For a very long time, I've had some vintage beads from two different necklaces that my mom used to wear when I was a little girl. I blogged about
the purple one a while ago, and how I resurrected it to be worn again. That necklace was in fairly good shape to begin with. This one, a white one, was just a hint of its former self.
The original clasp was missing, and the floss on which the beads were strung had long since rotted away. But I kept the loose beads for years and years because I just couldn't bear to part with them.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9LmCscUDcufL1Nf4zwpknOa246hESZxq9Fg8tLGPcRQMZPAdMH4ibaZ3A2iKjFgxf2uGacoPw3udU8EGlLoKeXpDwVpj60rJL8smvAOAPwKaTN7F14KhyzUnZRLWfZ-viO_sYaA8Ja30/s400/P1160369.JPG)
I remember putting these beads between my teeth as a child and ever so gently chomping on them. They looked good enough to eat, and I just had to taste them.
Luckily, my mom understood and always let me gnaw on the beads, so long as I didn't actually hurt them (or my teeth!).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpMdQU28wY2Em1lSJ70kis4MwXCr3zS7sGgtU2fAJKB8MUTsMQJhqO8de_KS417sQ6RNY9yjdjl3x8MAceWsy61acqaiiu3rkotNBJ7hdHqqa4-GGvDpWQQquRM310SrPqqIjMKTdS5HE/s400/P1160371.JPG)
Recently, I asked a friend and beader extraordinaire to help me design a new necklace that featured my mom's beads. She added small pearls and Swarovski crystals, and this is what she created:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicjx3jPNtNiD3_db5aPf8mEN0ZMwP6nE6XZaMtraPq4uivNS7GbqTQdTWnGoOhcSaJLYHTVxVZDc3EuRVP2sveBUkW_tpYA0HaPrOgUACUJtcqjrvnv0A5Iz0viLqkiVvYRGt5HJKLAGE/s400/P1160373.JPG)
I love the interplay between the vintage, chunky beads and the new, delicate pearls and crystals.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoEwcjYNkaiI-8iRw8U492Ovwz2CN3m2ygnKrY3p5bc1SCCYNJNrLt2dOevt-1TCLxu6b_y-hcEHqLcAQ_6BEiREN2IS1xse4ttaZUl1TnlGZskwegvEeqhf2npCalFbEXkw6p1havFEw/s400/P1160374.JPG)
The ol' beads never looked so good! And here's the unique clasp she added. It's two frosty hemispheres of silver, with a strong magnet that pulls the two sides together at the "equator":
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk5QSUB850da9g69AtxsDbx1pxpVP-pn-JXVLsmrRYTByS-cT1zs887NID_MLwAfveZ365MhK9Zo92Hn28FDKrKLYYLxQhpbNBDEG5Ju4SIesCGXwjm5r7tH_nBn9POHVBBQJ6elVW-mw/s400/P1160410.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh92yahLoYGD6bPm5zYffSm9ZlageSpOm86W0XMEa1C7p3Tn0nhDdM7Kqz6obAn9bnfWAsnvZtPDnKdSKLYyv-VykZIaodC9rfR8IPQehAxbTgMt5cdYxPGFbACSx_Tyi4Oxi1KLk3KTmw/s400/P1160411.JPG)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzJ4tJxTt-FoX7INgk2SDJ5vSaFyagBHi2FDxrtsFoHRkQjzpI_WEZ-Mi-EKai5rzPpTqokk5eVT9IgF5xct74Gc4uf9XqmH5dmXV4Wncx1UR64fMFs7WcwfoX4q5iR3nT6ir_UqlVhgQ/s400/P1160375.JPG)
My mom's old beads, re-interpreted decades later, for me to love all over again.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1tF7ScW8KqUf6AqT7n7qrnFpS7gzDcnC79ZA-a0I3E379SNrRPzd5YtChA3_QpiUEh12sZJeD0qBIr0RqZRVP4D6yzv83mLTIJbQfvn_jPX-PnPEB4_JU82Ot4NBhTCXwiU7yiE_BHtc/s400/P1160372.JPG)
It's the best kind of recycling there is.
Gorgeous necklace, priceless sentiment -- Perfect, Sister!
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