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Author | Topic: "Upcycling" |
Polly Posts: 1970 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() I've been seeing more and more nice old silver "upcycled" into jewelry. Spoon rings have been around for a billion years, of course, and I guess I don't mind so much when they're made from stamped 20th century spoons. But lately I've been seeing lovely old sugar tongs bent into bangles, often with their spoon ends hammered flat. I just saw a pair of cast-arm tongs hallmarked 1777 that looks to have been in perfect condition before the vandal "improved" it. Why why WHY??????????????????? IP: Logged |
Polly Posts: 1970 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() On the sales site, the tong vandal writes: "This lovely bangle offers the opportunity to expand the historical story of spoon rings to co-ordinating jewellery. It has been hand crafted from a beautifully designed sterling silver set of sugar tongs, and is 6.5cm in diameter. The bangle displays a full set of Irish Hallmarks including the makers mark ST, Crown&Harp, assayed in Dublin in 1777...238 years old." IP: Logged |
taloncrest Posts: 169 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() It does bother me even when it is 20th century mass produced silverplate, but this seems, I hate to use the term, barbaric. IP: Logged |
June Martin Forum Master Posts: 1326 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() In my mind, the "upcycling" of the tongs should be criminal, but is it any different than other "preservationist" things that are done like keeping the facade of a beautiful old buildng and gutting the inside to something completely different and not in keeping with the original structure? It's hard to force appreciation for history and even harder to fight the economics of "progress." IP: Logged |
ahwt Posts: 2334 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() I wonder how they were able to bend the cast arms of these early sugar tongs to fashion a bangle as the cast arms seem very unbendable to me. Maybe one of our contributing silversmiths could comment on this. It is too bad someone has started this but hopefully it will not become fashionable. On a lighter note the current issue of the Bella Grace magazine has a delightful short story on the pleasures of polishing silver. This magazine has many stories of the “ordinary” that are really extraordinary experiences. It is nice to know someone else finds polishing silver can bring about an awakening of fond memories. [This message has been edited by ahwt (edited 01-20-2015).] IP: Logged |
Polly Posts: 1970 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() I imagine they heated the tongs to soften them before bending them, but maybe someone who actually knows (instead of just guessing) will comment. (agleopar?) IP: Logged |
agleopar Posts: 850 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Polly, ahwt, I'm gaging as I'm typing and only skimmed this post as it is so disturbing... Really does it matter if the cretins annealed the poor benighted tongs or just bashed the bejaysus out of them!! Sorry, I feel sick and have to go... IP: Logged |
agleopar Posts: 850 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Ok, breathing again and yes they could anneal the cast arms and they would bend without cracking assuming the original cast was without flaws. IP: Logged |
Polly Posts: 1970 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() I'm so sorry, Rob. I shouldn't have forced you to think about it. IP: Logged |
agleopar Posts: 850 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Maybe I'm over reacting? The bright side is the marks and maker are saved for the future... In the past I have thought that it might have been nice to cut out the marks on coin tea spoons that were being melted by the barrel full as an affordable way to just save the history of the spoons. I never acted on the thought... IP: Logged |
Scott Martin Forum Master Posts: 11520 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() quote: IP: Logged |
asheland Posts: 935 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() The whole idea is sickening indeed! ![]() IP: Logged |
vathek Posts: 966 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() And they had to pick an Irish pair IP: Logged |
Kimo Posts: 1627 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() I wonder how the person who committed this terrible lapse of judgement to destroy a rare historical spoon would feel if someone upcycled them. IP: Logged |
Paul Lemieux Posts: 1792 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() This whole "up-cycling" thing has gotten out of hand. Fortunately, it seems like a lot of it is made from stuff that wasn't particularly nice to begin with but there are always exceptions. I found an old Jensen Blossom salt spoon that had been drilled through the bowl to accommodate a jump ring (the bowl also housed a hideous glued-in glass bauble). It was then suspended from a ghastly strand of multicolored wood and glass beads. Probably the most egregious example I've seen was an Art Smith pin that had been mangled, drilled, and glued onto another awful necklace. It was beyond salvage. Up-cycling/re-purposing isn't a new thing--for example in the Victorian period, Georgian watch cock covers--which were beautifully pierced and engraved--were up-cycled into jewelry such as necklaces, brooches, and earrings. IP: Logged |
Polly Posts: 1970 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() I have several pieces of that Victorian jewelry made from Georgian watch cocks. For some reason they don't bother me the way the tong bracelets do--maybe because the destruction happened so long ago, or maybe because one imagines the watch cocks would have been thrown out otherwise. I always get compliments when I wear them. IP: Logged |
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