Up-Cycling

Locally sourced cereal box paperboard is the base material for our earrings. We transform cereal boxes by laminating the front and back panels together and fixing our images to the front surface which are then cut using our laser. We then glue custom-made backs for our earrings before they are finished. All of our metals are made from surgical steel.

More about the material used in Jabebo earrings and how to care for the earrings.

Jabebo Earrings are made with cereal box paperboard which is a wood fiber that may have gone through paper recycling several times before. Used paperboard is usually not selected for continued recycling because most of its wood fibers are worn and saturated with ink from previous use. Many communities do not bother with recycling paperboard and still send it to the landfill. Years ago, not long after we started reproducing our images on paper, we chose post-consumer paperboard to add volume to the individual pieces because it made use of an undervalued resource and it is the ideal thickness to for our earrings.

As we developed a process, it became geared around cereal boxes because they are a convenient size to work with. We also use the same material for the display cards we hang the earrings on, which triples the amount of paperboard needed for each pair. We use more than 100 boxes a week. Thankfully, we do not have to eat all the cereal ourselves because friends and our local community are very generous in saving them for us.

Because Jabebo Earrings is a paper product, to increase their durability we give them a final clear coat. We chose shellac because it is a non-toxic natural product and helps to filter UV light. Recently in 2018 we began adding a second top coat of epoxy to add durability, water resistance and a more pleasing finish to the product.

Made in USA

All earrings are designed and produced in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. Learn more about the people at the Jabebo Studio.