ZEENE is jewelry like you've never before worn. The magazine beads are made entirely out of paper. Crazy, we know. But that's not why strangers will stop you in stores or comment on it. They are instantly intrigued by the unique appearance of ZEENE jewelry and in conversation become enthralled by the novelty of paper jewelry.

Novice designer Emily Burnett began creating ZEENE jewelry in Summer 2006 after a co-worker gave her a stack of outdated magazines. Unsure of what to do with so many magazines she stared them down for a couple of days and in a rare burst of creativity envisioned an ethnic-looking cuff bracelet made from the colorful magazine pages. A weekend began with experimenting with glues and elastics and ended with what seemed to be a pretty cool bracelet.

Friends began requesting them, as did friends of friends. People were drawn by the colorful uniqueness of ZEENES as well as the novelty of wearing a paper accessory. As the requests became more frequent so did frustration with an imperfect, tedious, and time-consuming process. The product and process have evolved and continue to be perfected, but the core elements remain the same. Segments of magazine pages are wrapped around a core which gives it structural integrity and the entire bead is coated with sealer to give it water-resistance. Beads are then assembled into infinitely varied designs of accessories. In early 2008 a repeat customer requested that the magazine beads in her custom ZEENE be spaced apart. This launched the addition of traditional beads as well as construction elements doubling as beads (i.e. stainless steel nuts).

Emily Burnett and Zeene Designs hope to launch a larger product line of magazine-inspired fashion in late Summer 2008. Check back frequently for updates!