“Sometimes when things are falling apart, they may actually be falling into place” J. Lynn
Repurposing imperfect textile treasures into jewelry
Vintage Indian Sari and Japanese Kimono repurposed into various size cuff bracelets.
Towards the end of 2002, I found myself randomly and somewhat inexplicably collecting imperfect but gorgeous “textile treasures” from various world cultures. These textiles were frequently vintage Japanese kimono—-beautifully handmade, but with many imperfections. I was also drawn to purchase many other textiles crafted by artisans from numerous cultures around the globe.
Bracelets created from deconstructed vintage Japanese Kimono (1920s-1970s), for sale to various clients including the Museum Shop at the Art Institute of Chicago.
During that time period in New York City, there were many more local shops, markets and textile shows with magnificent ethnic offerings, but quickly the “exotic bazaar” that was early Ebay became a huge magnet as well. For many months I continued my impulsive searching and collecting—- with no idea of what to do with my most beautiful imperfect textiles. That is, until one early Spring day in 2003 when inspiration and technique came together for my husband and me, with a plan to combine beautiful textile fragments into cuff bracelets and other jewelry.
Cuff bracelets created with actual vintage Japanese kimono silks, except for
the two cuffs at lower right which are fabricated with vintage Indian sari silk.
Fast forward to 2019, after more than 16 years of creating our Textile Gems Jewelry items for over 60 museum shops and galleries across the U.S. —while often fitting in a handful of retail clients between wholesale orders. Currently, however, we are focused on the launch of this blog and new creative endeavors with wholesale and retail clients.
Egyptian jewelry purchased by Bowers Museum of Cultural Art and African cuffs purchased by Nelson Atkins Museum’s Shop
There are three categories of jewelry best fabricated differently. Since African and Chinese textiles are quite rare we choose to print faithful replications of these textiles on silk. For Egyptian jewelry we fabricate with authentic papyrus hand painted by contemporary Egyptian artists depicting ancient motifs.
Three photos featuring cuffs bracelets fabricated with ca. 1970s silk Indian sarees
We love knowing and passing on the “backstories” for the textiles we love, but we are not academics. We love textiles as visual immersion in our lives– — wearing, displaying and creative re-use. Of course, we are also still buying and the search has only become more daunting. We invite you to share your feedback and inspirations for repurposing and creating many kinds of textile artistry for our world.
Jewelry created from our fine silk replications of antique Chinese embroideries. The center image displays a collage of these Chinese textiles. All created for the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art Shop.
“As long as creators make and repurpose beautiful things we will always have vintage…..” Fran Seigel
See our our main Textile Gems website or instagram or contact us directly for either custom wholesale or retail inquiries.
