Laurel House
DCL
Barbara de Vries has come up with a clever and chic concept that keeps plastic (at least some of it) off our beaches and wrapped around our necks, draped from our ears, and encircling our wrists—repurposing it. It's a Man Made World is her line of collected plastic jewelry that she finds along beaches in the Bahamas after tumbling around for years, even decades in the ocean. The salt, water, rocks and sea life all leave their print on the pieces of discarded plastic, as the pieces eventually mimic nature taking on the worn appearance of stone, coral or salt patina. The point of repurposing plastic into truly stunning jewelry? Awareness.
Every wearer helps raise awareness of ocean pollution because each time someone says "Oh I love your necklace, what is it?" A story follows. Change comes from conversation, which creates consciousness, and turns into action. You can make a difference. Barbara does.
We asked Barbara about It's a Man Made World to further understand her process.
Planet Green: What is It's A Man Made World?
Barbara de Vries: It's the name of my website that not only shows the jewelry but also highlights the enormous problems that are caused by plastic pollution and I plan to grow it into a more comprehensive retail and information site on recycling plastic, reducing plastic waste and profiling people and organizations who work in these fields.
PG: How did you come up with the idea to transform plastic trash into jewelry?
BD: I spend a lot of time in Eleuthera, a Bahamian outer island, where the ocean side beaches are highly polluted. I saw the plastic garbage everywhere and thought: "Not only are diamonds forever, but clearly so is plastic,? and decided to use the older, aged, antique pieces I picked up to make eclectic and exclusive jewelry.
PG: What is your inspiration for each piece?
BD: The inspiration comes from the plastic itself. Much like a sculptor I feel the piece as I find it, like it dictates what it will be and I am merely a facilitator. A crate or a laundry basket can become a necklace, a bottle top a pair of earrings, smaller pieces are like beads, and so on.
Want to make your own repurposed plastic jewelry?
To transform found ocean plastic into beautiful baubles of your own design, Barbara suggests that if you see plastic along the beach, collect as much as you can, take it home, and let it speak to you. "If it doesn't speak, then take it to the recycling station. But whatever seems to be interesting can be transformed. There is a British artist, Stuart Haygarth, who makes chandeliers from recycled plastic, I cannot tell anyone how their creative process should work, each artist has his/her own means, just start by picking it up and taking it home..."
Laundry Basket Turquoise Bracelet links pieces from a broken up laundry basket found in washed up seaweed that's strung together by a hammered 14kt gold chain.
Red Bottle Top Earrings came from a bottle top that was easy to spot. The bright red plastic was wrapped in dried seaweed on a deserted cove beach in Eleuthera.
Ying and Yang Bottle Top Earrings are made from opposite round tops encrusted in salt, found in the surf line after a storm somewhere along the French Leave Beach in Eleuthera.
Now here's where it comes full circle, Barbara sells her jewelry at a shop called Beach House Boutique in Governor's Harbor, Eleuthera that is literally fifty feet from the beach where she first saw, collected and got inspired by the plastic. It's a rather natural organic process of evolution in which the once discarded plastic is now a thing of beauty.
A percentage of the proceeds go towards the Cape Eleuthera Institute, a Bahamian organization that researches resource management and marine and sea life sustainability.
