Roswell resident Rochelle Nation and her business partner, Shondra Leigh of Decatur, are helping to turn a negative into something more positive by making use of the oil from last year's Deepwater Horizon spill.

The team, which does business under the names Rochelle Nation Jewelry and Shondra Leigh Fun Fine Jewelry, are using the tarballs from the oil disaster in the jewelry pieces they create. The oil in the jewelry is sealed under crystal quartz. It's then encased in refined, 100 percent recycled silver, gold and refined leathers from vintage coats.

But the pieces are more than just uniquely beautiful, they're also helping the people of the Gulf Coast since a portion of the proceeds go to a non-profit that is assisting people affected by the spill.

Nation and Leigh began making the tarball jewelry in October to help a fellow artist, Holt Webb, with his non-profit Vanishing America Project. Roughly 20 percent of the profits from their pieces is donated to the project. Webb, from Alpharetta, is a photographer and writer who launched the project to promote conservation and raise awareness of the environment.

Both women, who have been designing jewelry for more than a decade, say they were inspired by Webb’s efforts and saw the jewelry's creation as an important way they could help keep the public abreast of how to protect the environment. 

Nation said she was drawn to using the tarballs in her pieces because of the benefits to those who live and work along the Gulf Coast. She noted that the actual presence of oil in jewelry is meant to serve as an important reminder that the oil does not dissipate just because headlines disappear. The tarballs are collected from the beaches of Grand Isle, La.

“It is an honor to be a part of a project like this,” Nation said. "It is amazing to see the interaction from people who look at the jewelry.”

Nation said that many people are fascinated by the pieces, which are created using actual tarballs from the Gulf. The collection, called Stained, includes earrings, necklaces, bracelets, rings and cuff links. The pieces range from $80 to $800. 

“I’ve had people ask me why would you want to make jewelry that reminds people of the oil spill,” Leigh said. “But that’s not what we’re doing. We’re bringing awareness to an important cause.”