Chandelier Made From Lost Earrings Debuts In Scotland

A stunning chandelier made from more than 3,000 lost earrings has gone on display in Scotland for the first time as the centerpiece of a new exhibition.

The 9-foot-high structure was created after women from across the UK donated lone earrings which had formerly been part of a pair.

Women often felt an emotional connection to the lost jewelry and sent in notes of its back story - including a loss at a mosh pit and going missing on a honeymoon.

The collaborative project was started by artists Lauren Sagar and Sharon Campbell who collected earrings from across the world.

Lauren, 58, from Manchester, said, "I used to lose earrings on a very regular basis - at least 100 over the years - and feel this is something that every woman must relate to on some level. Any woman I've spoken to has around ten loose ones sitting in a drawer in their house. What we noticed was many people had a stronger connection with cheaper earrings because they'll have an interesting story behind it. One woman sent one in after losing its matching pair in the middle of a mosh pit. Another woman was on her honeymoon in Venice admiring the view and leaning over the edge when her brand new earring fell into the water. We did have to send one back not too long ago because she wrote to us saying she'd found the other half of the pair. It was no longer lost so we couldn't possibly use it."

Around 3,500 earrings are featured in the colorful light fixture along with broken watches, bracelets, and necklaces. A glass display case behind the chandelier contains a few examples of the receptacles and messages sent in with the donations.

The Chandelier of Lost Earrings is part of the touring Tall Tales exhibition on display at the Glasgow Women's Library. It has been on display at the library for the past month, but the wider collection has now been brought together for the first time in Scotland. The exhibition includes work from 17 international female artists who make playful use of storytelling techniques in their work.

Other works featured in the exhibit include a piece titled Furrowed Brow by Beth Collar which was inspired by the library's archive. Another collaborative piece led by Lauren Sagar, with assistance from Glasgow artist Joanna Peace, has used clothing donations from across the country to create three blankets.