Orange Box Jewelry gives vintage bling a bold new lease on life

Krissy Maier, owner of Seattle-based Orange Box Jewelry, carries her favorite heirloom with her every day: her grandmother's gold mesh wallet. Maier says that "every time I use the wallet someone mentions it and I get to tell people about my grandmother. I want that for other people." To that end, she has made a business of creating remastered vintage jewelry, each piece with its own story to tell.

Maier, who says she can "make something out of anything," loves discovering vintage pieces like watch chains, brooches and earrings at antique stores and flea markets, then creating striking jewelry from her finds. The earrings ($20), bracelets ($25), rings ($20+) and necklaces ($30+) she creates from her vintage finds are one-of-a-kind statement pieces that command attention.

In addition to creating jewelry for retail stores and her online shop, Maier enjoys doing custom work ($20/hour). One of her favorite custom experiences was creating jewelry for a wedding party using a cascading strand of pearls that the grandmother of the bride had worn in the '40s.

Maier's creations have recently found a home at Atlas Clothing's new location, which opened on 10th Avenue in Capitol Hill in November. Charisse Tovig, the store manager, discovered Orange Box Jewelry at the Fremont Sunday Market and thought the recycled vintage pieces would be a perfect fit for their new boutique space.

Tovig knew that the women who shop at Atlas would love the "fresh take on the old-world look of wearing your grandmother's favorite brooch." Over the past month, since Atlas started carrying a selection of Orange Box Jewelry's rings ($16), earrings ($16), and necklaces ($32), Tovig has seen female shoppers swoon over the bold, standout necklaces. When I asked what she attributes the jewelry's success to, Tovig replied that "the women shopping at Atlas really covet unique, distinctive pieces."

Enjoying every step of the process, Maier has managed to make our grandmother's goods wonderfully relevant. Take advantage of her talent, find yourself a one-of-a-kind piece and be part of your jewelry's swan song.

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