The Ring Builder
Artist: Jenny Ramos (a.k.a Rings By Jenny)
Medium: Upcycled and Vintage Spoons
Types of art you can buy: Rings, Keychains
It’s 2021 and the world is full of “stuff”. There’s big stuff, small stuff, garbage stuff, fancy stuff, expensive stuff, and cheap stuff. Some things are valuable and some are not, but at the end of the day it’s all just a bunch of…”stuff”. We live in a material world and we ARE all material girls whether you think you agree or not. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not any different. I love clothes, I love jewelry, I love vintage frames, and fancy bags. I’m not about to stop collecting my “stuff”, but I am trying to be smarter about it. Why does everything have to be made from brand new materials? Can’t we get amazing “stuff” from “stuff” that already exists? Introducing Rings by Jenny.
Jenny owns, designs for, and has fully created a jewelry business based on upcycling vintage and unique spoons (and sometimes forks). She has recognized the beauty of old craftsmanship and she’s bringing it into the twenty first century. Jenny’s rings are all one of a kind and handmade by Jenny herself! Nowadays things are made cheap, usually rushed, and most of the time mass produced. Rings by Jenny is a business that is helping to put a stop to the fast fashion waste. She is bringing back the love and energy that people used to put into hand made materials mixed with these beautiful, pre-existing pieces.
Amanda: Where in the world do you create your work?
Jenny: Straight from home! I live in a ranch where the area around me is absolutely beautiful! I try to work outside as much as possible & I have turned the guest room of my house into a total storage for me where I keep all my spoons and extra tools needed!
Amanda: What is the catalyst that pushed you to start this business?
Jenny: I love anything super unique and I am very into jewelry, rings to be specific. I was tired of buying expensive rings that ended up turning my fingers green after been worn a few times and that's when the idea of spoon rings really struck on to me and wanted to start creating my very own.
Amanda: What other forms of art, music, literature, etc. inspire you?
Jenny: Definitely the art that's in crafting, I love anything that's handmade. I liked to figure out how to make things myself, rather than purchasing for a higher price. Before I started making spoon rings I made most of my jewelry, from bracelets to necklaces. And all it took was a small trip to my local craft store where I could find anything I possibly needed. And the best part of it all was when someone complemented my jewelry I was able to say, "I made it myself!"
Amanda: What is the one thing you think people don’t know or understand about your art?
Jenny: It all takes time. It may look easy in the 60 seconds I record for TikTok, but making some rings definitely involves lots of patience. I spent most of my savings from my previous job at a restaurant buying all the tools and supplies I needed. I also started this business myself, along with the help and tons of support I get from my parents, I have made and sold over 550 rings over the past 3 months!!
Amanda: If you can do anything with your business, regardless of money, social media following, business location, or experience, what would it be?
Jenny: Oh my! I would love to have a shop for my small business. A small place where I can have thousands of spoons on display and people can pick whichever spoon they would like and I can turn it into a ring in their size! Definitely a dream but for now I will work my may up to there.
Amanda: Where can people find you?
Jenny: I post most of my work on Instagram & share when I will upload rings that are available for purchase! @ringsbyjenny
I also started to use my small platform on Tiktok where I post videos showing the process of making some rings. @jsspicyy
You can also check out my Depop and Etsy where I post the rings I have available for purchase!