Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Waste Not, Want Not

Tonight was a pretty good studio night. The building my little studio is in was pretty empty and quiet when I got there after work today. I got the window and door open, my music going, donned an apron and got to work.

I'm developing a series that will be titled "Papilion" (or something similar to that). It's based on some earlier work I've done and tonight was a good three solid hours dedicated to creating AND figuring how to recreate. (I've been running into some challenges with some other lines...).

One IMPORTANT self-imposed rule I have when making my jewelry, is to utilize as much scraps and leftovers as I can- especially with my silver. I work with silver wire and sheet and there are always scraps that are leftover or discarded due to mistakes. I collect as much as I can- with the exception of silver dust (it's currently resting in a catch tray). The scraps are organized by size and shape (yes, that's a little OCD of me...) and I will melt them down or cut them up into something I can use.

Why all this trouble when you can send your metal scraps to refineries that will buy it from you? Well, I'm glad you asked! I CAN be lazy about it and toss it into a little baggie and mail it to said refinery. BUT- there are costs and wastes associated with that. The piece of plastic holding the scraps, the paper needed to package the metal in for shipping, the fuel and energy required in the transporting of the metal and you get the picture.

It's a small step, but it's my little "gift" to the planet, or at least, my bit of restraint. I am keen on looking at other ways and areas in which I can reduce unnecessary spending, using, wasting, etc.



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