“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!
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.
The products:
· Earrings
· Bracelets
· Key holders
· Necklaces
· Hair pins
- Seed Bracelet from the Beejika range
- Seed Bracelet 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).
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?
