Sally is not much of a tech person but does appreciate vintage electronic parts. There is an unusual shop in Seattle,Archie McFee’s, where whoopee cushions, plastic trinkets, and other small items from businesses probably long gone are sold. Imagine Sally’s delight upon discovering a bin filled with push buttons and on-off switches, which are irresistible to press. Could anyone wear a piece of jewelry with such an object and not flip the switch or press the button?

VW Car
Sally's first car was an old, orange Volkswagen Beetle. In this car, she learned to drive a stick shift. As a beginner driver on the steep hills of Seattle, in order to not slide into the car behind her, Sally slowly engaged the clutch while pressing the gas. It was those times the VW Bug shuddered like a rocket. Sally also remembers driving with her mom, unable to shift the car from first to second gear. That little car in My Life as a Necklace was once a toy to a child, but to Sally it was a drive down memory lane. (My apologies for the pun.)

Sally Prangley is known for her inventive ways of working with materials, as she combines wire + found objects to create 3-dimensional sculptural jewelry. She’s recognized for her striking assemblages of unusual objects, showing that each object has a story, both visual and historical.

Sally describes her creative process as drawing 3-dimensional shapes in the air, with wire as the outlines and found objects providing the substance. It’s a wonderful metamorphosis that combines two very different materials and turns them into wearable sculptures.

Sally appreciates using wire to make jewelry: it’s easy to bend yet strong enough to retain the shapes she forms it into. Sally is particular in choosing objects for each piece of jewelry; she looks for an asymmetrical balance in their colors, shapes, materials, and original purpose. As a result, earrings will not match, and every piece of jewelry will be unique.

Each creation is unique due to the limitations in working with old and often objects in limited supply. Sally describes her found object jewelry as eclectic yet very wearable: colorful, somewhat elegant, and quirky.

Sally has collected objects for decades, from yard sales to thrift shops, her kids’ rooms to finds on the streets. Over the years she has used them to make jewelry and other items, including purses, mirrors, and baskets. Some of her most prized collections include Heinz pickle pins, antique wood Bingo chips, and vintage swimming pool earrings. Sally’s series of found object jewelry is titled “My Life as a ___”, the fill-in-the-blank completed with the type of jewelry it is: necklace, earring, brooch, or pendant.