Oversized pendants are showing up on runways and Reise says, “I’m here for it!” Large chunky jewelry is not for everyone, but if you have been wanting to channel your inner Iris Apfel, you are about to have your moment.
During her hunt for gargantuan bling, at the garage sale of the century Reise spotted a pin signed “DeLillo.” It is huge, 5 inches across and it has a hook on the back that can be used to convert the pin into a necklace. Reise researched the maker, and a few things jumped out at her.
William DeLillo was a Belgian jewelry maker from 1967 to the mid 1970s. He made outrageous, over-the-top pieces stuffed with rhinestones. His jewelry now comes with price tags that start at three figures and jump into the thousands. Exciting stuff, especially since she paid $5, but she immediately noticed an issue. She did not have a full DeLillo piece. “Closer inspection revealed the center of my piece, which had probably been a rhinestone bonanza, had been pried off. What I was left with was a DeLillo shell.”
Her glass half empty self said, “Woe is me, it’s garbage!” Her glass half full self said, “Let’s reinvent!” She went back out to find a center piece for the pendant. She thought she would look for a smaller pendant to pop in the middle, but once she enlisted the help of Shawn Lochridge, costume designer extraordinaire and jewelry garage sale god, he advised, “Look for an earring for the center.” An earring? He looked through the jewelry he had for sale a minute or two, and voila! The perfect earring for the center of the golden flower. Shawn glued it on and now look at her go!
May not be what William DeLillo envisioned, but it works perfectly.
ThriftStyle 