Oriental rice bowl broken china pendant

This pendant is designed from an Oriental rice bowl. If you look carefully, you can see the pieces of rice that are right in the bowl. Very unique.

The pendant is wrapped with silver artist wire and measures 1" x 2" counting bail. It comes with a black velvet cord but can be used with any of your favorites chains.

Available at Marjorie's Cracked Plate Jewelry website.

Richard Ginori broken china pendant

One of my favorite china patterns is Richard Ginori china. Such gorgeous patterns with rich, bold colors. This piece is wrapped with copper artist wire and measures 1" x 2" counting bail. It comes with a black velvet cord with lobster clasp but can be used with any of your favorite chains. Find this piece and more at Marjorie's Cracked Plate Jewelry website.

Limoge broken china pendant

Here's one of my latest broken china pendants. Designed from a very delicate Limoge china tea cup, this is a very feminine piece. The pattern is a lovely one. This pendant measures 1" x 2-1/2" and is very light. It comes with a velvet cord but can be used with any of your favorite chains. It's artistically wrapped with gold artist wire. Available at Marjorie's Cracked Plate Jewelry website.

Giveaway on Doggone Thrifty Blog!

The Doggone Thrifty Blog is hosting a giveaway of this yellow pansy broken china pendant from Marjorie's Cracked Plate Jewelry!

The giveaway starts today and runs until Friday, August 10, 2012 at 9:00 p.m.

After you enter the giveaway, be sure to bookmark Doggone Thrifty and check it often for some great money-saving tips.

Good luck!

Latest Custom Order

Here's the latest custom order that I've completed.  There's a tragic story behind this piece.  A woman who had a son who was very ill and in severe pain suffered the loss of that son when he committed suicide.  On the day of his death, she broke a saucer.  A friend of hers asked me to design a jewelry piece from that broken china.  The customer was very pleased with the pendant and I hope her friend will be pleased, too.

Latest St. Patrick's Day Irish Shamrock earrings

Latest addition to my website - St. Patrick's Day Irish Shamrock button post earrings. Available at http://www.marjoriescracked.com/earrings2.html.

Here's another one!

OK, I was able to find time to complete another St. Patrick's Day pendant, this one wrapped in copper wire, which I think looks really nice with the green shamrocks. Hope you like it! It's now available on my website.

Newest St. Patrick's Day Pendant

I did get a bit of a late start this year but I'm working to bring you some new St. Patrick's Day broken china jewelry. Here's the latest - hope you like it!



The pendant can be purchased at my website. Check out my other St. Patrick's Day pieces there, too!

Latest jewelry video

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Top O' the Morning to You!

St. Patrick's Day will be here before you know it. Be ready for it with some exclusive Marjorie's Cracked broken china jewelry pieces. This is all I have left at the moment, but I hope to find enough time to design more before the day when everone wears the green arrives!

Gorgeously unique jewelry by Sarah Babu

I met a lovely lady online from Nairobi, Kenya named Sarah Babu. Sarah creates delightfully unique jewelry that I just had to share with you.



I asked Sarah to tell me a bit about herself and here is her story.



"I have lots of interest in art, I might have been born with a bead, needle and thread. I have always drawn, painted, beaded something almost everyday. I am currently working in a bank and bead part time. I am a Kenyan citizen.



"I am looking to expand my jewelery making business and that is why I contacted you. I loved your pieces. They are very unique and have a timeless touch to them. My plan is to look for some one who would be interested in buying the sort of pieces I have in bulk (over 50 pieces), then sell it to other people.



"My pieces are influenced by my community (Agate,Gold Dust, Malachite, turquoise.) The materials I use are horn beads, seed beads, glass beads and semi precious stone beads found locally and in other African countries. I have quite competitive
prices and try to make my pieces as unique as possible."



I'm sure you will agree that Sarah's work is lovely and unique. If you are interested in purchasing any of Sarah's jewelry (I'm sure she could be convinced to sell individual pieces in addition to bulk), please let me know and I will get you in touch with Sarah.

