About Me

  Hello, my name is Lizzy. I make jewelry from recycled copper pipe and broken brass drum cymbals.

 

My first experience with jewelry was at young age when I realized I had a metal allergy. Whenever I put something on, whether it was a new pair of earrings or a necklace, I developed a rash within minutes. After a bit of research, I learned I was allergic to nickel, an inexpensive white metal that is often mixed with other metals to strengthen them. Nickel is a very common allergen and a whopping 15% of the population is allergic to nickel. Crazy!

 

 For a long time, I thought I only had two options; to buy expensive nickel-free jewelry or not wear any at all. The expensive stuff wasn’t always in my budget, but not expressing myself through jewelry made me sad. That is when I decided the best way forward was to create pieces with my own hands that I not only I loved, but were also safe for my sensitive skin.  

  I started with a wire wrapping class and learned about the basic hand tools. I learned what metals to use and how to avoid nickel.

 

 Around the same time I was researching materials, I came across a website that explained the process of mining metals from the Earth. It was an eye opener! The negative environmental and social impacts from metal extraction was too great to ignore. I then made a commitment that I would stop ordering so many of my materials new. At the time, My husband was a contractor and already saving copper pipe and electrical wire to recycle. It only made sense to recycle these materials myself.  

 After receiving commissions from friends and family I started to expand.  

 It has been eight years and I am now making my living running a small business. I’m proud to say Simple Wealth offers unique jewelry products that are made from recycled metals (and nickel free).