Jody Freij-Tonder

My interest in environmental issues dates back to the early seventies and the first Earth Day. This early commitment has influenced the life I have pursued.

In a stained glass class in 1983, I realized the possibilities of combining my passions to create recycled glass jewelry. This early effort has evolved into my current line of handcrafted earth friendly jewelry. Stained glass artists supply me with a wide array of colored glass remnants and recycling centers are my source for bottles and jars. I’m always on the lookout for anything made of glass that I can saw, cut or break into raw materials for my jewelry. This reclaimed glass is cut into the desired shapes and either fired in a kiln or processed in a rock tumbler. The kiln fired glass retains the shiny surface and the pieces of tumbled glass are etched to a beach glass texture. These individual recycled glass earrings are then fitted with hypoallergenic surgical steel ear wires. The results are guaranteed to delight!