Baseball cards and brick jewelry: An unlikely pairing that has generated interest
At first glance, baseball cards and brick jewelry may seem like two entirely unrelated items that would never intersect. Baseball cards are a traditional American collectible closely associated with the national pastime of baseball, while brick is perhaps best known as a basic building material. In recent years some creative artisans and collectors have found inspiration at the intersection of these two unlikely materials.
The earliest examples of brick jewelry date back several decades. In the 1970s, when interest in do-it-yourself crafts was growing, a small number of artists began experimenting with using broken or discarded bricks in jewelry designs. One of the pioneers was a craftsman named Robert Mason, who lived in a small town in Ohio. Looking for a unique medium to work with, Mason began cutting and grinding discarded bricks into beads, pendants, and other jewelry components. His rustic, earthy designs stood out among the more traditional jewelry materials of the time like silver, gold, and gemstones.
Word of Mason’s brick jewelry slowly spread through craft fairs and art shows. A few other artisans were intrigued by the concept and began experimenting with bricks in their own designs during the 1980s. Brick jewelry never caught on widely and remained a very niche interest among artistic circles. Most jewelers continued to favor traditional precious metals and stones. The bricks used were often broken fragments scavenged from construction sites or old buildings being demolished. Working with whole bricks required specialized equipment for cutting and grinding that was expensive and impractical for small-scale artisans.
In the 1990s, as interest in nostalgia and vintage collectibles grew, some brick jewelry artists began incorporating other retro items into their designs. One such artist was a woman named Martha Stewart, who lived in a small town in Illinois. Stewart had been crafting brick jewelry for over a decade when she came up with the idea to embed vintage baseball cards into pendants made of cut and polished brick fragments. Her earliest baseball card and brick jewelry pieces used weathered cards from the 1950s and 1960s that she purchased in bulk from local collectors.
Stewart cut windows into flat brick fragments using a wet saw and carefully glued the cards into the openings so they were visible but protected. She then strung the pendants onto leather or twine cords. Her rustic baseball card and brick jewelry pieces proved very popular at local craft fairs and art shows. Other brick jewelry artists began experimenting with the same concept. Soon, baseball card shows and conventions also provided a venue to sell this new niche product.
As interest grew, more artisans began specializing solely in baseball card and brick jewelry rather than brick jewelry in general. New equipment like tile cutters and diamond abrasive blades made it possible to work with whole bricks rather than just fragments. Sourcing vintage cards in better condition also became a priority. Top players, rare rookie cards, and cards featuring iconic baseball images became the most popular to feature. Attention to detail, like carefully trimming cards to fit openings and sealing them for protection, elevated the designs.
By the 2000s, online selling platforms allowed baseball card and brick jewelry to find buyers well beyond local craft shows. Etsy and eBay became prime outlets for artisans to market their unique pieces globally. Nostalgia for baseball’s golden era, when the cards were originally collected, helped drive interest. Affluent collectors seeking distinctive vintage-inspired gifts and jewelry appreciated the handcrafted nature and creative blending of two divergent materials in each piece.
Several brick jewelry artists have risen to prominence for their refined baseball card and brick designs over the past decade. Notable artisans like Megan Miller of Kansas, Bethany Cooper of Maine, and Tyler Reed of Colorado are able to sustain brick jewelry as a full-time career thanks to a dedicated customer base. They source top condition vintage cards to feature and employ the highest quality materials and production techniques. Intricate designs that showcase multiple cards in a single piece or incorporate additional elements like gemstones have become popular. Prices range from several hundred dollars for basic pendants up to thousands for elaborate commissioned works of art.
While still remaining a very niche interest, baseball card and brick jewelry has grown into a recognized art form over the past 50 years. The blending of nostalgia, craftsmanship, and two seemingly disparate materials continues to appeal to collectors seeking unique vintage-inspired gifts and jewelry. With the continued growth of online selling, brick jewelry artists are now shipping their pieces globally rather than relying solely on local craft show circuits. With talented artisans constantly refining their skills and pushing creative boundaries, baseball card and brick jewelry appears poised to remain a specialty collectible for years to come.
