Since the invention of the tattoo over 5,000 years ago, body modifications have allowed people to express themselves and visualize meaningful aspects of their lives. A recently booming trend in the realm of body modification is permanent jewelry.
Holly Ittel, a second-year graduate student pursuing a master’s in communication media arts, started Other Perfect Things, her permanent jewelry business, in May.
“The customer selects a chain and then I custom fit it to their wrist and weld it on as a bracelet or a necklace or anklet and then they wear it all the time without taking it on and off,” Ittel said.
Ittel was initially inspired by the idea of permanent jewelry while living in New York City and decided to take the plunge after seeing a family member wearing a piece of permanent jewelry at her cousin’s funeral service.
“Within two weeks I had my tools and first inventory and was learning how to use the tools,” Ittel said. “My cousin has been a part of the journey for my business the whole time. The name ‘Other Perfect Things’ actually came from an artwork I was making for her as part of a class.”
The class assignment was a 72-day project. For the task, students defined the parameters of an artwork and added to it over 72 days. Ittel’s final project spelled out a message for her cousin on an Instagram page, ending with the phrase “other perfect things.”
“It was really hard to begin the mourning process,” Ittel said. “This artwork was the mourning process for me because she had her prognosis around the same time I started it, so after she passed I started this business and changed the Instagram account from the artwork page to the business page.”
In addition to being a creative outlet, Ittel’s business has allowed her to honor her cousin by making permanent jewelry for family members and offering similar services to others.
“I think people find a lot of meaning in jewelry and ways of expressing themselves and things that are important to them, so I do try and honor and give space to people when they come to me to have that experience,” she said.
Grace Lach, a 2022 Ohio University graduate, went to Ittel to commemorate an important relationship in her life; Lach and her girlfriend went to one of Ittel’s pop-ups and had matching heart chains welded to their wrists so they would align while holding hands.
“It’s really nice to have something so simple and yet so meaningful,” Lach said.
Lach and her girlfriend had their permanent jewelry attached at Ittel’s pop-up inside Bleeding Heart Boutique, located at 28 ½ E. State St. and owned by Hannah Morgan.
“One of my goals for the shop was working with other members of the community and with their little creative dream and trying to help out with that,” Morgan said. “Holly fits right in because of (this), she’s trying her own thing in this little college town, and the permanent jewelry is such a good fit here because her aesthetic fits right in with my shop.”
A consistent schedule for Ittel’s pop-ups at Bleeding Heart is in the works, but customers can find days to come into the shop and get permanent jewelry on both businesses’ Instagram pages. Not only does Morgan support Ittel’s business by hosting her pop-ups, but she also wears a piece of Ittel’s jewelry around her neck.
“All of her chains are good quality,” she said. “They’re very fine so they’re very comfy.”
Lach believes Ittel’s selection of jewelry, which can be found on her website, is “easy to personalize and very meaningful,” and the process of getting the pieces welded on was just as comfortable as the jewelry itself.
“She was so sweet and chatty in the best way, (she was) genuinely interested and it was really simple to get done,” Lach said.
The depth of conversation Lach had with Ittel is not unusual for the business owner, who strives to create a connection with each of her clients.
“Recently, someone asked me what a successful life looks like,” Ittel said. “After I thought about it for a minute, I realized success in my life is making meaningful connections with people and I get to do that with most of my clients.”
