Photo Courtesy of junior Talia Doane
Rings, earrings, and necklaces alike are all pieces of jewelry that can be handmade, and making jewelry is an activity many San Luis Obispo High School students take part in. Making homemade jewelry is important and should be something everyone does or supports at least once in their life. It allows for a creative outlet that is sustainable and therapeutic.
Jewelry is one of the oldest types of archaeological artifacts with one hundred thousand year-old beads that were made from Nassarius shells, according to ponoko.com. The first signs of established jewelry didn’t appear until around three thousand to five thousand years ago in Ancient Egypt.
“Homemade jewelry is very therapeutic and I love having a vision of something in my head and being able to manipulate the materials until I get the finished product. Even if it doesn’t turn out how I want it to, it’s still fun. Making jewelry is honestly something everyone should try because it allows for you to express your creative abilities,” said junior Fiona Stevens.
Not only is handmade jewelry a creative outlet, it is more sustainable for the environment. There are various resources out in nature that can be incorporated into the jewelry.
“I’ve been able to make my own jewelry with things like shells and pretty rocks and it’s really fun to be able to use things that are already there. I also like to use old beads or things from jewelry I don’t wear and find a way to make them new and improved,” said junior Emmersen Hill.
Sometimes, making jewelry isn’t always an option. Buying pre-made jewelry from companies may be the only way to get a gift for someone, and time isn’t always available to handmake things.
“Depending on people’s schedules, they have less time to make their own jewelry so buying is the easier option. If you don’t get home until ten at night everyday, like I did before COVID, then going online and taking five minutes to order something is so much easier for me than taking an hour to make something,” said junior Phoebe Johnson.
Buying jewelry can seem like the easier option, but creating your own pieces becomes second nature.
Multitasking and doing other things, while still expressing creativity, makes it all worth it.
