Bio-Jewelry: What Is It?

What is bio-jewelry? In simple terms, bio-jewelry is jewelry made out of organic materials: leaves, seeds, grass, straw, wood, fruits, leather and anything else that comes from nature.  The concept of bio- jewelry is foreign to a lot of people, especially those living in highly industrialized countries. In Brazil, bio-jewelry is a way to represent our culture through color, diversity and creativity. These days, bio-jewelry is becoming even more sophisticated since there is no more man-made materials mixed with it. Because of this, bio-jewelry is in fact, jewelry.

I was introduced to bio-jewelry when I was a little kid growing up in Brazil. My parents would always take me and my sisters to fairs around the city where we could see the work of craftsmen. In a country so rich in natural resources it was very common to see a lot of things made out of seeds from the Amazon, golden grass from the area I am from, leather and much more. At first, what caught my attention, was the creativity of those who created beautiful pieces with things I ate and saw day in and day out. Who would have ever thought of making a necklace out of beans? Or what about earrings made out of coconut? I was always curious about the work and how much time it took. Above all, I was always impressed with the amount of detail. And yes, the price, too. With the abundance of natural resources, anything made out of anything that comes from nature is pretty cheap in Brazil.

Fast forward eighteen years where I now live in the U.S. and very rarely see as much craftsmanship as I did back home. I am simply fascinated and in love with bio-jewelry. I can’t wait to show you all that Brazil, and more specifically my city, Brasilia, has to offer. There are many “Brazils” inside of Brazil so each state and each region of this huge country has so much richness in what it offers. To me, bio-jewelry is art. I say this because it is not only the materials but also the design that these artists create that make each piece unique and beautiful. That’s the thing, too, each piece is unique because there is no mass production of bio-jewelry. So, even though you may get similar pieces, they will never be the same.

While here in Brazil, I will be sharing the work of a lot of these great people who create art and beauty every day of their lives. I hope you enjoy their work as much as I do!