How-to: Upcycle a Vintage Glass Necklace with Nail Polish

My Mammaw was quite the stylish lady. When she went out on the town with my handsome Pappaw in the 1950s, she always wore the best, most fashionable clothes, and she had the jewelry to match.

Of course, those fashionable clothes were often home-sewn, and that flashy jewelry was often made of glass, but who cared? The lady looked amazing!

When Mammaw, near the end of her life, handed me her jewelry box and the sticker labels and told me to pick out some treasures to keep (an excellent system, by the way, which worked quite well in our family), sure, I tagged the hand-painted bead necklace that Pappaw bought for her right after he liberated Rome, and the silver necklace that I’m too afraid to take out of its special dark velvet bag and actually wear. But I have no real interest in gold and gemstones, and so I asked for, and soon after received, lots of that flashy glass jewelry that made Mammaw such a fashion sensation in the 50s.

That glass jewelry may make its biggest sensation in the dress-up bin these days, but it’s still beloved. For those special dress-up occasions, such as Halloween or fancy-dress birthday parties, my girls and I are fond of giving our jewelry a quick and easy paint job using nail polish. The project uses about as much nail polish as it takes to do your nails, cleans right off with nail polish remover, and best of all, you can use this method to match your jewelry perfectly to your outfit, and, of course, your fingernails. Here’s how:

To begin, gather up a piece of costume jewelry made of glass or any other synthetic diamond mimic. If you’re going to want to clean off the nail polish later, be mindful of your material, since the acetone in nail polish remover isn’t a friendly chemical. We haven’t had a problem with the acetone scratching or otherwise marring our vintage glass jewelry, but frankly, I’m of the mindset that my possessions are here for me to use, not coddle so much that they end up gathering dust in a jewelry box until the end of my life, so I’m not your best resource about keeping your valuables archivally sound and pristine, etc.

Now, if you want to void warranties and paint your costume jewelry hot pink and turquoise, I’m your Momma.

Any nail polish will work for our purposes. Remember that you can paint on as many layers as you choose, so you can make even subtle shades pop on your jewelry.

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