Compact disc "jewel" cases.....
In the digital-mechanical-age of electronic music media, what shall become of the lowly jewel case? Flash drives, mp3 players, phones that hold millions of gigabytes of music are rendering the compact disc obsolete.
So...what's a girl to do? Make "jewel"ry and body sculpture out of these pesky, ill-made polystyrene objects of course!!
Although, polystyrene can be recycled, and has the number "6" as its recycling symbol, I have chosen to NOT sacrifice all my cases to the blue-gallon-recycle-fairy and rather, try to glean some new meaning for its thus far, one-dimensional existence! I am on a mission to convert all manner of man-made objects into items of whimsy, delight and play with my dancing, lacy, organic, seductive linework...... 
According to Wikipedia, MY most trusted research source (please note that this is an attempt at sarcasm, not a statement of fact):
A jewel cd case is the original compact disc case that has been used since the compact disc was first released in 1982. It is a three-piece plastic case, measuring 142 mm × 125 mm × 10 mm (5.59 in x 4.92 in x 0.39 in), which usually contains a compact disc along with the liner notes and a back card. Two opposing tranparent halves are hinged together to form the casing, the back half holding a media tray that grips the disc by its hole. All three parts are made of injection-molded polystrene.
The front lid contains two, four, or six opposing tabs to keep any liner notes in place. The liner notes typically will be a 120 mm × 120 mm (4.72 in x 4.72 in) booklet, or a single 242 mm × 120 mm (9.53 in x 4.72 in) leaf folded in half. In addition, there is usually a back card, 150 mm × 118 mm (5.9 in x 4.65 in), underneath the media tray and visible through the clear back, often listing the track names, studio and copyright data and other information. The back card is folded into a flattened "U" shape, with the sides being visible along the ends (often referred to as the spine) of the case. The ends usually have the name of the release and the artist, and often label or catalog information printed on them, and are designed to be visible when the case is stored vertically, 'book-style'.
The back media tray snaps into the back cover, and is responsible for securing the disk. In its center is a circular hub of teeth which grip the disc by its hole. This effectively suspends the disk in the middle of the container, preventing the recording surface from being scratched. Originally, the media tray was constructed of a flexible black polystyrene, but many newer trays use a more fragile transparent polystyrene. Jewel cases are occasionally used for DVDs as well as CDs, but generally not for those that contain major film releases. The success of the CD jewel case design stems, in part, from its common form factor. Given the restriction to a common form, manufacturers have sought to compete on cost (rather than via product variation). A form of destructive competition has followed. Although the original 1980s and 1990s CD jewel case were of a higher quality and stiffer design, most jewel cases on the market today are considerably lighter and less durable than the original design. In part, this has been to cater to automated packing machines that prefer lighter boxes. In the worst cases, the rear cover is so spongy, it may be easily bent by hand. Dissatisfaction with lower quality cases provided by recording companies has produced a market for higher quality replacement cases.
Origin of the name
According to publications from Philips, the name reflects either the generally high quality of the case design compared to initial attempts, or its appearance. According to one publication. Initial attempts at packaging for CDs were unsatisfactory. When the
new design, by Peter Doodson, was found to be "virtually perfect" it was dubbed the "jewel case". Another publication, quotes Doodson describing that he "specified polished ribs as they pick up the light and shine" and states that the resulting appearance led to the name.Weaknesses
The original jewel case structure has a weakness in that the case is hinged on two brittle plastic arms, which often break if the case receives shock or stress. The teeth of the hub holding the disc are also prone to failure by snapping. An opposite problem is the tabs ("half-moons") which hold the liner notes in place; sometimes, especially with larger booklets, the tabs grip the booklet too tightly, leading to tearing. Likewise, when replacing the booklet it can get snagged and crumple or rip. As noted above some CD releases have only two tabs, which allows the booklet to be easily removed and replaced (at the small cost of the booklet sometimes falling out if held the wrong way).
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