Seed Jewelry: Beejika by Shradhanjali

“To see things in the seed, that is genius.”
-Lao Tzu, Chinese Philosopher

The use of seeds in jewelry is nothing new I suppose.

Ancient Indians probably adorned themselves with neck pieces and earrings made with colorful seeds and I am sure most other ancient civilizations did too.

I’ve been making jewelry from 2008 but I came across modern seed jewelry only in 2009. My mother gave me a beautiful pair of seed earrings for my birthday that year. Here they are –three seeds have been used in place of beads– would you believe that the large brown one is a tamarind seed!

 

Seed Earrings by Beejika
Seed Earrings by Beejika

I wear these earrings quite often and on the last occasion, I suddenly remembered the name of the brand- Beejika- so I tracked them down on the internet and here’s all the info.

[Note: Except for the photo of my earrings, all other photos are from the Shradanjali website. I am not affiliated with them in any way and I haven’t taken those photos.]

About Beejika

Beejika – The Seed range-  is a line of jewelry handmade by the members of Shradhanjali. Shradhanjali is a 30-year old handicrafts unit (they also make handmade paper products) located in Auroville, an International Township located in Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu. What I like about this endeavor, is that they work with natural materials and employ and empower many village girls in India. Shradhanjali’s profits are routed back into its community and used for its maintenance and development.

What are Beejika’s products?

“With Beejika, Shradhanjali showcases the marvels and uniqueness of Nature, reflected in the seeds of Auroville’s trees, planted over the last 40 years. Profits from this range go towards supporting sustainable, indigenous forest plantations.” – Taken from the Auroville website.

Beejika (meaning seed) jewelry is handmade and eco-friendly because it’s made with Seeds that are varnished to make them water-resistant. Many different locally grown seeds are combined together in colorful, trendy jewelry pieces that are lightweight and beautiful.

Beejika -Jewels of Nature
Beejika Earrings

The products:

·         Earrings
·         Bracelets
·         Key holders
·         Necklaces
·         Hair pins

Beejika Earrings
Seed Earrings from the Beejika range
Curvy Seed Earrings from the Beejika range
Curvy Seed Earrings from the Beejika range
Gorgeous Brown Seed Earrings from Beejika
Gorgeous Brown Seed Earrings from Beejika

Seed Bracelet from the Beejika range

Seed Bracelet from the Beejika range

Seed Necklace from the Beejika range
Seed Necklace from the Beejika range

What Seeds do they use?

Some of the seeds that are used are:
·         Adenanthera pavonina (Red Sandalwood)
·         Polyalthia longifolia (Ashoka)
·         Delonix regia (Gulmohar)
·         Canna indica (Indian shot)
·         Canavalia (Jack-bean)
·         Albizia saman(Rain tree)
·         Leucaena leucocephala (White Leadtree)
·         Mimusops elengi (Spanish Wood)
·         Enterolobium cyclocarpum (Elephant Ear Tree)
·         Sterculia foetida (Wild Almond Tree or Tropical Chestnut).

Contact Details:
Shradhanjali

Website:

http://www.shradhanjaliauroville.com

Address:

Auroshilpam,
Auroville 605 101,
Tamil Nadu, India
Phone:
+91-413-2622172
+91-413-2623780
Fax:
+91-413-2622062

P.S: My mum got me the earrings from Cane and Bamboo shop at 45, Ethiraj Road, Egmore, Chennai – 600 008. Their phone number is         +91-44-28211649.

I hope you were inspired and woo-ed by these beautiful little seeds. What do you think about these? Do you know anyone else who makes handmade jewelry using seeds?

Real India: Etsy Finds

I love Etsy.com …I’ve never made any secret of that fact 🙂 but I’ve always wished we Indians could do more for our little crafty shops on Etsy…OK…so I thought I’d do a little bit of scouting around using Etsy’s Shop Local feature…I was looking for products made by Indians, creations that reflect our rich culture, items that feature our insane love of color and beauty in all possible ways…Here’s what I found…head over to these shops and get a feel of India – real India and Indianness…Enjoy!

