Typewriter Jewelry

Yesterday I took advantage of the relatively sunny weather and went to the annual Country Market in the village of Zionsville with my mother-in-law, Kathy. She's an almost lifelong resident of that colonial fairytale town, and my husband grew up there.

Among the rows and rows of upscale crafts we found a gem: a lady named Kama Darr from West Lafayette, Indiana, who makes jewelry out of typewriter keys from the early to mid 1900s. Of course, I had to have one, as did Kathy, who is a legal secretary. (Although I guess it's a bit disingenuous for me to have one since the only typewriters I ever used were IBM Selectrics.)

Some of the necklaces had more than one key, such as a shift key or asterisk in addition to an initial. She also had bracelets that spelled out words, such as "BOOKWORM."

I did a quick search online and found that the idea is not unique. But these necklaces were less expensive than ones found online ($22 for one key and $27 for two), and the chain and frame are sterling silver.

Kama said she formerly worked in PR, and that a lot of journalists and editors are drawn to her creations. She was certainly doing a land-office business, as hordes of us descended upon her and snatched up the jewelry. The fair had not been open an hour and she already had 50 orders for custom designs.

And speaking of that, you can order your own custom design from Kama at ckdarr@insightbb.com.