Intertwining the beauty of the past and the freshness of the present, jewelry designer Barbara Boz creates one-of-a-kind repurposed jewelry in her Found Objects Reinvented collection. She is drawn to weathered, timeworn pieces. Each piece tells a story through a patina of tiny scratches, dings and artful oxidization. "You can sense their history, says Boz. They have soul."
Boz scours auction houses, dealers and sources all over the world to find unique artifacts. Each design comprises a mix of upcycled materials and finishes – sterling silver, bronze, copper, trade beads*, glass – from Europe, Asia, Africa and North and South America. After Boz and her artisans examine the treasures, the intricate time-intensive handiwork begins in her Michigan workshop. Assembling the jewelry is a hands-on experience. Each element is cleaned, prepped, altered, sealed, soldered and considered for its aesthetic value. Then, Boz and her local artisans reimagine and transform the disparate elements into upcycled jewelry masterpieces, each possessing an urban chic aesthetic.
"The upcycled jewelry in this collection is beautifully intricate,” says Boz. "Each design of the Found Objects Reinvented collection has immense character, and I love working with pieces that have had a previous life. They speak to me. I'm beckoned to recreate them into something relevant and hip that I want to wear everyday – something that defines the old-soul style for today's modern woman."
*History of Trade Beads. Starting around the 16th century, trade beads were created as a form of currency, wealth storage and social status. They are stunningly beautiful decorative glass beads that were made throughout Europe, although the Venetians dominated production due to their glass-making prominence. The success of this form of currency can largely be attributed to the work required to produce them locally and salability. These trade beads are considered to be one of the earliest forms of trade. It has also been surmised that bead trading was one of the reasons why humans developed language.