• Crafts
  • Events
  • Featured Crafters
  • Giveaways
  • Graphic Arts
  • Handmade
  • Holidays
  • Tutorials

Handmade Jewlery, Bags, Clothing, Art, Crafts, Craft Ideas, Crafting Blog

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact Me
  • Get Featured
  • Advertise
  • Archives
  • Badges

Creating Elegance Through Upcycling

in Featured Crafters, Handmade, Jewelry, Upcycled on 15/01/12

I’ve always thought about life not as odds ‘n’ ends, but as odds and evens. There are those in life that are paired with another and those left standing alone. That is the yin and yang of life. And then there are the evens that flank the odds. So when you have 2 and add 1, you have an odd and an even. Two can set one apart. And three is the most stable number there is consisting of one even and one odd.

Victoria Tane

Random Facts About You?

1) Olive green makes my eyes stand out
2) Mark Cottman is my favorite contemporary artist
3) I picked every fruit imaginable in Israel while I lived there for 2 years
4) My husband and I own a 1966 vintage airstream sovereign land yacht that has been lovingly restored



What got you started crafting?

I got started making jewelry with a kit I received as a birthday present when I was 9 years old. There were wood and plastic beads and I used them to make necklaces for my friends and family. My Mom



What is your source of inspiration?

I’ve been fortunate that as an artist I’m inspired to look at things not as they are but as they could be. Where other people see junk I see possibilities. When people see my jewelry they’re not always able to recognize the elements. I equate this phenomenon to them seeing their dental hygienist at the opera. At the end of the day, things taken out of context can create surprise and delight for me and my customers. Much of my inspiration comes from individual clients who bring me single earrings, broken strands of beads, and odd pieces of costume jewelry for redesign and repair.



What have you made recently?

Ten years ago, I came across a few hundred pounds of antique lamp crystals from the 1920s that were used in the lighting industry. They puzzled me because there was no way to attach them. I was finally struck with inspiration and created four distinct bezels for the four shapes of crystal - triangle, shield, oblong and round.

The bezels were made out of polymer clay and I worked with a caster to cast the pewter bezels right onto the loose stones. I wanted a rough hewn handworked look to capture the original handwork of the models and the elegance and asymmetry of the original quartz crystals. I didn't want precision or perfection. I wanted the texture and the unevenness that only handwork can afford. The bezels are plated in an oxidized silver and lacquered giving this necklace an old-world handwrought patina. Once the original models were made, I set about engineering the necklace so the crystals are linked in a graceful mosaic pattern. If Elizabeth Taylor wore antique crystals instead of diamonds, this would be the necklace she'd choose.





Where do you sell your crafts presently?

I sell my jewelry at 26 juried fine arts and crafts shows in the northeast US annually. I also have a jewelry shop online. There are times when I've even sold my necklaces when I've worn them out and sold them off my neck!



Why are handmade crafts important to you?

I choose handmade because I can have personal contact and connection with the maker. I'm intrigued by stories, the history of things and how they move from one hand to another. It used to be if something broke, you fixed it. Now people just throw things away. Without knowing the story behind the objects, it becomes easy for people to discard them. Connecting with artists allows me to become part of the creative process.



Find Me

Location
Nashua, New Hampshire

Email Address
Victoria Tane

Personal Website
http://www.victoriatane.com

Store Website
http://shop.victoriatane.com

Coupon Code for Store
VTS-FREESHIP
Twitter
@victoriatane

Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/vtstudios

  • Comments 0 Comments
  • Categories Featured Crafters, Handmade, Jewelry, Upcycled
  • Tags beading, beads, necklace, recycled, Upcycled, upcycling
  • Author Mandie Shaner

Other Crafters You May Also Like

No related posts.

« A bright and lovely distraction.
I Love to Keep Things Simple »

Follow Heart Handmade

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

MONTHLY GIVEAWAY

Submit your email address to participate in our exclusive monthly craft giveaways.

Recent Things

  • Everyday Treasures – Unique, Simple, Creative
  • Community-Arts Design Giants
  • Simple & Clean
  • Unique Wire Wrapped Jewelry
  • Decor and Handmade Lights
  • Boho. On Trend, Earthy and Fresh
  • Unique Handmade Home Decor Accessories
  • Romantic. Chic. Whimsical
  • Handmade Colombian Quilling Crafts
  • Nature vs Industrial

Crafts from the Past

  • Crafts (17)
  • Events (4)
  • Featured Crafters (722)
  • Giveaways (11)
  • Graphic Arts (74)
    • Decorating (5)
    • Drawing (3)
    • Illustration (39)
    • Painting (18)
    • Photography (13)
    • Prints (12)
  • Handmade (698)
    • Accessories (139)
    • Bags (33)
    • Blown Glass (3)
    • Body Products (13)
    • Books (4)
    • Bottles (3)
    • Candles (5)
    • Cards (33)
    • Ceramics (6)
    • Christmas (2)
    • Clothing (42)
    • Crocheting (33)
    • Felt (16)
    • Flowers (7)
    • Furniture (1)
    • Glass (10)
    • Halloween (1)
    • Home (53)
    • Jewelry (253)
    • Journals (5)
    • Kids (36)
    • Knitting (23)
    • Magnets (2)
    • Maps (1)
    • Paper (9)
    • Pets (2)
    • Porcelain (1)
    • Pottery (11)
    • Quilling (3)
    • Quilts (8)
    • Sewing (26)
    • Silkscreening (2)
    • Soap (9)
    • Toys (12)
    • Upcycled (30)
    • Wedding (10)
    • Woodworking (13)
  • Holidays (17)
  • Homemade (13)
    • Food (9)
    • Pies (2)
  • Tutorials (4)

Copyright © 2023 · glam theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2023 · Heart Handmade Blog on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

MENU
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact Me
  • Get Featured
  • Advertise
  • Archives
  • Badges
  • Crafts
  • Events
  • Featured Crafters
  • Giveaways
  • Graphic Arts
  • Handmade
  • Holidays
  • Tutorials

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

Handmade Jewlery, Bags, Clothing, Art, Crafts, Craft Ideas, Crafting Blog
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Read the Privacy Policy

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.