“They look like Lifesavers.  You know, the cherry ones.”

This is what I hear every time I wear my Loot! earrings or bracelet*.  I’ll admit that there’s a similarity there, but  instead of being machine-created rings of sugary sweetness, Loot! is hand-made jewelry comprised of recycled art glass.

I’ve mentioned Loot! before (in my A Touch of Green post and just after going to the Seattle Green Festival) but due to real-life time constraints (as opposed to the internet-life kind) I couldn’t give it the attention it deserves until now. It’s too bad, too: I’ve gotten a lot of questions and compliments on it and wanted to direct people to a post like this one!

The owner and designer of Loot!, Genevieve Church, reclaims glass that would otherwise be destined for the landfill and uses flameworking techniques to create new pieces.  She not only creates the circular jewelry you see in this post, but also glass trees, which in the right home are a perfect mix of eerie and illustrious.  (I think they’d be great in an ultra-modern but still green home.)

Along with reclaimed, recycled glass art, Loot! also uses as much recycled silver (usually vintage) as she can.  The necklace above uses silk, though, and I noticed that she has tons more designs in person than what is offered on her website.  If you’re looking for red jewelry like mine, or a necklace tied with fabric instead of strung on silver, don’t be afraid to contact Genevieve: she’s incredibly nice, and if she’s got the raw materials, I bet she’d work with you on a custom piece.

However, I suggest you peruse her online store first: there are tons of options available on there alone, and even if you go for a custom piece, it’ll give you ideas.  My next purchase will likely be a cluster necklace, which would look great over a basic tank and jeans or with a cocktail dress, in super-colorful shades like the bracelet below.  What about you: how do you feel about this candy-like jewelry?  If you dig it, what colors and styles would you go for?

[Photos by Sarah Schlossman. See more of her work at here!]

*The earings pictured in that first photo are by Seattle resin artist Lulu Smith.  (You can purchase them here.) I wore them to the Green Festival (I did not buy them there) and they are in no way related to Loot!.

Tags: Awakened Options: Recycled, conscious shopping, eco-conscious, Fashion, handmade, Jewelry, local