For my final product I made upcycled porcelain jewelry from a mug I had recently broken. They happened to be about the right size that I wanted for a necklace and an earring. To create the holes I wanted to use a hand drill, and sand paper to smooth out the edges and get the shape that I desire.
I went through numerous iteration in regards to attachment options. I had initially used a fish hook and fishing line to attach the earrings but those posed a problem since they were a little too sharp. So I eventually resorted to using an actual earring hook from a broken earring I had lying around. I would have made 2 earring but I ran out of material and drill bits. Surprisingly the drill bits were worn down by the hardness of the porcelain in just two passes throughs.
I used a metal file and chisel to shape the ceramic but it was very tedious and I broke a couple in the process.
I initially used some ordinary thread as the necklace string but it was not very aesthetically pleasing and I didn’t know if it would hold. I have braided things in the past so I was able to use that skill to create a better “chain” for the necklace. I think it turned out a lot better than expected.
All in all I am really happy with the final product. I would like to make another earring in the future to match this one.
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[…] Upcycle Final: Jewelry from a mug […]
Nice project!! I really enjoyed the modeling of the final product. I was interested that you had to drill the ceramic under water and wonder why that helps. maybe just the extra lubrication keeps the cracks from propagating? I think you should make another earing to match. Looks great on you Mr. T
Great basis for an upcycle project – take something broken, and give it new life! Drilling holes in ceramic sounds like it was incredibly difficult, and I would be interested to see if the underwater drilling trick works. If you figured out a way to streamline the production process, I bet you could totally sell these on sites like Etsy for lots of $$$.
Your project is my favorite. I love the idea of taking something broken that you already put work into and turning it into a nice product. The final outcome is really beautiful!
Interesting project and good presentation. It was interesting to see how many iterations you had to go through to reach your final product. Good job!
Hello Morgan, you did a really good job with your project. It is awesome that you were able to create usable jewelry for this project, and make something out of a cup that you broke. You’re presentation was very informative and you did a good job talking about your project
Morgan, very creative project! I think it turned out pretty well for all the iterations you had to go through. Good presentation and thanks for modeling the jewelry for us!
Your jewelry came out great! Like, I would purchase it in all honesty. It was really cool that it was made out of a broken mug. Way to make good out of a fairly tragic occurrence! I agree that the shiny finish might look better. Great work!
Hi Morgan,
It is really amazing how you were able to drill the holes on the mug pieces without getting shattered. Choosing blue color for the string added a lot to the design too. Good job!
Hi Morgan,
Nice project and presentation! I really like how you used something that was broken and otherwise would have been thrown away as trash as the main material for your project. Also, it was very interesting seeing your whole construction process and hearing about the problems that occurred.