local recycled jewelry

To me, some of the best things to buy locally are pieces of jewelry. You can always find great unique, handmade pieces. And if they're also made of recycled materials, then, well, it just doesn't get much better!

Sometimes I forget how grateful I am to live in a place that has a vibrant arts community and easy access to local artists and their pieces. Between Festival International, Festivals Acadiens et Creoles and Arts and Fleas at Downtown's monthly ArtWalk, there's always a chance for me to check out some of the local recycled jewelry by all of these great people:

• secondlinejewels - Necklaces and earrings made from upcycled drum cymbals.
• Restrung - Earrings, bracelets and necklaces made from broken guitar strings.
• Desjardins jewelry - While her shop isn't active right now, she has necklaces, earrings and bracelets made from various recycled materials - all copper and 90% of the brass is recycled and obtained at local scrap yards and other industrial sites.
• Red Arrow Workshop - It's a store rather than an individual artist, but Red Arrow carries both recycled and local jewelry. And it's just a fun place to walk through!
• UP/Unique Products - Out of New Orleans, this place has fun recycled products.

If your city doesn't have a large arts and crafts community, Etsy is a great place to find those kinds of unique items! But I do encourage you to look around; you might be surprised what you can find in your town!

Image: Necklace made of recycled bottle glass, found at Red Arrow Workshop, and was a gift from my boyfriend!