Autumn Days Broken China Jewelry

Copper and gold artist wire crochet necklace with
fall color broken china pendant
Includes five Czech goldstone beads
Pendant is 1-1/4" x 1"
Necklace is 19-1/2" long
Available at http://www.marjoriescracked.com/chokers2.html

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Broken china fall leaf pendant with copper
artist wire wrap and three Czech goldstone beads
Pendant is 2" x 2"
Available at http://www.marjoriescracked.com/pendants2.html

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Mod fall color broken china pendant with copper
wire wrap and three Czech goldstone beads
Pendant is 1-3/4" x 2"
Available at http://www.marjoriescracked.com/pendants2.html

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Broken china wire chain bracelet
with brown Czech goldstone bead
& copper artist wire
Bracelet is 7-1/2" long
Available at http://www.marjoriescracked.com/bracelets2.html

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Designed from Richard Ginori china with
copper wire wrap
Earrings are 1" long not counting hoops
Available at http://www.marjoriescracked.com/earrings3.html

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Limoge pendant

Some time ago, my cousin Freddi gave me a piece of her Theodore Haviland Limoge china that had cracked. I made several pieces of jewelry from it and most have sold. Since it isn't every day that I come across Limoge china for my jewelry, I want to use it all. So I decided to go back into my box of china pieces and found this piece. I wrapped it last evening. The pendant is 1-1/4" x 1-1/2" and is wrapped with silver artist wire. It comes with an 18" black velvet cord and is available on my website.



Although most of the pieces I've already designed from this china have been sold, I still have a matching bracelet















and matching earrings, too!

Some new broken Waterford Crystal pendants!

I just added some new broken Waterford Crystal pendants to my website at www.marjoriescracked.com. I'm so pleased with these pendants. The sparkle is just astounding. Waterford is the leading brand of premium crystal on the market today. Their reputation for quality and beauty cannot be beat. And these crystal pendants show that beauty. The cuts in the crystal reflect every color around them. And since the pendants are clear, any color worn underneath them shines through.



These pendants were designed using shards of a Waterford Glandore crystal pitcher. The pitcher had a deep open diamond cut with a band of laurel leaf around the rim and a 16-point starburst on the bottom. Each pendant comes with an 18" black velvet cord with a 2" extension chain, but can be worn with any of your favorite chains or cords.


Check them out at www.marjoriescracked.com.

Next Project - St. Patrick's Day broken china jewelry!

I can't believe the month of February is almost over! I remember thinking last weekend that it was just a month until St. Patrick's Day and I'd better get busy making some broken china jewelry to celebrate the holiday. And here another week has passed and I haven't started it! Tonight's the night! Cracked into pieces will be this lovely teapot that's missing its top and has a long crack on the bottom. It's stamped on the bottom Roman, Inc. 2001.


And I might just break up this souvenir plate from Ireland, too. This plate has such a pretty edging. But it's broken on the edge and has some stains on it. Someone liked it enough to try to glue it but the glued area has now yellowed. But maybe I'll be able to do something with it.





















Hopefully I'll have some finished pieces by next weekend that I can put up on this blog and my website. to be continued.......

Oceano Seaglass - Jewelry from naturally recycled gems

Today's featured merchant interview is with Christine Gable Epstein of Oceano Seaglass Jewelry. Christine's jewelry is available at www.oceanoseaglass.1000markets.com.

Genuine sea glass started out as broken bottles and glass and is naturally recycled by the movement of the sea and sand. It has a natural frosted beauty of its own. Christine, who lives in Puerto Rico, uses those beautiful sea gems to create lovely one-of-a-kind, handcrafted jewelry.  

I asked Christine how she found inspiration for her jewelry. 

"When my sisters and I were little, our grandmother used to make clothes for our dolls. Together we would comb through fabric scraps, lace, rick-rack and odd buttons, out of which would come marvelous little dresses. The magic of "from nothing into something" really made an impression on me, and instilled a life-long lust for art supplies! Is there a better day than when your supply order comes? That little carton, so full of possibilities!

Here in Puerto Rico, I get to hunt and gather seaglass. I love every part of the process: the excitement of finding a perfect piece, washing the salt and sand away, laying it in the sun to dry, sorting the shapes, and matching the colors. This handling of the seaglass IS the design process for me, when each found piece presents its gemlike qualities and I develop ideas about the type of finished piece it will become.

I live 500 yards from the ocean, and every free minute is spent there---in the water, watching my daughter surf, beach combing and walking our dogs. I also tend a little organic veggie patch with tomatoes, squash, herbs, and sugar cane. And since I'm not a native speaker, I'm always working to improve my Spanish-language skills."

When you stop by her shop, you'll see what a fabulous photographer she is, which makes her shop all the more attractive. Christine shares some photography advice for other merchants.

"Photographing seaglass is a bit of a puzzle. Capturing that magical translucence, but not washing out the delicate coloration and subtle texture is very important. Having been a stylist in New York, I really love shooting the photos, almost as much as making the jewelry! My advice to anyone who sells online is to take loads and loads of photos so you are assured of a few great shots---that’s what the pros do. A fabulous picture is really the most powerful selling tool we all have."

Being a part of the Reclaimed to Fame Market, Christine is a strong believer in recycling, as are her neighbors in Puerto Rico.