First stop- The Home Centric

Urvi, a qualified Fashion and Textile designer, has been designing for 5 years…I have no ‘one’ favorite that I can point out in her shop…all her cushions and pillow cases are unique and beautiful..No one can stop with one, I say!! The metallic ones really tempt me- must be the Indian love of ‘bling’ that’s making me want each one!

Gold Dreams Throw Pillow Cover
Gold Dreams Throw Pillow Cover by The Home Centric on Etsy
Plum Beauty - Throw Pillow Cover
Plum Beauty - Throw Pillow Cover by The Home Centric on Etsy
Marigolds - Throw Pillow Covers
Marigolds - Throw Pillow Covers by The Home Centric on Etsy

The Marigold one is my favorite!!! Such a lovely, bright splash of color…reminds me of saffron and garam masala 🙂

Second Shop for the day-Mayaruhi

Pearl Bhasin, a stay-at-home Mom, makes limited design earrings from semi-precious stones, crystal, cut glass, pearls, shell, 925 silver and 24-karat gold-plated 925 silver. (Her shop is based out of her home in Singapore but cos she’s Indian and her pieces are inspired by Mughal paintings she deserves to be in this list!)

Indian agate wrapped hoops
Indian agate wrapped hoops by Mayaruhi
Coral wrapped hoops
Coral wrapped hoops by Mayaruhi
Rainbow of Agates in big gold hoop
Rainbow of Agates in big gold hoop by Mayaruhi

Now, onto the next shop – HippieKingdom

Devi, an Accessory Designer, makes bright and happy jewelry that’s both eco-friendly and recycled- she uses thread, jute, hemp, cardboard and paper in her creations-playful and fun!

Coconut Shell and Colorful Tassel Earrings
Coconut Shell and Colorful Tassel Earrings by Hippie Kingdom on Etsy
Eco friendly Hemp Bangle by Hippie Kingdom
Eco friendly Hemp Bangle by Hippie Kingdom on Etsy
Cute Turtle Couple Earrings
Cute Turtle Couple Earrings by Hippie Kigdom on Etsy
Eco-friendly Paper Weave Earrings
Eco-friendly Paper Weave Earrings by Hippie Kingdom on Etsy

I simply love these earrings!!! They look just right for an afternoon out with friends, while drinking filter kaapi (coffee) 🙂 Nirvana!

 

Next shop – Bootika

Shruti hand paints her products – Tees, Tank Tops, Bags, Belts, Headbands  and Cushion Covers!! Her creations use graphics that reflect India- images that every Indian can identify with…Stop by her shop with some chai!

Handpainted Tote Bag with Chai Glasses
Handpainted Tote Bag with Chai Glasses by Bootika on Etsy
Handpainted Tee with White Auto rickshaw
Handpainted Tee with White Auto rickshaw by Bootika on Etsy
Handpainted Tote Bag with Matkas (Indian Pots)
Handpainted Tote Bag with Matkas (Indian Pots) by Bootika on Etsy

The Last Shops for the day- Art by susmitha and Veganosaurus

Susmitha from Bangalore makes Art Beads, Miniature Sculptures and exculsive Artisan Jewelry. She also makes cute little creatures to celebrate Veganism on her other shop-Veganosaurus.

Demeter Earrings
Demeter Earrings by Artbysusmitha
LOVE carnelian copper clay pendant
LOVE carnelian copper clay pendant by Susmitha
Spiral Dance chunky copper wire necklace
Spiral Dance chunky copper wire necklace by Susmitha

oooohhh…the colors are gorgeous-they remind me of peacock feathers for some reason!

Mommy and Baby Turtleclopses
Mommy and Baby Turtleclopses by Veganosaurus on Etsy

(the second turtle item I picked-anyone notice a theme here?)

Miniature Froggy Family -terrarium decor
Miniature Froggy Family -terrarium decor by Veganosaurus on Etsy
Puffy - smart little cyclops monster clay sculpture
Little cyclops monster clay sculpture by Veganosaurus on Etsy

Oh how I’d like a terrarium with these lil monsters on my desk at work!! I specially love the froggies (such an awesome orange) and of course, I love the blue cyclops’ tie (he’s a smartie!).

Which one’s your favorite product?? Which one would you buy? Stop by these shops and share your love…Promote Indian crafters and Indian crafts…

NOTE: All images in this post are the properties of the shop sellers featured in the post.

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