Upcycling in Jewelry Design

Austin Birdstone Studio designs are based on the principle of upcycling. We delight in finding new beauty in old and forgotten pieces of jewelry. There is something magical about the hunt for the materials. Sometimes it seems almost as if something leads you into a shop where the perfect piece is hidden away just waiting to be, if not reborn, at least redesigned.

Most of our materials come from junk, also called antique, shops in tiny towns here in central and west Texas. We tour on our motorcycles and stop for lunch or breakfast, or just for a rest and begin the hunt. Piled in cases, lurking in baskets and boxes under the counter or in the case we find sterling silver and sometimes gold or even old rose gold pieces. If the pieces are Mexican sterling or Native American silver, then they become part of the "Cowboy Amulets" collection. Mysterious pieces of silver and gold flow into the "Deep Talismans" collection. And, maybe another collection is waiting to happen.