Aren't these pretty? They're jewelry displays made of reclaimed letterpress lead type drawers.
As letterpress printers, we must mention we feel a bit of ambivalence about them. Type drawers are getting harder to find and more expensive, not just because they are beautifully crafted and painstakingly constructed, but they are increasingly popular Ebay fodder. Their demand has grown on Etsy, so prices for them are going up for the humble typesetter.
We wonder a little if it's a great idea to re-purpose objects that were used to hold hundreds of little pieces of lead— for decades. When they're cleaned and painted that makes them pretty safe, but word to the wise is to use precaution, particularly with children. Most printer's type is an alloy of lead, tin, antimony and other metals, making it much more stable than pure lead, but certain acidic environmental conditions conditions can cause corrosion and oxidation, and make the lead more hazardous. For more info, visit Briar Press's discussion of lead type handling safety. (Basically, the idea is just to wash your hands, and not put them in your mouth, hence the concern with kids.)
Pardon our little letterpress printing lecture. Just lookin' out for you guys!