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    Honey Rose & K jewelry mixes vintage finds, modern design

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    Meredith Piccin named her jewelry line, Honey Rose & K Modage Baubles, after her maternal grandmother Honey Rosenkranz. It’s a fitting tribute, considering Rosenkranz studied fashion design and worked in retail for many years. And it was Rosenkranz’s extensive vintage jewelry collection that inspired Piccin to create bijoux of her own.

    After earning a business degree from the University of Alabama, Piccin −a Hartville, Ohio native− worked in the softlines division at Target. Several years later, she transitioned to visual merchandising and took a job with Limited Brands’ Express division. Then she began working in a small boutique and became interested in a styling career.

    Piccin and a business partner launched a wardrobe consulting firm in Columbus, but she gave it up three years later to stay at home with her baby boy. She never lost her passion for fashion and creating, though, and began making jewelry for friends, using treasures from her grandmother’s collection as a jumping-off point.

    “I loved her pieces, but thought they could be worn in a more modern fashion,” she said. “I purchased some tools and began deconstructing the pieces. I then started to visit local thrifts and fleas in Ohio. Now, I look not only for jewelry pieces, but anything that could be repurposed into jewelry. Sometimes it’s military pieces, buttons, belt buckles, even the numbers off of apartment doors. Nothing is off limits.”

    That particular aesthetic lends itself well to producing sustainable, eco-friendly fashion, which Piccin likes− and is quite trendy at the moment. However, she contends that her pieces differ from the majority of green accessories on the market.

    “You’ll find a lot of designers now that repurpose, but they tend to focus on a lot of bling and fancy statement pieces,” she said. “I like to think that my pieces are everyday pieces for the fashion-forward girl. It’s the long necklace that you can throw on with your T-shirt or a dress. I like my ‘Honeys’ to throw on their pieces often. I also make them affordable! Everything is under $100.”

    Honey Rose & K offers all types of jewelry: earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings, and brooches “for scarves and also for hipsters to wear on guitar straps,” she said.

    She describes the brand’s aesthetic as “boho modern,” adding that sometimes she does “preppy nautical pieces” for spring and summer, but favors more laid back designs herself− a fact that plays a large part in the brand’s identity.

    *Dear readers, in the spirit of full disclosure, I will tell you that I’m among those rabid Twitter shoppers.

    At 10:44 a.m. Tuesday morning, Piccin tweeted a photo of her latest creation: a long necklace with a pendant made from a vintage belt buckle.

    “Shut up!” I said, staring at my computer screen in disbelief.

    I happen to have a serious thing for vintage belt buckles. And statement necklaces. And before I knew it (actually, nine minutes later, according to Twitter timestamps), I was offering on-the-spot payment.

    In addition to being the star of my fashion daydreams for the next 24 hours, the necklace reminded me why I started following Honey Rose & K on Twitter in the first place: so I could contact Piccin for an interview.

    And, to quote Paul Harvey, now you know the rest of the story.

    “Everything I design or sell is something I would personally wear,” she said.

    Honey Rose & K also offers eternity scarves (made from two or three scarves sewn into one) that are so hot Piccin says she can’t produce them fast enough.

    “The scarves are popular because no one else is taking vintage scarves that are tucked away in your drawer somewhere and making them feel new again,” she said. “Everything has new life. It’s just a different perspective.”

    Piccin is currently designing a new collection for Thread on Grandview, located at 1306 Grandview Ave., that consists of clip-on charms for necklaces. She also has a new collection of clip-ons for handbags.

    In addition to Thread on Grandview, locals can find Honey Rose & K at Rowe, located at 718 N. High St., and online at StoreyHorseVintage.com.

    “I also post frequently on Facebook and Twitter,” she said. “People respond so quickly that I sell on those two outlets weekly!”*

    As if all that weren’t enough, Piccin also does custom orders.

    “Bring me your pieces that you think are old news and I’ll make them feel new again based on your style,” she said.

    To learn more about Honey Rose & K Modage Baubles, visit HoneyRosenk.com.

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    Melanie McIntyre
    Melanie McIntyrehttps://www.themetropreneur.com/columbus/
    Melanie McIntyre is a featured freelance writer for Columbus Underground who also writes about fashion, style and pop culture on her blog, Thoroughly Modern Melly. Melanie is an Ohio State University graduate, lives in the Short North, and enjoys reading and running.
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