Matt: Most of the bowling balls I'm using in my jewelry come from a distributor of bowling supplies and equipment. They receive shipments of new balls from the manufacturers, some of which arrive cracked, or make it through a pro shop to a bowler, and then crack. Instead of shipping them back to the manufacturer (they're heavy and therefore costly to ship) they toss them in the dumpster. Not much else to do with them. Synthetic products... once they're made, they're here forever. The ladies in the office of this distributor accumulate them, and give me a call before dumping them. I bring them jewelry. Win-win.
The balls that are used by bowlers have a lifespan of about 700 games. I use those too if they're offered and they have the right colors. These balls become useless after soaking up the lane oil for so long. There are a few processes to extract the oil from the ball, but at some point the ball will lose it's "life." You can tell when the ball hits the pins. The pins fall flat and uneventful instead of frantic twisting flying spastic pins. Someone who bowls knows what I mean.
Next, let's see one of Matt's bowling ball pendants...
