That looks like detritus to one person can become art in the hands of another. That's the case with two Honolulu jewelry designers who create their pieces from recycled stuff such as fishing line, hemp, vintage beads, antique belt buckles and slightly dented silver spoons. It's all about repurposing, creating a new life with old things.

Not everyone has the ability, or the vision, to see how the old can be made new again. But Jennie Bosak and Melisa Medalle are out to save the environment, one little jewel at a time.

EARTH-FRIENDLY ADORNMENT

Melisa Medalle didn't start out as a designer, although she always knew she had an artistic side. "Art was always extracurricular for me. It never occurred to me I could make a living at it," she said.

She spent seven years in the advertising industry in San Francisco and Honolulu before launching her jewelry design business, Meesah. The name, which is her childhood nickname, came from her little sister's pronunciation of "Melisa." But when Medalle learned that Meesah sounds a great deal like the Sanskrit word for "beautiful earth," she knew it was perfect.

Medalle is committed to creating jewelry that is earth friendly. She shops in vintage and Goodwill stores (her faves are in San Francisco) for raw materials.

Meesah currently includes three lines of jewelry, each with its own vibe.

"Nani Aho" employs spearfishing line as its base material.

"Ligaia" (it means "joyful" in Tagalog, but with a different spelling; Gaia is the name of the Greek goddess of the Earth) is based on Medalle's hunting and gathering of objects, which she takes apart and repurposes.

"Laverne" is named after one of her favorite old TV shows, "Laverne & Shirley." For this line, she uses vintage glass or Lucite beads from the '60s and '70s, creating funky, colorful, playful bracelets and pendants.

As part of her commitment to the environment, Medalle packages her jewelry in boxes she makes out of recycled materials. She hand-stamps them with Earth-friendly inks. Her next project? She plans to learn to make her own paper. It's another nod to her philosophy.

Her work is sold exclusively at INTO, 40 North Hotel St., Chinatown; prices range from $25 to $300.

Get more information at www.meesah.com.