I am always looking for interesting and unusual items to use in my jewelry design. Since my criteria requires that the pieces have to be vintage or antique, these bottle caps fit the bill.  I found these recently on a treasure hunt and the history certainly makes them worthy of another life.  These caps are unused examples from the 1920’s.  Actually they were some of the last examples manufactured by the company Crown Cork & Seal.

Crown Cork & Seal was founded by the inventor of the soda bottle cap, William Painter.  In 1892, Painter patented a crimped metallic cap lined with a thin cork wafer that both formed a leakproof seal and separated drink and metal. Soon thereafter, he patented a machine that filled the bottle simultaneously with syrup and carbonated water, then applied the cap.  The two inventions commercially developed by Painter in Baltimore were the foundation of today’s vast bottling industry.

By the 1920’s, the familiar “Coca Cola” was copied in many variations by regional soda companys.  This “Kola” brand seems to be an obscure one.  The caps are signed on the crimp, CCS.

As a designer and elaborate recycler, the simplicity of the design is appealing and the history alone makes them perfect to become an Ollie & Co creation.  I am excited to layer other vintage details to the simple graphics on the caps.

These caps are just a small piece of our history but certainly worthy to be saved and enjoyed with another life as a bracelet.  A hidden treasure rescued from the bottom of a box to live on.  I can’t wait to see what I find next…