Mama inherited lovely, costume jewelry from her mother, grandmother and great aunt Ethel.
She cannot see well anymore and her fingers can’t close the tiny clasps.
She still likes to look at her collection and talk about its history.
I had the idea to display her favorites as a collage.
I am very pleased with the results.
I am sharing the process with my readers because I made many mistakes that I hope you can avoid.
I used jewelry cleaner to get them all sparkling.
First, I ordered a beautiful golden, oval frame. It came with the glass firmly glued in.
This was not mentioned in the description.
My husband had to assist in the glass removal after I broke the glass. (I am accident prone.)
I ordered black plastic craft mess and black velvet with adhesive on the back.
I arranged and rearranged the pins on a template with grid lines. I wrote any info off the pin onto the template.
I took photos of the various patterns and picked my favorite.
I used the fake photo from the frame as a template many times. DO NOT TRASH THIS.
It helps to fold the oval in halves both vertically and horizontally to have an x and y axis for a guide
Finally, I arranged the pins on the mesh and marked where holes needed to be cut with a gold pen.
The pins were stored on the template for easy replacement. There was a last minute tweaking of placements.
After all the holes in the mesh were cut with tiny scissors,
I stuck the velvet on the front and cut x-shaped slits with an X-acto knife.
Cut the outer oval border LAST. You will need that extra margin for handling.
I then pulled the pins and clasps through the mesh to secure each pin flat against the velvet.
A piece of black craft foam fills the space behind the mesh. Cardboard was too stiff.
I put the template and photos in the back of the frame for reference.
The hinged back can be easily opened and a pin removed if mama decides she wants to wear one.
Mama loved the collage.
We went back to look at more jewelry. Here we go again!
FLOWER
floweralley 
I love this. There are a couple of pieces that look remarkably like some my mother had. Most of her costume jewelry’s gone now, but I still have some special pieces I’ve loved since childhood. I did like sparkly things!
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That is such a sweet, kind and thoughtful gift for your mother…..each piece of jewelry must hold a lifetime of memories for her of times with your dad and places they went when she wore them! She will spend hours looking and remembering…..💕🌸
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She was pleased.
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So beautiful and precious – you are amazing, Flow!
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Very well done. Generous to share your starting errors
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There are always errors and usually blood. I usually reach far beyond my skill set.
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What a great idea to display pieces that might otherwise be hidden away in a drawer!
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We found a piece yesterday that no one, including mom, had ever seen. I added it to the collage. It was an Am Lee filigree brooch!
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What a great idea. I have my mother’s and they have been in a box for years. Maybe it is time to come out.
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Let me know how it goes. Get the heavy craft mesh with larger holes, not the thinner type.
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Wow. I absolutely love this idea. The finished product is just so delicate and colorful, One of a Kind. I want to do one for my granddaughter using my Mom’s jewelry and another using my husband’s Mom’s pins. Thank You!
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Good luck. I would love to see them.
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