5 unusual materials for jewelry

Statement jewelry is a word that crops up a lot in fashion magazines these days. And it doesn't refer to making a political statement, like in the days of the good old peace sign on a leather band. It's rather a piece of jewelry that is particularly striking or flamboyant, either because of its size, color or material. The statement is: Look at me!

Jeremy May's jewelry is a special statement in that it's not only highly noticeable because it is made of dozens, sometimes even hundreds of book pages pasted together, but contains the printed word on those pages as well: a double statement.

Wear your favorite book

Painstakingly, the designer uses one book for each piece of jewelry. On the first page, Jeremy May marks the contours of, say, a ring. Then he uses a scalpel to cut out each page, carefully stacking them with an occasional snippet of colored paper, and then pastes the bits together.

How he does exactly will remain his secret. He says he has experimented for two years before getting it right. In the end, the paper ring is smoothed, filed and varnished until it's a piece of jewelry that's not only waterproof, but feels a bit like wood. Every piece is unique.

May has customers all over the world, book lovers just like the designer. They often ask for jewelry made from their favorite book. May scours flea markets and used book stores to find a good copy, which also has to be quite thick to supply the volume needed for the rocks. The book later serves as a jewelry box for the ring, bracelet or earring.