Recycled Paper Jewelry by Melina Szapiro of Palomaria

Melina Szapiro recycles newspaper to create an intriguing line of rustic jewelry.



She blends ordinary newspaper into a fine paste, then uses metal plates to imprint delicate textures in the clay-like substance. After the material has air dried, Melina trims, sands, paints, and seals each piece by hand.

I asked Melina to tell us how she came to make these lovely medallions and beads:

I was at University in Buenos Aires, Argentina studying fashion design. There was a young couple - a sculptor (he) and an etching artist and paper maker (she) - who lived across from my house. They had turned their old bakery space into a great art studio and fascinated me with their artistic ways.



One day I knocked on their door to see if they would take me as a student. There I learned paper making techniques, binding, and several paper-related crafts. I immediately recognized it was The Thing for me and started to find the way to make paper my means of living.



In the next years I developed PapelVivo, a line of handmade paper stationery. When I moved to Canada, I continued it with necessary adaptations to the North American market.



At the same time I've been always painting, making art dolls, and many other crafts. Everything brought me to paper jewelry which is my focus now.



It is the natural development of all my interests: paper making, recycling, painting, and design... not to mention all those years of fashion design studies that finally combine into the puzzle of my life.



Visit Melina's Etsy shops, Palomaria  to see a wide array of paper jewelry. Follow her adventures at Palomaria, Art + Life.