Kathleen Plate, the talented artist behind Smart Glass Jewelry, has always loved to create beautiful things.

Smart Glass collects a variety of bottles from anywhere they can find them. They keep a treasure trove of empty beer, gin, soda, and wine bottles in their studio. (Yes, it does look like a frat party exploded! But there's surprisingly little broken glass.)

They retain the essence of each type of glass—the original shape, color, and size—throughout the process. Although radically transformed from its bottle-ness, Smart Glass loves keeping the vessel's original story present through to the wearer.

Once sorted, the glass bottles are cut and fired, using a patented process, to create unique glass pieces. They use a variety of techniques to alter the finished shape and texture of the glass, such as a seaglass-style matte finish or a wavy contour.

It's a bit of alchemy that transforms a piece of trash into such a thing of beauty. And it's why Smart Glass gets a small thrill with every bottle they touch.