The Jewelry I Make
By Sarah Koester, posted October 27, 2017|
.....I use the dials and entire watch movements ( the movement is the inside workings of a watch) from ladies and men's vintage ( 1880s to 1960s) pocket and wrist watches to make cuff links, several types of earrings, several types of pendants, money clips, tie clips, bookmarks, and tiny dial bracelets, and the showiest of all, is my Graduated Round Dial Necklaces, which use pocket watch dials as the center and then various types of round dials that are smaller, ( I often can make matching earrings too) ...Since, as a vintage watch dealer I learned quite a lot about watches, I can bring added elements of information to the pieces I make, such as, where they were made, by what company, what that company was like, when it was made, ( the large pocket watch pendants are often pinned to the exact year they were made) and interesting facts like ...the more numbers the dial has on it , the older it is...and these facts are just a small number of interesting watch info I have ....my customers are delighted to find out all about the pieces I use .... ....I do very well, people of all ages and both genders find my jewelry pretty and unusual. I strive to make each piece as perfectly as I am able ....then, last year I discovered a vendor who sells findings made from old Victorian molds, and that really set my work up .... .....For the status aware, I even have several pendants made from Rolex dials and movements, usually dating from about 1910 to the early 1930s, and hope to get some from the 50s and 60s next...these pieces are significantly more expensive that my other jewelry, but I find that some folks get a big kick out the having a piece of jewelry made from genuine Rolex parts. ...I offer a 100% guarentee on my work....and I have lovely damask boxes and bags for every piece I sell..... ...The thing I am most proud of is that I am constantly looking for better ways to construct the pieces I make, and that I also am always trying to come up with new and different ways to use those vintage dials and movements. ....There are only a few people in the country doing what I do, and I am probably the only former vintage watch dealer who make jewelry from old watches .....the parts I use are more than just old stuff I find and use ...they are living memorials to the high quality work of the watch makers of this country and a few other countries....but about 95% of the watches I use are made in the US.... ...My displays catch the eyes of both men and women ....there's just something about old watches that makes jewelry more than just something pretty to wear, it is also a piece of history ...... |
