June 23, 2009

Jewellery ? But naturally!

Who would've thought something like carambola would make such exquisite jewellery! It's a fruit for heaven's sake!
But then, this is the work of Nubia Goncalves from Rio de Janeiro. Nubia uses Brazilian natural products, including gemstones and nuts, to craft such beautiful jewellery and sells these on Etsy.

And yes, this is the same Starfruit (aka Bilimbi) which you'll find kids buying by the cartload from the bhaiyya outside their school-gates. Who knew it would have their mums lusting for it too?! Oh... watch that drool... this is a natural product so take care to keep it away from moisture.

(I wonder whether I'd feel like munching on it if I was wearing it?
Maybe. Probably... sigh!)

So would you fancy blue rosebuds around your neck? Apparently they're actually Abacaxizinhos (don't ask me how that's pronounced, please!) and dotted with pearls.
Want a translation? I did, and checked out a couple of translation sites which told me that abacaxi means pineapple in Portuguese. So would these be the head of the pineapple? Maybe very tiny, baby ones?
In any case, isn't their resemblance to rosebuds amazing?

Now this is super fun!
As zesty as chilled lemonade on a hot day, these coco discs in bright sunshiny colours can bring a smile to anyone.

Or try an earthy one for a change.
Mmmm...hmmm...! I've got to find a way to turn a skull-breaking coconut into a mind-boggling piece of jewellery!


(Images courtesy : Nubia Goncalves )

11 comments:

  1. Wow Sunita what a find ... I would absolutely freak out if my husband got the hint and got the carambola piece ...
    And I am equally interested to find out what you turn out of the coconut ;)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Blimey I have a laden star fruit tree and was wondering what I can do with them......hmmnnn..... food for design. Sunita I have made planters out of coconuts and had people wowing at such a practical approach to the coconut. Now I await your design a la coco. These are exquisite pieces, uncluttered clean lines beautifully executed.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Sunita!
    I am delighted with your lovely post about my jewelry, thank you so much!
    I am also curious to know how you found me! Internet is so amazing, isn't it?
    Cheers!!!
    Nubia

    ReplyDelete
  4. Me too, Rajee! Now if I can just get him to read this post ... ;)
    Aaah! The coconut ... Rajee, I have such plans. I must thank Nubia for sparking off a lot of ideas. I'm getting to work on them and if they look good, you'll be first to see them, I promise!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Helen, you too? I love crafting with natural products. In any case I come back from each stroll in my garden, loaded with stuff I've picked up here and there. Parrot feathers, seed pods, dried flower heads, pretty pebbles... I think I must've been a squirrel in some last birth !
    But I loved Nubia's work. There's something so refreshing and, like you said, beautifully executed.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Nubia, I think I was doing a Google search for natural jewellery when I stumbled on your site. I totally loved your work and it tickled me no end to see the material which you have used. This, I thought, is exactly what I would've loved to make if I had been more artistic. Or imaginative. :)
    But I totally agree with you about the Internet. It takes me months to agree to drive from one end of Mumbai to the other but here I am, finding a jewllery artiste in Rio de janeiro in a few minutes! Amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Lip-smacking designs, and you are a genius to have found it

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thank you all for your lovely comments!

    ReplyDelete
  9. You're so right about the lip-smacking designs (Raji, was that you over at MBP?)It gives a whole new meaning to 'delicious designs', doesn't it? :)

    Nubia, it looks like your jewelry is a big hit here.
    But could you clear up my confusion about the Abacaxizinhos? What is it? Are they something to do with pineapples or something totally different?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Sunita, I love crafting with natural products.

    ReplyDelete