Kathryn Bowman Studio

Scrap to Treasure

Not sure how I got started last week. This wasn't in the plan. Certainly had a lot of other things I should have been doing. Perhaps it was simply therapeutic. I started tearing apart jewelry creations I made ten or twelve years ago. Things do pile up. We all have failed design efforts, but what do you do with them? There are those projects that were clearly part of a learning curve and didn't quit make the mark on great color choice, design, or sound structure. What to do with all of those projects, becomes a space issue? I found myself being rather unemotional about it all. After all will they really do me or anyone else any good down the road? Where do you put it?

As I said, I didn't plan on sitting there for two hours one day, and two more the next morning, but I have to admit, I really got into tearing some of these old jewelry creations apart. Out of it I now have beads that are free to be in other creations and can have a new, possibly, happier life. There was sterling silver chain, closures, jumprings and scrap. I throw all of the silver parts I can reuse in the tumbler, and it came out looking shiny and new. I was amazed at how much scrap silver I ended up with.

So I’m off to the place I recycle silver at today, Hauser and Miller. They are located in St. Louis where I live, but you can ship your scrap to them for recycle. Just click the link on their name above, and you will find all of the details on how to do that on their web site. You can no doubt find a reputable location near you as well. There are a lot of “We buy Gold” places popping up over the past few years, since precious metal prices have gone up so radically. Take your time and investigate who you are dealing with. Contact the Better Business Bureau, to be sure about the location you will be dealing with. Be sure that you are getting current market value for any of your precious metal.

It feels good to have cleared out the studio a little bit. I have more jewelry I can cut apart, and intend to work away at it over time. This is all in hopes of having no extraneous “stuff” sitting around the studio. What a lofty aspiration? Wish me luck and I hope I’ve inspired you to start your own clearing out.