A book is the one thing that I have a hard time parting with when I have my yearly purge. I think “perhaps I’ll reference this one day” and it goes back on the shelf, only to collect a year’s worth of dust yet again.

As you probably know, you can’t just toss a few old books into your recycling bin with your paper and flattened cardboard. Paper recyclers have a hard time processing the glue that the binds the spine so most people usually end up donating them or reselling them but the truth is that many, eventually, end up in the landfill.

That’s where Jeremy May of Littlefly comes in. The London-based jewelry designer takes old books and turns them into stylish, new wearable pieces like rings, bracelets and necklaces that he produces through a technique of lamination.

May’s meticulous process starts with a trip to the thrift store where he selects books that he feels are most inspiring. After he chooses one, he carefully removes hundreds of pages and then laminates them together. He uses the material to sculpt his one-of-a-kind pieces and then finishes them with a high-gloss finish which protects them and makes them shine. The last step, and perhaps just as clever, is that he presents the pieces by re-inserting them back into the book where they originated.

Many of May’s pieces have sold but his newest collection of rings, called Bespoke, is available and can be viewed online through the Littlefly website.