cache of discarded plexiglass on its way to destruction, the industrious metalsmith decided to transform the hard, clear plastic into baubles fit for a fancy soiree. The …

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Mikuti: A Socially Active Jewelry Label That Supports Tanzanian Artisans

Mikuti: A Socially Active Jewelry Label That Supports Tanzanian Artisans

 
 

Photos by Amanda Coen for Ecouterre

The best business ideas begin with a moment of serendipity. For Mikuti founder Erika Freund, it was a stack of banana-bark bracelets, purchased on a trip to Tanzania in 2009, that sparked her "socially active" accessories label. Overcome with the deluge of interest—strangers were accosting the then New York University student on the street—Freund realized she could not only bring a desirable product to the masses but also support the skills and livelihoods of the talented craftspeople she encountered. And she was right. Mikuti, which means "dry leaf" in Kiswahili, is making brisk trade in its artisan-made jewelry, branching from banana bark to include recycled aluminum, local Tanzanian textiles, and other sustainable materials.

 

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La Diosa Debuts Eco-Friendly Friendship Bracelets for Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital

La Diosa Debuts Eco-Friendly Friendship Bracelets for Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital

Help one of the world’s most beloved statesmen raise funds for his final legacy project: a state-of-the-art Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital that will provide South Africans with quality pediatric care regardless of social or economic status. In collaboration with the Nelson Mandela …

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Polli Creates Decorative Jewelry Stand From Salvaged Timber

Polli Creates Decorative Jewelry Stand From Salvaged Timber

Why shouldn’t your jewelry organizer be as much of a work of art as the treasures that adorn it? Polli’s accessory stands feature silhouettes inspired by the Amsterdam skyline, Australia’s native gum trees, and coral reefs, all laser-cut from locally salvaged hardwood. Each piece provides an architectural backdrop for your precious bits and bobs, while looking good enough …

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Give the Gift of Green With a Terrarium Necklace (DIY Tutorial)

Give the Gift of Green With a Terrarium Necklace (DIY Tutorial)

 
 

Terrariums, worlds unto themselves, are so enchanting that it's a shame to keep them hidden at home all day. Show your green thumb off to the world with a self-contained indoor garden you can bottle up and string on a necklace. No previous DIY expertise necessary: Follow our easy step-by-step instructions to make a miniature greenhouse for yourself or one lucky person on your holiday list.

 

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES
A glass-bottle charm
A small seedling
Tweezers
A jump ring
A chain necklace
Some dirt

STEP ONE
Pop the cork …

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“Pick a Jewel” by FIFT Transforms Found Objects into Jewelry

“Pick a Jewel” by FIFT Transforms Found Objects into Jewelry

Ever wished you could turn a perfect leaf, quirky knickknack, or beloved memento into a piece of jewelry? There’s an app clamp for that. “Pick a Jewel” by FIFT is a necklace affixed with a tiny clip that allows you to transform lovely objects from your everyday life into cool, one-of-a-kind jewelry. Wear a rosebud from …

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Bullets2Bandages Recycles Fired Military Ammunition Into Jewelry

Bullets2Bandages Recycles Fired Military Ammunition Into Jewelry

 
 

Conflict takes its toll on all of us, but we each express our grief in different ways. For Erik Spalding and Cole Evans, the loss of a Naval Academy classmate to sniper fire fueled a campaign to transform the implements of war into instruments of hope and recovery. By recycling demilitarized bullets into a line of necklaces, bracelets, and belts, Bullets2Bandages honors the men and women who selflessly risked their lives for their country. The duo's work isn't merely symbolic, however. Spalding and Evans also donate up to 30 percent of their proceeds to the Travis Manion Foundation, a nonprofit—named in memory of their friend—that serves wounded soldiers, veterans, and their families.

 

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Starbucks Debuts “Indivisible” Wristband to Help Create, Sustain U.S. Jobs

Starbucks Debuts “Indivisible” Wristband to Help Create, Sustain U.S. Jobs

Starbucks has partnered with Opportunity Finance Network, a group of community-lending financial institutions, to launch “Create Jobs for U.S.A.,” a fund to help generate and sustain jobs in underserved communities nationwide. In addition to $5 million in seed money from the Starbucks Foundation, the fund will also solicit …

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Recycle Halloween Candy Wrappers into Colorful Eco-Jewelry

Recycle Halloween Candy Wrappers into Colorful Eco-Jewelry

Now that Halloween is over and you’ve filled up on sugary sweets, a ghoulish pile of non-recyclable candy wrappers remains to haunt you. Here’s a trick for bringing your dearly departed treats back from the dead: Turn the discarded plastic packaging into wearable gems. With a little bit of tracing and cutting, you’ll have brand-new, low-cost beads that will last you long after your sugar buzz is gone. Click below the fold to learn how.


