Out Of The Ashes~Custom Jewelry by Katy Boynton

I am very excited to go to Auntie M.'s tomorrow night for a special jewelry party. This is not your usual, factory-made jewelry party that you receive evites for at least once a month. These pieces are hand-made from vintage jewelry, and creative jewelry made from found items. The artist, Katy Boynton, has also branched out to precious metal clay. And all of those pieces are handmade, dried, torch or kiln fired, antiqued and finally polished. The pictures below are just a small sampling of what will be on display at the party tomorrow evening.







This is a very special piece that was one of Katy's first. The "open" is taken off of a brass hose component that was manufactured during WWII by her grandfather. She inherited it from her mother's cousin when she passed away. Katy immediately recognized the historical and nostalgic significance of that component. She wanted to use the "open" for something but that was before she even knew how to create using precious metal clay.










Some PMC (precious metal clay) can be customized for people with initials, certain symbols and words.

Katy is constantly switching up styles to appeal to every taste and budget.

Katy started making jewelry while in college, in Chico, when a friend of her's showed her how to make hemp necklaces. Once she mastered the basic knotting, she was ready to add beads. As she walked into her first bead shop in downtown Chico, the knotting and beading suddenly became more than just a hobby. On her frequent trips to the bead shop she learned how to make other types of jewelry from the ladies in the store.

Katy's friends and family started receiving custom gifts for birthdays and Christmas every year. Then, a good friend asked her to create matching jewelry for a dress she was wearing to a very fancy wedding. She was the first one to start pushing Katy to sell her creations.

At first Katy resisted, arguing that her friend's liked her stuff because it was made specifically for them. She finally agreed to hold her first party. It was a success! Now Katy gained confidence in her abilities and started taking classes for using precious metal clay to create unique items that couldn't be purchased at any shop. That's been her passion for the past several years. She will soon be learningthe art of making fine jewelry to further enhance her skills.

I am very excited to go to this party tomorrow night, and not just because I get to leave my kids and home and drink with my chicas but I want to get there early and pick out the best pieces! Feel free to check out Katy's Facebook page highlighting her business Out of The Ashes.