TL Originals | The Trash Lobster Big Bean Charm

I’ve talked about making my own pieces for Trash Lobster for ages, but if I’m honest, I’ve been scared to actually do it. You lot know and trust me for antique jewellery. Making something new means putting my own taste properly on the line, spending a fairly alarming amount of money before I know whether anyone wants it, and accepting that “I love this” doesn’t necessarily mean “other people will buy it.”

So I’ve procrastinated, overthought it and generally found lots of excellent reasons not to begin. Then my jeweller and I came up with these, and they felt like exactly the right place to start.

So, we’re beginning with the Big Beans.

Antique bean charms are perennial Trash Lobster favourites, but I wanted to make one with more presence. These are around twice the size of the little antique beans we usually find: smooth, plump and tactile, somewhere between a bean and a pebble. They feel wonderful in the hand and look incredibly good worn alone on a simple chain.

Each Big Bean was individually handmade for Trash Lobster by my jeweller in London. He began by melting down antique silver and 9ct gold, forming the metal into new sheets, then pressing each half into his own handmade moulds. The two shells were joined so beautifully that the finished charms appear completely seamless.

They are hollow, just as many original antique bean charms were, giving them their wonderfully generous scale without making them unnecessarily heavy to wear.

Because every Bean was formed, assembled and finished individually, no two are exactly alike. Some are longer and leaner, some rounder and plumper, and each has its own subtly different finish and character. You can choose your particular Bean from the drop-down menu, using the numbered photograph as your guide.

Available in two mixed-metal combinations:

• Sterling Silver Bean with a solid 9ct gold bail
• Solid 9ct gold Bean with a sterling silver bail

These are not mass-produced charms made to look old. They have been created slowly, by hand, from antique precious metal, using traditional methods. They carry the spirit and substance of antique jewellery while being something entirely new, made especially for Trash Lobster.

The first ever Trash Lobster-made charms, and hopefully the beginning of something very special.

Bean 1 | 1.7g | Sterling Silver with 9ct Gold Bail | 31mm x 12mm
Bean 2 | 2.8g | 9ct Gold with Sterling Silver Bail | 32mm x 14mm
Bean 3 | 2.0g | Sterling Silver with 9ct Gold Bail | 31mm x 14mm
Bean 4 | 2.5g | 9ct Gold with Sterling Silver Bail | 32mm x 14mm
Bean 5 | 2.7g | 9ct Gold with Sterling Silver Bail | 32mm x 14mm
Bean 6 | 1.9g | Sterling Silver with 9ct Gold Bail | 32mm x 14mm
Bean 7 | 2.1g | Sterling Silver with 9ct Gold Bail | 31mm x 14mm

In the photo I am wearing the smallest one - Bean 1.