Dear friends. Today I'm thrilled to introduce you to Jovanka Ristich who makes the most stunning jewellery (jewelry to my US friends) from recycled beads and gemstones.
Regular readers will know that I'm very partial to a statement necklace. On a tonal outfit, or on bare skin, these add real drama. Jovanka, whose brand is called Bijou Rebooted, kindly gifted me two stunners which I'm showing you here.
First up is a multi-strand pearl necklace which I absolutely love. Pearls look beautiful on all women because their lustre casts flattering reflections against the skin. I chose black and white to showcase the necklace: a skirt and polka dot jacket, both from M&S and old, and a top from Kettlewell.
The idea of creating stunning new pieces from old, forgotten jewellery also appeals. Says Jovanka: "Every woman has a drawer or box filled with unwanted, discarded, broken or unloved jewellery. Looking at it lying neglected in the dark evokes varying degrees of guilt. So, having someone who will gladly accept it, and re-purpose it, makes them happy."
The pearl necklace took many hours to make. Jovanka says: "Once I had the idea in my head, and enough beads to work with, physically creating it took several hours as each pearl is interspersed with tiny beads, each of a different colour."
So I can be sure that this necklace is unique!
New Necklaces from Old
One of Jovanka's recent customers gave her a variety of tangled up necklaces, bracelets, earrings and other items, some of which were broken and others which had never been worn. Many had sentimental value and she was sad to leave them sitting in a box or drawer, not necessarily unwanted, but unworn nevertheless.
She was delighted with the results. "I gave Jovanka carte blanche to use the pieces in any way that inspired her. I was blown away with the results. They could easily have come from an upmarket boutique or vintage dress shop, not from the depths of my dressing table drawers."
My second choice is a multi-layered necklace in shades of green, worn here with a Kettlewell Rachel jacket in alpine green, t-shirt in ice pink, bag from Cambridge Satchel Company and culottes from Hope (old). The velvet boots came from LightintheBox last winter.
Jovanka is happy to create bespoke necklaces in particular colour ways (important for my Kettlewell Colour Club friends!). "How long it would take is another thing. It all depends on what I have in my bead boxes at any given time. But, if someone wanted a specific colour, and I didn’t have it, I could set about tracking down beads from charity shops. But in principle anything is possible. I’m always up for a challenge!
"Only this week a lady brought in a vintage pendant that was her grandmother’s, asking me to create a beaded necklace to complement it. She wants to gift this to her adult daughter as a Christmas present. She didn’t want to give her the pendant on its own, yet felt it deserved more than a simple chain. It’s very flattering to be tasked with this commission. I’m excited to see what I come up with."
Both of Jovanka's parents were creative: her mother was mother was skilled at sewing, knitting and needlecraft, and her father could turn his hand to anything, from making built-in cupboards from scratch to landscaping the garden.
The urge to re-use and recycle was instilled in her from a young age. Jovanka says: "Making use of what we had, or in today’s terminology “upcycling”, was always something we did. It was a combination of relishing the challenge as well as saving money.
"For me the idea of changing something I had, and perhaps didn’t like, into something I did like, was second nature. I started by painting my bedroom furniture and adapting my clothes. Redesigning my jewellery was a natural progression."
Although I chose two multi-layered necklaces, Jovanka creates other diverse styles, examples of which are showcased here. In terms of cost, prices range from £24 to £68 ($32 to $91).
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What a original idea! I immediately checked her site of course, what a beautiful colourful necklaces! The next time we are in the UK, when will that ever be, I will definitely visit her in Canterbury!
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