Making Fork Jewelry: A Fork In The Road For Aspiring Art Jewelers

Once upon a time folks ate with their fingers. Cavemen, you say? Well, certainly but you might be surprised to know that it’s thought that people actually ate with their fingers up until around the seventh century. That’s right. Citing a research paper written on the history of forks (as seen in paintings), early signs of forks being used for eating date back to then. So what does any of this have to do with fork jewelry? Just stick with me for a bit.

Prior to the seventh century, it seems that forks, the two tined kind, were used primarily for cooking and in ritual services. It was even considered rather barbaric to eat food with forks. What did God give us fingers for if not to use them for eating?

It actually took until around the nineteenth century for forks to start being used universally in the West. It’s thought that the fork movement began in England and Germany before forking their way onto tables in the United States.

So what does all this have to do with today? Well, jewelry made from forks is back on our table, so to speak. Fork jewelry is being sighted far and wide these days. Likely following on the heels of current retro l970’s fashion, jewelry made from utensils is indeed experiencing a recent resurgence in the world of jewery making.

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It’s seems plausible that jewelry made from utensils, forks and spoons, existed before the 1970’s although that’s hard to document. Recent history recalls the many varieties of utensil jewelry that sprang up in the 70’s obviously propelled by the earth conscious (early recycler) hippie movement. Fork jewelry in those days was well, just cool. Oftentimes it was also crude and easily identifiable as having been made from one of our eating utensils. But that was part of what made it so cool to begin with. Like, wow, I’m wearing a fork! Way Cool.

Flash forward to today and you’ll find yourself maybe spotting some rather intriguing, unusual lines of jewelry. You’ll get up close to examine it for a bit before you realize there’s something vaguely familiar about it. Although you can’t quite put your finger on it. The jewelry may have some beautiful stones imbedded with graceful and sinewy metal curves. Look more closely because there may be a fork or spoon lurking underneath. That’s fork jewelry today.

It’s more sophisticated and alluring. It’s grown up from its 1970’s predecessor and it’s even more timely today because our drive to recycle has also matured. It’s not just cool to make things out of other things anymore; it’s wise.

If you’re not a metalsmith or an art jeweler, it might be hard to resonate with or understand the draw to making fork jewelry. Although perhaps it would be helpful to consider the rich and intricate embellishment that ‘s been done on utensils throughout history. That’s a good part of the draw for art jewelers: an appreciation for the beauty that can already exist on our eating implements. Playing off of another artist’s vision, enhancing it, morphing it into something completely different with a different purpose, can be doubling gratifying from an artist’s perspective.

Making necklaces and bracelets from forks is also relatively easy compared to fabricating those pieces from scratch. Add to that the high price of silver today and well, the appeal just expands. Making fork and spoon jewelry is also a wonderful entry point for anyone wanting to start making their own unique jewelry without a lot of the expense or time needed to learn traditional metalsmithing skills.

If you’re intrigued about the simplicity of making fork jewelry, I’d encourage you to stop by here to watch a quick video on how it’s done. It really is kind of fascinating.

Another great article: Wire Wrapping: Make Wire Beads 2011