happy hour jewelry

By Rita Addo Zakour, these elegant earrings pay tribute to the Chinese people who began making their home in Accra in the late 1940s. She crafts the pair with beads derived from recycled plastic drinking bottles. They depict an Asian shield in black and ivory.

Black and white stand in a beautiful and bold contrast in this unique beaded stretch bracelet presented by Rita Addo Zakour. Ghanaian artisans melt recycled plastic drinking bottles, dye the liquid, and pour it into molds to create each individual bead.

Creatively using plastic from recycled drinking bottles, Rita Addo Zakour of West Africa designs these cherry red dangle earrings. Each earring features a small red ball stacked on top of a larger red ball to create a vibrant design.

Framed in sterling petals, jade is beautiful in light green, dappled forest green, dark green and black. Zandra Lorena Sajbin sets the sleek oval gems in a beautiful and feminine necklace.

.925 Sterling silver

Artisan Rosario Leiva of Guatemala brings new life to recycled CDs in these beautiful and fascinating dangle earrings with sterling silver hooks. She melts the CD scrap in a mold, then artfully applies droplets of acrylic to achieve her desired colors--purple, turquoise, and yellow for this pair of earrings--and then fuses the CD material and acrylic together using a blow torch. The resulting effect is magnificent translucent color punctuated with air bubbles that create unique patterns.

About her work, the artisan says: "I love creating jewelry with materials that most people would discard. Let's all take the time to think about the endless opportunities we have to give 'waste' materials another chance."

Nyoman Rena sets the mystique of rainbow moonstone in an abstract silver pendant that invites interpretation. The pendant's openwork is casual and free, enclosing the artisan's desire for world peace. It hangs froom a sterling chain.

.925 Sterling silver