"We live off the beaten path in a small fishing village. In our neighborhood, nothing goes to waste. If you prop up anything marginally useful next to your garbage can at 6am, it will always be gone by 9am. Very little gets 'trashed'.

A lot of things in our daily life get reused for other purposes. All of our newspaper is shredded for mulch or laid down thickly as a weed blocker in the garden. Any plastic container not used for collecting my beach-finds is cut to make protective collars for vegetable seedlings. I really admire the recycling I see all around us here. It’s borne from a spirit of resourcefulness and inventive reuse."



All artists have a creative process and here is Christine's.

"It seems natural that I would wind up designing and making jewelry. I’ve always been interested in fashion, and my art school training serves me well in terms of working with color and design. Coming from a family of seamstresses also means that I have a love of anything tactile and a yen to do something useful with my hands. These things all contribute to the way that I think about and handle my materials.

Part of my process is built around awareness for the safeguarding of the environment. Oceano jewelry is handmade from recycled material because I want to unite my need to create with my views and beliefs. While I’m creating jewelry, I also keep in mind the notion that I am making tiny pieces of kinetic sculpture that interact with and respond to the wearer.

Adornment has been around since the beginning of human existence and it’s a reflection of the customs and societies in which it is worn. Choosing to wear something artisan-made and ecologically responsible helps you look good and feel good. And don't we all need a dash of sparkle now and again?"

Stop by Oceano Seaglass to see what Christine has available there. And also check out her blog at http://www.oceanoseaglass.blogspot.com.

New Valentine's Day Jewelry

In addition to the new broken Waterford crystal jewelry that I just wrote about, which would make wonderful Valentine's Day gifts, I also just added these new pieces to my website.

First, there is this white sea glass pendant. This is authentic sea glass, not tumbled glass, and was found on the Jersey Shore many years ago. It's a flawless piece of sea glass, not a blemish anywhere. And it's in the shape of a heart! All naturally formed by the motion of the sand and ocean. The piece of sea glass itself is worth the price I'm asking for this pendant. The pendant measures 1-1/4" x 2-1/4" counting the bail and is wrapped with silver artist wire.



Next is a pendant designed from a broken shard of Richard Ginori china from Italy. This is a gorgeous pattern of china. This particular piece has a vibrant yellow and a blue flower and has been shaped into a heart. Wrapped with silver artist wire, the piece measures 1" x 1-3/4" counting the bail. It would make someone a lovely Valentine's Day gift.

Designed from Spring Garden Royal Domino china, this piece shows a lovely spring garden and don't we all need a touch a spring in the winter time!? It's wrapped with gold artist wire and measures 1" x 2".

 

Last is a fun piece designed from a mug with a Valentine's conversation heart that says "Sweet Heart". This heart is wrapped with black artist wire and measures 1" x 1-3/4".

All of these pendants comes with an 18-inch black velvet cord with a 2-inch extension chain. Though the bails are large enough to use with almost any of your own favorite cords or chains.

So give that special someone a unique handcrafted-with-care gift this Valentine's Day. You'll know for a certainty that they won't already own such a piece of jewelry since each is a one-of-a-kind item. These pieces can all be found at Marjorie's Cracked Plate Jewelry website.

Happy shopping to you!

Rejected by Uncommon Goods - But That's OK!!

Well, I'm disappointed. Uncommon Goods contacted me saying that they were interested in carrying my jewelry on their website and possibly in their catalog too. They only include uncommon items that are handmade, recycled and organic. They would purchase 6-12 pieces of my jewelry for their website and then if it did well there, they would include it in their catalog. They've had their items featured in all the biggest magazines. They're a very environmentally friendly website and I was totally interested. They gave me a number to call for more information. I called today and was asked a lot of questions about my jewelry. Everything was going along grand until one of the questions triggered the response from me "You do know that my jewelry can't be replicated, don't you?" And everything skidded to a halt.

Apparently, the 6-12 pieces that they wanted to purchase would have to all be identical. And then, if my jewelry were to be included in the catalog, they would want hundreds of them. All - exactly - the- same. Well, I can't do that. Every jewelry piece I create is different. I've tried to replicate certain designs and they never come out exactly the same. Even to get two pieces of china broken into the exact same shape and size to make a pair of earrings is difficult. Hundreds all the same? Never. And where would I find enough of the same china to continue if a certain piece did catch on? China patterns become discontinued and may be difficult to find.

Maybe I'm not so disappointed after all. I'm not a manufacturer of mass produced items. I'm a designer of artistic one-of-a-kind jewelry creations. My customers know that when they purchase one of my designs, they won't run across anyone else wearing the exact same piece. My jewelry may be uncommon enough that uncommongoods.com was interested, which was a lovely compliment and quite exciting for awhile - but it is also unique - and with that I'm satisfied.