Vintage Broken Glass Gets New Life As Jewelry

Ruby Glass Earrings

I love vintage glass. I have a few hoarded bottles and unique finds that are currently stashed away so my kids don’t break them. Eventually I will have all my antiques displayed around my home and not stuffed in boxes…after the kids have grown up.

If I displayed everything now it would just get broken. But broken glass pieces don’t always get wasted. There are many artists who have found creative ways to turn broken glass into works of art. Some make mosaics, others make new bottles, glasses or tumblers, and some, like Laura Bergman of Bottled Up Designs , make pretty pieces of jewelry.

Laura finds broken pieces of glass in wooded areas near her home. A long time glass collector she was dismayed that the vintage glass was broken and that wildlife frequently ran over the glass. One day she even caught sight of a fawn lying right in the middle of all that broken glass. She decided she wanted to do something creative with the broken pieces of glass to help the environment and the wildlife.

She brought some glass home and made crafts with her children then one day the sun shown brightly on the pieces of glass. Laura commented to her daughter, “Look at that glass, it’s as pretty as a gem, I wonder if I could make jewelry out of some of it!” And from there Bottled Up Designs was born.

Anyone could just collect all the glass and throw it away or send it to be recycled but Laura went a step farther and is breathing new life into the glass by turning it into necklace pendants and earrings.

Laura says “The pieces were pretty crude at first, but with a huge amount of trial and error, and having a husband who custom built some equipment for me, I am now able to make wonderful product lines with this pretty glass.  Lately, I have learned some kiln working and firing the glass, and am taking some of my products to the next level once again.   I realized people love hearing about the history of the glass, so I include with each piece ‘the Story of the Glass’ detailing what each was originally and the approximate  age of the glass.” 

Laura is completely self-taught. I think her work is truly creative and beautiful. The glass really is as pretty as gemstones.

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