What: Rock Crystal Pendant

Where: Etsy – $50

Why We Love It: Most of the pieces from Foe and Dear are one-offs, so if not officially one of a kind, they are certainly one of a few. Designer Katherine Huie crafts her jewelry from salvaged deadstock or vintage chains breathing new life into jewelry that had been left for well, dead. This crystal necklace is made from a cluster of vintage deadstock brass and gold plated chains capped off with a lovely rock crystal for just the right mix of elegance and earth mother.

What: Mini GEM Studs 199 Carat Series

Where: etsy.com – $40

Why We Love It: Signature, everyday studs that are not pearls, diamond, or silver balls has been on our “what we want now” list. And looks like we found them in these funky mini-studs.

Mexican designer, Lorena Martinez-Neustadt handcuts these delicate, yet industrial studs in her Amsterdam studio. The concept came from her fascination with stone faceting – transforming rough gemstones into highly polished geometric shapes. Each of the studs in her 199 carat collection (aptly name for the carat value these ‘stones’ would garner uf cut from a similarly sized diamond) takes shape from common gem cuts; Pear, Heart, Brilliant (round), Trillion (triangle), Princess (square), Marquise, Oval, Cushion, Emerald and Trapezoid.

Delicate cut-outs give the sense of shape and geometry of cut stone with a playful asymmetry that we love. So don’t fret if 199 carat diamonds are unattainable, a lovely pair of Gemagenta’s princess cut earrings will certainly suffice!

What: Sliced Poetry &  Antique Music Score Necklaces

Where: Comfort Station – £185-£240

Why We Love It: Discovered this magical collection of jewelry at London Fashion Week last year and fell instantly fell for their air of whistful romance. Each locket contains pages of vintage music notes, poetry and books — like opening a secret love letter from another time.

Each piece is handcrafted in the Comfort Station studio which is no surprise considering designer Amy Anderson’s background in Fine Arts, mass-production is not an option which is also what makes each piece so special; the details, the quality and the process are at the heart of the design. As is ensuring that the manufacturing is UK based and as sustainable as possible.

In silver or gold.

What: Talisman Wax Seal Necklaces

Where: Pyrrha – $128 – $385

Why: Every since we were little, we’ve been fascinated by wax seals. There’s something so romantic and nostalgic about the process of melting the wax and stamping in your personal seal to secure your note. Such artistry especially in a day and age where the personal handwritten note is such a rarity.

Designers Wade Papin and Danielle Wilmore of Pyrrha were equally inspired by the magic of the wax seal and have collected a variety of wax seals from the 19th century to cast their collection of handcrafted jewelry. Each seal with its own unique meaning. Ours is a picture of the Lark on a tree stump, a symbol of hope, happiness, creativity and renewal which has become our own personal mantra. So many inspiring insignia and messages to choose from, these pendants make for a meaningful and thoughtful gift, even if you are gifting one to yourself.

The pendants are cast using reclaimed sterling silver, bronze or 14k gold celebrating the imperfections in the seals themselves. Each piece is completely handmade so individual pieces will vary – which in a world of mass production, only makes of love them more!

What: Alkemie Cuffs

Where: eConscious Market – prices vary

Why We Love It: We’ve always been fans of Halloween costumes that have life beyond Halloween, like our cowboy boots, our Gwen Stefani cargo pants, our Stepford wives faux pearl set, our vintage Medusa snake belt, and our amazing 124 eye shadow palette (you’d be surprised how many times this has come in handy….). The latest in our from-costume-to-closet collection are these cuffs from Alkemie. They easily can accent many a costume, whether it be Cleopatra, Elvira or Mother Earth.

All of Alkemie’s jewelry is handmade in Los Angeles from 100% recycled materials. Husband and wife design team, Ashley Lowengrub and Dara Gerson employ manufacturing processes that promote fair trade, local living wage and eco-sustainable business practices without contributing to the resource depletion and pollution of traditional jewelry making methods.

See also the Alkemie Jewelry Spider Lover Necklace for some creepy crawly neck wear.

What: Nice Big Hoops

Where: supermarket – $75

Why We Love It: We find these hoops completely and utterly fascinating. The idea of slicing through a pool ball to create a very wearable piece of jewelry is beyond our comprehension, but we are definitely fans of the final product.

