Vintage Spoon Jewelry

Asymmetrical spoon bracelet

Recently I've been lucky enough to run across a couple of people who have entrusted me to convert their damaged or unused family silverware into jewelry.  These pieces were a change of pace from my usual work and a lot of fun to make.
Each commission presented its own unique set of challenges.  The first customer had a damaged spoon that they wanted made into three separate pieces of jewelry and the second wanted a bracelet that showcased the engraving of the J initial on the handle.  Other than those basic requests the designs were completely up to me.  I knew that I didn't want to make the usual spoon jewelry that I'm always seeing, so when coming up with a design I tried to see past the spoon and break it down into basic shapes and components.
I took the first spoon and cut it into three separate pieces, the bowl, the top of the handle and the middle of the handle.  I flattened the bowl, formed it into a slight curve and gave it a hammered texture to cover up the damaged area.  It made the perfect minimal but bold pendant.  Since this spoon had an engraved texture on the entire handle I was able to take the middle section and form it into an asymmetrical open band.  Then I took the tip of the handle and soldered a length of rectangular wire to it that became the band.  When you wear it the tip rests on top of neighboring finger, so it looks like a multi finger ring.
The second commission was for a bracelet.  I originally intended to flatten and form it into a simple cuff, but decided to cut it in half and solder the former bowl to the tip of the handle and add lengths of chain so it could be closed with a clap.  I loved the basic design but it seemed to be missing something so I went back and pierced the floral design into the bowl to tie the piece together.
I was a little nervous when I started both projects but wound up very pleased with the results.  Now I have the overwhelming urge to hit up the flea market and antique stores in search of more spoons!  If you are interested in converting your own pieces of silverware, I would love to hear from you.

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Necklace and rings from sterling silver spoon

Asymmetrical bracelet from sterling silver spoon