Fall foliage makes golden accessories
This article was originally published Oct. 19, 2007.
With golden leaves littering the ground this time of year, there is no better time to accessorize with the fall foliage.
Leaf jewelry can take a variety of different forms, including earrings, pendants, necklaces and bracelets. The jewelry is very popular in Colorado.
“They are very quintessentially Colorado,” said John Witte, a salesman at Walters & Hogsett Fine Jewelers.
While just about everyone may love diamonds, jewelry based on leaves attracts a certain kind of person.
“They are for people who are down to earth and enjoy nature,” said Witte.
There is an art and process to making the jewelry. The process begins with selecting any natural leaf and molding it into plaster. After that, the mold is heated and placed through a burnout cycle that eventually leaves a negative impression of the original leaf, which acts as a perfect mold.
Gold or other valuable minerals can then be poured into the mold and a perfect impression of the leaf is left behind.
The leaves can then be added with other rare jewels, such as diamonds, to create unique pieces.
Prices vary from store to store, and the price often depends on the quality.
Walters & Hogsett Fine Jewelers, located on Canyon Blvd., near Folsom Street, carries a variety of leaf jewelry ranging from $600 to $800.
For people who want the look but don’t want to spend the money, there are cheaper accessories available online.
There are also many Web sites that show how to make leaf art at home.
While people may not have liquid gold readily available, there are other materials that can be used such as clay.
Making actual wearable jewelry takes time and creativity, but here is a good Web site to get started.
Contact Campus Press Staff Writer Cameron Naish at cameron.naish@coloardo.edu.
