With trend after trend flooding your fashion senses every day, don’t you love having that one classic piece of jewelry you know will last through all of them? We are obsessed with Dora Lou and her classic jewelry repurposed from rare vintage silver plate pieces. We interviewed to get a peek behind the scenes of Hillary and her gorgeous jewelry!
What’s your first name and your company name? Current city and neighborhood?
I’m Hillary and my company’s name is Dora Lou. I am in Portland Oregon in the Rose Way hood (NE)!
How did you get into your current line of creation? What piqued your interest in this particular type of work?
Dora Lou is the name of my grandmother, who collected vintage and antique sterling and silverplated silverware. Most of her collections are from the mid to late 1800’s and early 1900’s. The lives and history behind all of these patterns, hold many stories and so much mystery! As her grand daughter, I have been blessed to have the opportunity to repurpose her wonderful collection while adding and collecting treasures of my own.
What is your process like? How does the magic happen?
Well, I basically need three things before I can get started:
Time and plenty of it so I don’t feel rushed (I’m a perfectionist).
Great Music.
Tootsie Roll Lollipops.
Aside from that, my vise, anvil and rawhide hammer are pretty necessary too.
What makes your process unique or interesting?
The technique and one of a kind care that’s required for each individual pattern, was hand down to me from my grandfather. It’s a lot of pounding and manipulating all guided by the feel of the silver.
What sets your finished product apart in terms of how it is created?
I have a passion and love for collecting these lost pieces of art, so most of my work is using rare collectibles that are not so easy to find. And not only do I use a pretty old fashioned way of working with them using a hammer and metal rods, but I put a whole lot of love and care into each individual piece.
How would you describe your creations to someone in one short sentence or phrase?
Repurposed vintage silverware with love and care in a super rad way.
What is the most unique/weird/awesome feedback or compliment you’ve received about your creations?
“Wow. I never imagined something so granny could be so cool.”
What’s something quirky that no one would know about your goods just by looking at them?
I guarantee that the people who originally bought/owned these, are dead. They are that old!
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