One person’s junk drawer can be another’s treasure chest. Michelle Sanders, owner of Deep South Gypsies, uses her creative vision to make her one of a kind, upcycled jewelry out of unique objects.
Sanders, who is originally from Plaquemines, has been making her vintage style jewelry for over 35 years. She was inspired to start her business after going to an arts and craft show with her parents, where she begged her mom to buy her a pair of earrings that were made of old marbles and clay.
After some persuasion, her mom finally bought her the earrings. From there, she decided to make her own version by taking her brother’s old marbles and using her dad’s wire and pliers to mold everything together.
After finding success in her craft hobby, she decided to start up a side hustle and sell to her peers and teachers at schools. Since then, her business, Deep South Gypsies, has evolved into what it is today.
“I see beauty in a lot of things that would otherwise be considered broken or unusable,” Sanders said. “And I like to kind of mesh styles together. So that inspires me a lot whenever I can mesh, like, an older style piece with a newer style aesthetic and kind of keep it looking true to the vintage component, but then give it a modern spin.”
Sanders takes pride in her sense of style and originality when it comes to her art. She describes her personal style as deconstructed, reconstructed and repurposed. She feels that it is important to remain true to your style while also being able to keep up with what’s trendy.
Sanders’ creativity is hereditary. Her parents used to deal in antiques, so they would always bring her to antique shows and flea markets. They would find things on the side of the road and dumpster dive to find items that they could clean up and make new. Her vision for her jewelry takes people by surprise.
“I look at a piece and I can just see new life in it,” Sanders said. “People ask me all the time, ‘how did you see that?’ I’m like, how did you not see it? I guess I just look at it differently.”
Before starting up her business, she did clerical work primarily, as well as a bit of commercial art and graphic design. When Sanders was pregnant with her second child, she went on maturity leave and began to sell her work online. After her leave, she decided that she wanted to commit to selling jewelry full time.
“I make [jewelry] all the time,” Sanders said. “It’s something that I do pretty much through every emotion. So it’s kind of my regulator. It’s exciting to me whenever I make something and someone spends their hard earned money to purchase it. There’s just something so fulfilling about that.”
Sanders has a passion for remaining true to her brand of repurposing items, and she says that people gravitate to her style because it’s genuine. She wants all of her customers to love her jewelry just as she loves it and does her best to ensure that all of her clients feel beautiful when wearing one of her creations.
“I hope it makes them feel like their personality is represented. And if it’s a vintage piece, I hope it makes them feel like they’re wearing something that has a story, a past, and a lot of time,” Sanders said.
Deep South Gypsies’s custom work can be found online through Etsy and Instagram, as well as through pop-up shops throughout Baton Rouge and Plaquemines. She is very consistent with pop-ups at the Electric Depot on Government Street. She also has a display of her jewelry at Good Choices Co. and Nola Rouge.
