Spicer woman: ‘I just couldn’t throw it all out’
By Scott Thoma
A simple craft that turns old jewelry into a sentimental journey has become contagious among three friends and acquaintances.
Ever since her mother passed away over a year ago, Jan Schmidt of Spicer was wondering what to do with her mother’s drawers full of jewelry.
“I couldn’t just throw it all out,” she said. “This was jewelry she once wore. Every piece was special to me.”
Schmidt had attended a home extension class around 20 years ago and those attending were taught how to make ornaments and other things out of old jewelry. The ornaments are made on thin wire frames that resemble asterisks.
“My husband went on the internet and found these wire frames to use for the ornaments,” Schmidt said. “So, I started making them in November of 2022. I love making them. It’s a place of peace for me.”
Once Schmidt perfected her craft, she taught her good friend, Jan Beyerl of Clara City how to make them. The gals utilize beads, broaches, pins, rings, necklaces and much more to make ornaments for Christmas or other holidays, suncatchers and other decor that can be used around the home or office.
The teaching that was passed from Schmidt to Beyerl has now been passed from Beyerl to her friend, Ann Hovda, of Clara City. Besides jewelry, Hovda took some vintage fishing lures she had acquired and made some decorative ornaments that she gave away.
The three ladies gathered at Beyerl’s home recently to put their talents on display. Using the wire frames, old jewelry or other items, glue guns, needle-nose pliers and their imagination, they basically turned a storm cloud into a rainbow.
The majority of the ornaments these ladies construct are given away to friends, relatives, nursing homes, coffee groups, church events, or charity fundraisers.
“I also give them as Thank You gifts to special people in my life,” said Schmidt.
Prior to learning how to make the ornaments and suncatchers, Beyerl used several pieces of jewelry into making herself a bridal bouquet when she and her husband, Ken, were married in 2014.
“I made this bouquet because I loved Miranda Lambert when she and Blake Shelton got married,” Beyerl explained. “I saved a picture from a magazine of it. The bouquet is glued onto a form frame. I also helped my niece make one for her wedding a few years ago.”
Schmidt estimates that she has made over 150 of the asterisk-type ornaments with her mother’s jewelry so far in just over a year.
“I’ve kept about 10 or 15 for myself and gave the others away,” she said. “My mother loved pink and purple, so I had trouble giving those away.”
Beyerl has taken the craft a bit further, having made over 300 since April. Hovda started making the ornaments in June and has put together “around 55.”
“Each one only takes 20 to 30 minutes to make,” Beyerl noted. “The most I’ve made in one day was 21.”
When asked if making these ornaments is a way to relax, or is it for the satisfaction of giving them to someone else, Beyerl replied “I’d probably have to say both.”
Relatives, friends and acquaintances have heard about the newfound hobbies of these ladies and pass jewelry along to them.
“I just got another jewelry box from a friend’s aunt when they cleaned out her house,” Beyerl said. “Word of mouth is a great source. When I’ve taught people, some of them just leave their extras and I share from my stash, too.”
Beyerl received several shoeboxes of jewelry from Daryl Niemeyer that were pieces belonging to his wife and her mother and grandmother.
“I made 100 ornaments for him out of the jewelry to give to his daughter-in-law and two granddaughters. The rest he put on his Christmas tree this year,” Beyerl said.
Hovda decided to make some of her ornaments out of fishing lures after attending a neighbor’s garage sale.
“My neighbor had the lures on her garage sale, along with all of her mom’s jewelry,” Hovda explained. “There was no one around so I told her to put those things in the house ... I have an idea.”
When the neighbor had some free time, Hovda invited her to bring the lures and jewelry over to her house.
“I showed her what ornaments I had made and I had the idea to make some with her lures as she had told me they were her grandfather’s,” said Hovda. “She had given me such a good deal on items at the garage sale, I said I would just make them for her. I made about eight lure ornaments and then used her mother’s jewelry from the other box to coordinate with the lures, plus make 11 more for the rest of the family. It was great fun for me and a pleasure to do it for her.”
Among the other ornaments Hovda has made was one for her 98-year-old godmother, who went to high school with Hovda’s mother.
“This Christmas, I made one for her using my mother’s initial-engraved high school pin and the 50th anniversary of the charity they both were a part of,” she said. “She loved it and called me right away when she opened it for Christmas. Only she would know the meaning of that pin.”
Like Schmidt and Beyerl before, Hovda now is passing along her newfound craft talent to others.
“My sister from Chicago came and we had a most memorable time making ornaments out of our mom’s jewelry for ourselves,” she said. “My mother was a painter, sculptor and potter and needless to say, she was eclectic to the ‘nth’ degree. So, all her jewelry is over the top.
Diamond frogs, chameleons, fish, ivory elephants, and more. I have had an absolute ball with it and all thanks to Jan Beyerl. She has given me a gift that I will have forever.”
Beyerl is hoping the trend continues to expand.
“I’m hoping it will inspire others to find something to do with their treasures,” she said.
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