Turning Broken China Into Jewelry

I have always loved china,whether it's a beautiful tea set or a trinket dish.I would cherish each piece and take good care of them.

Unfortunately I recently broke one of my beloved Royal Albert bone china tea plates.I couldn't bring myself to throw it away and let it go to waste even though it didn't serve its purpose anymore.I began thinking how I could give it a second life and decided to turn it into a beautiful necklace I would wear.

1. Broken china - ideally a plate
2. Mosaic tile nippers
3. Chains
4. Jump rings
5. A marker
6. A piece of paper
7. Clasps
8. A file
9. Pearls and beads
10. Glue

Begin by choosing the cabochon which will be the base of the necklace.

Using a piece of paper trace the inner oval shape of the cabochon.Cut the piece of paper,place it onto the broken plate and trace with a marker.Choose a beautiful pattern since this is going to be the acent of the necklace.

Begin cutting the plate using tile nippers.Cut carefully along the traced oval shape.

Do this step with caution - ideally outside and use eye and hand protection.

I did the cutting in my balcony and used a cardboard box to catch any flying china pieces.

Once you are done cutting your plate the edges of the piece will be very uneven,so you need to sand them.

I didn't want to buy a glass sanding machine just for a single project but if you have one feel free to use it.

Instead I used my handy electric nail file.It worked fine but it was a very slow process.

When sanding ceramic or china it's best to wet it.I did the sanding process outside and with a bowl of water nearby so that I would wet the piece as I go.

As you sand the piece down see how it fits the cabochon to avoid sanding too much.

Once you are done sanding apply a generous amount of super glue to the back of your piece and attach it to the cabochon of your choice.Let it dry completely before you move on to the next steps.

Since this is a plate it turned out to be quite thick and when looked from the side there was a significant contrast between the bronze and the white of the plate.I didn't like that.

I decided I would cover it with a small piece of the same chain I would use to make the necklace.You can use some wire,pearls - whatever you like.

If you are using a chain like me add a small dot of super glue to the bottom of the plate piece,cover the whole circumference and finish by gluing at the same spot.

Let it dry.

Assemble the necklace by attaching the closure part to the chain using the jewelry clasps and jump rings.Make the chain as long or as short as you would like.

Attach a small pearl bead to the bottom of the cabochon to give it a more classic vintage look.

Using a jump ring attach the cabochon to the chain and complete the necklace.

Now all that is left to do is wear your unique piece of jewelry!

I love how it turned out and I am never throwing away any china anymore.There are so many possibilities - from necklaces and earrings to brooches and even book marks.

This project is also a great way to give a second life to heirloom china and appreciate its beauty even longer.

Thank you for reading!