Think pendants, rings, bracelets and earrings with pieces of polished, colorful, swirled recycled bowling balls in the place of precious stones.
“An old or cracked bowling ball could very easily be a useless, thrown-away item,” Cole said. “I knew, looking at some of those balls, that I could make jewelry out of them.”
The Detroit native had a tool and die background and had spent a decade working in the jewelry trade before moving to the area. Combine that with the fact that the 41-year-old has been bowling since he was 6 and it just made sense.
He made his first piece in 2009, using one of the more than 40 balls he had accumulated over the years. Cole continues to create new designs and sales have steadily increased every year.
“I’ve received awards and attention because it’s a zany idea,” he said. “But bowlers love it and so do people who like the fact that it is essentially recycling.”
Cole sells his jewelry at art fairs, Urban Handmade in Yellow Springs and through his website www.matt-cole.com. Some tournaments have awarded his jewelry instead of trophies. But Cole is just getting started.
“I want every pro shop in the world — yes, in the world — to have a display of my jewelry,” he said.
He is currently working on building his first display.
Cole still finds time to work on his game. He averaged 219 last season and 200 in the challenging PBA Experience League this summer.
Survivor League: After battling tough competition and even tougher lane conditions for weeks, the Survivor League bowlers wrapped up their summer season with an end-of-season championship tournament at Beaver-Vu Bowl Tuesday.
With television cameras rolling, the top four girls and boys, after qualifying rounds, battled it out for league bragging rights.
Wright State University bowler, and Chaminade Julienne graduate, Shannon DeWitt took the girls title with a 213-197 win over Angel West, Wayne High School. In the boys final, Northwestern High School junior Kenneth Wallace beat out Wright State’s Daniel Ashenbaum, 197-167, for the title.
The event will be broadcast on Time Warner Cable at a yet-to-be-determined date and time.
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