Smart Glass Recycled Jewelry

In June of 2006, Coca-Cola commissioned Smart Glass Jewelry to create a line of jewelry using their signature bottles, the start of a collaboration that continues to this day. Despite “hitting it big,” the company continues to be committed to small-batch and artisan designs.

We collect a variety of bottles from anywhere we can find them. We keep a treasure trove of empty beer, gin, soda, and wine bottles in our studio. (Yes, it does look like a frat party exploded over here! But there’s surprisingly little broken glass.)

We retain the essence of each type of glass- the original shape, color, and size -  throughout the process. Although radically transformed from its bottle-ness, we love keeping the vessel’s original story present through to the wearer.

Once sorted, the glass bottles are cut and fired, using our patented process, to create unique glass pieces. We use a variety of techniques to alter the finished shape and texture of the glass, such as a seaglass-style matte finish or a wavy contour.

It’s a bit of alchemy that transforms a piece of trash into such a thing of beauty. And it’s why we get a small thrill with every bottle we touch.

Kathleen Plate, the talented artist behind Smart Glass Jewelry, has always loved to create beautiful things. The seeds of her love affair with glass were planted in childhood, when her mother taught her how to solder and work with stained glass. One of Kathleen’s gifts is understanding the strengths of different tools and techniques, and then using them (often unexpectedly!) for new applications. As a graduate student and in need of a gift for a friend’s birthday, Kathleen made a pair of earrings out of glass, applying her unique perspective. The earrings were a total success and so, the path began!

"The entire process, from dumpster diving for empties to styling the perfect piece of jewelry for a night out on the town is part of my art."