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Karolin Felix Recycles Pencil Stubs Into Vibrant, Whimsical Jewelry

Karolin Felix Recycles Pencil Stubs Into Vibrant, Whimsical Jewelry

Pencils, sharpened to a nub, aren’t good very many things. If you’re Dublin-based designer Karolin Felix, however, they’re the perfect size for turning into colorful, whimsical necklaces. Sectioned into bits, each piece gets a slap of paint and varnish before it’s strung from delicate nylon thread. Pick the delicate “Pink Candy” for …

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Angela Lindvall, John Hardy Debut Recycled Jewelry Collection on QVC

Angela Lindvall, John Hardy Debut Recycled Jewelry Collection on QVC

Supermodel-activist Angela Lindvall and luxury jeweler John Hardy are linking arms once again, this time on a line of Balinese-inspired jewelry for home-shopping network QVC. Launched this week, the “Angela by John Hardy” collection comprises bracelets, rings, necklaces, earrings, bangles and cuffs made entirely of recycled sterling silver. The pieces, which range from $79 to $500, also feature “Diamonique” gemstones (QVC’s term for cubic zirconia and other simulated rocks) and 14-karat gold accents.


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Bones and Feathers Debuts Animal-Spine Jewelry Molded From Recycled Bullet Casings

Bones and Feathers Debuts Animal-Spine Jewelry Molded From Recycled Bullet Casings

Make no bones about it, Bones and Feathers Collective’s spooktacular—and anatomically correct—jewelry sends a shiver up our spines, but in a good way. For fall, the Los Angeles label hand-dipped wax casts of fox, shark, and rattlesnake vertebrae into molten bronze from recycled bullet casings. Designers Natalie Mauro and Nicole Morrall even threw in a bronze-cast necklace of dangling human teeth for good measure, with the purpose of showcasing a collection that “hovers between where we begin and end as humans and animals alike.”


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Kate Spade’s “Hand in Hand” Collection Supports Women Artisans in War-Torn Countries

Kate Spade’s “Hand in Hand” Collection Supports Women Artisans in War-Torn Countries

 
 

Sisters are doing it for themselves, courtesy of a new collaboration between Kate Spade New York and Women for Women International. Don't mistake this for another cash-aid partnership, however. The "Hand in Hand" collection is a range of hand-knit accessories designed to provide vital, sustainable employment for women in war-torn Kosovo, Rwanda, and Afghanistan, where opportunities run thin and prospects are even grimmer. For fall, Hand in Hand offers a line of cozy accessories, hand-knit using local yarns by artisans in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in arresting combinations of black and white, fuschia and cerise.

 

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VPL’s Human-Hair Accessories Have No Need for Dead Animals

VPL’s Human-Hair Accessories Have No Need for Dead Animals

Photos by Brennan Cavanaugh for Pinnacle

Hair today…gone tomorrow. That’s how we typically think of our own hair, right? It grows, it sheds, we cut it, and then it more or less becomes “waste.” To challenge that notion, VPL designer Victoria Bartlett whipped up a set of follicularly blessed accessories for the latest issue of Pinnacle, an anti-fur magazine founded by Discerning Brute blogger Joshua Katcher. This wasn’t Bartlett’s first foray with human hair, either. She’s previously designed a series of sweaters knit from human hair.


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Urban Lace: Delicate Jewelry Crafted from Recycled Bike Inner Tubes

Urban Lace: Delicate Jewelry Crafted from Recycled Bike Inner Tubes

 
 

Despite their delicate appearance, Urban Lace's filigreed cuffs, necklaces, earrings, and masks (yes, masks) are cut from a material we don't usually associate with finery: bicycle tires. Handcrafted from defunct inner tubes, each piece juxtaposes street style with feminine chic while taking the pressure off our overburdened landfills. Plus, what could make a better gift for the girl who kicks everyone's tuckus in a bike race—while wearing a skirt, no less?

 

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Score DLC Brooklyn’s Upcycled Necklace at Of a Kind—Only 17 Made!

Score DLC Brooklyn’s Upcycled Necklace at Of a Kind—Only 17 Made!

Who says gold, silver, graphite, and bronze don’t go together? This gorgeous, entirely salvaged Votan necklace by DLC Brooklyn (neé Dirty Librarian Chains) breaks all the old-school fashion rules to stunning effect. We’d pair the 21-inch long bauble with neutral tones so that it stands out …

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Carved From Nuts, Rowena Murray’s Lockets Celebrate Childhood Whimsy

Carved From Nuts, Rowena Murray’s Lockets Celebrate Childhood Whimsy

 
 

Fashioned from hazelnuts and pecans, Rowena Murray's whimsical lockets resemble something from a fairy story or woodland tale. After carving each one by hand, the London-based jeweler inserts Victorian-era locket fronts in silver and gold to juxtapose the juvenile and adult worlds. Childhood and nature are inextricably linked, says Murray, but our growing estrangement with the environment makes it an uneasy relationship. "The aim of these pieces is to bring it close to the body," she says.

 

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