NAMPA — On this segment of Keepin' It Local, the story behind an unusual line of jewelry made from rare World War II plane parts.
A local jeweler and museum director are working on this unique project to further preserve the history that binds us together.
Every year some 30,000 people visit the Warhawk Museum in Nampa to take in a vast collection of military aviation artifacts including numerous aircraft, some renovated right here. For many seeing these old Warbirds and more is a moving experience. That emotional connection spurred an idea that has inspired a Warhawk jewelry line.
“So about the time the Dottie Mae was getting finished, we realized ladies don't have a suitable type of jewelry to go along with this type of renovation,” said Warhawk Museum Executive Director Pat Kilroy.
“So you wanted to sell something that would help people connect with what they saw here at the Warhawk museum?”
“As you know Dee, ladies are very particular and if they're going to wear something that has really a connection with something of value, something of significance,” said Kilroy. “We thought well, there's all this scrap metal, dunnage left over that's just going to be thrown away, why don't we think about doing something with that?”
That's where jewelry designer Jed Anderson of Portsche’s Fine Jewelry comes in.
“Pat had approached me originally and said he was looking for something new and different in the Warhawk Museum and I first had some ideas and Pat said ‘hold off. Come down to the museum. When you see what’s in the museum it’s gonna change everything that you think about.’ And it did cause I had some preconceived notions before I showed up and then when I finally showed up and saw all the planes and all the artifacts, you really get a feeling of what it is all about, how important it all is. You know preserving the heritage and the history, this is all brass from a World War II plane, that nobody else can get, I'm the only one that I know of that's making anything like this right now.”
Using the lost wax casting technique Pat melts rare brass World War II plane fittings to create unique pieces like this parrot head pendant - inspired by the parrot head nose art on this P-40. A welcome addition to the t-shirts and other standard museum gift shop fare.
“We want everyone to walk out of here remembering that this was from the Warhawk Museum and that they've been able to take a piece of history home, this is part of a plane that flew in World War II. And now for the limited number of pieces we have, some ladies are going to be able to say, ‘that's from a Warbird.’”
The brass for this jewelry line is pretty limited so Pat and Jed are now working to figure out how to use some of the other scrap metals available from these old planes to keep expanding the Warhawk jewelry line.