Instead of using virgin plastics, metalworker and designer, Eleanor Salazar, felt that there were plenty of readily available raw materials at her disposal, so instead of making her own, she works with old pool balls. It goes without saying that pool balls are tough (we’ve launched many off the table onto concrete floors with not so much as a scratch, well technically, it was a ‘scratch’, but what we are saying is that they are tough!), they are made of phenolic and acrylic resins. The bright colors of the “solids” and the contrasting bands of the “stripes” lend themselves perfectly to her hoops, half hoops and rings. We also like that she’s finding new use for perfectly good materials that might otherwise end up in a landfill.

The Nice Big Hoops measure roughly 1.75″-2.25″ in diameter and are sliced right out of the center of a pool ball. Because they are made by hand, and made from salvaged materials, no two are alike. You can specify the color as well as whether you’ll be aiming for stripes or solids.

What: Woven Necklace & Bracelet

Where: Woven Necklace, current bid – $65. Woven Bracelet, current bid – $45. Act fast – this auction ends September 11, 2010!

Why We Love It: We have long been fans of DLC Brooklyn (Dirty Librarian Chains) and the marvels they create by reconfiguring, deconstructing, draping, knotting and tangling of their vintage, recycled jewelry finds (ahhh to comb through their ‘library’ of rediscovered gems…). So we were excited to see their latest collaboration with vintage online marketplace, Market Publique. Some of their vintage finds are just too perfect to alter, so for this limited edition collection they left the pieces as they found them.

This gorgeous woven set is definitely our favorite, evoking images of Liz Taylor as Cleopatra…. Made of delicately braided fine wires woven into a thick herringbone weave they’ve got a mesmerizing shimmer. Love that they are such substantial pieces yet simple enough to go with anything from t-shirts to the little black dress.

collar necklace

Who: Mark Edge Jewelry – Atlanta, GA

What: Roadrunner Bracelet

Where: Mark Edge – $149

Why We Love It: Was difficult to select a favorite from Mark Edge’s new Eco Vintage collection, but we settled on this Vintage Roadrunner bracelet because it was something we hadn’t seen before. Such an unexpected mix of materials, with the gold roadrunner, the brass rings, the chunky crystals and the vintage beads. Fun – with a vintage roadrunner charm dangling off the clasp and yet still incredibly sophisticated.

Designer, Mark Edge, looks to current trends but makes them entirely his own. This season drawing upon that messy, asymmetrical look as inspiration for his handcrafted classic and timeless pieces.  For the Eco-Vintage line he worked with all sorts of vintage materials he collected ranging from reclaimed metal and wood to dead stock vintage chains and fittings in copper, sterling and gold to vintage crystals, quartz and beads. Mixing old and new, mixing textures and materials for a completely unique and fantastic look.

Who:

What: Starfish Cuff

Where: eConscious Market – $190

Why We Love It: The detail and texture of this one-of-a-kind cuff is so lifelike that you can almost feel the delicate arms of starfish tentatively encircling your wrist. Reminds of us days at the beach and the magic of discovering an elusive starfish.  Love the way this oversized cuff manages to exude an organic, ethereal, art nouveau and rocker vibe all at once.

Alkemie is the brainchild of husband and wife design team, Ashley Lowengrub and Dara Gerson. Their respect for the natural world is evident in both their designs as well as the way their jewelry is made. Using 100% recycled metals, each item is handmade in Los Angeles promoting fair trade, local living wage and eco-sustainable business practices without contributing to the resource depletion and pollution of traditional jewelry making methods.

What: Fox Earrings

Where: World of Good – $35

Why: Walking into artist Emily Baker’s studio is like walking into another world, filled with the most unlikely of treasures – cast off car parts, bits of recycled glass, sea urchin spikes… all of the inspiration for her unique jewelry. Love the way that she manages to transforms every day objects into something extraordinary. These Fox Earrings are crafted from old car parts and salvaged vintage brass chains for a lightweight pair of mod hoops.

Not only are these earrings sustainable, made from 50% post-consumer waste and without the use of toxic materials, but they are also people positive. Emily is a member of Trillium Artisans, a nonprofit economic development organization that supports low-income crafters in Portland, Oregon. Trillium Artisans is just one of hundreds of sellers featured on World of Good, a multi-seller marketplace that promotes people positive and eco-positive products from around the world. Visit World of Good to shop for gifts with meaning and check the Goodprint label to learn about the positive impact your purchases make.

	One lucky Urban Sherp reader will win a pair of the Fox Earrings courtesy of World of Good. To enter, leave a comment on Urban Sherp about an item from WorldofGood.com that you would love to receive as a gift this holiday. Hurry! This giveaway ends December 4, 2009 at 11:59PM EST. One entry per person. Open to US & Canadian Residents. Official Rules.