Natural Materials

Most of our range of jewellery and fashion accessories is made either fully or partly from natural materials. Here are details concerning many of the materials used:

Coconut Palm

The coconut palm is a large palm tree which can grow to 30 metres tall. It is grown throughout the tropical world with the fruit, the coconut, being used for many culinary purposes, and the husk, together with the leaves, bark and wood being used for a variety of purposes. Nearly all parts of the tree are useful, in Malaysia it is known as the tree of a thousand uses and in the Philippines it is commonly known as the Tree of Life.

Cowrie Shells

Cowrie or cowry is the common name for the shells of sea snails. The shells are usually egg shaped, shiny and porcelain like which makes them favoured for jewellery and decorative purposes. They are found worldwide in tropical and sub-tropical seas.

Freshwater Pearls

Pearls are created by many molluscs although few of them produce desirable pearls such as those produced by pearl oysters. Pearls are made up of many layers of nacre which is produced by molluscs as a defence response to irritants such as parasites. Naturally produced pearls are rare and most pearls produced today are cultured. Cultured pearls are created through the planting of a nucleus, such as a bead made from shell and/or mantle tissue into the host mollusc. The pearl is then gradually formed as the mollusc builds layers of nacre around the nucleus or tissue when it's natural defence response is triggered. This may be natural or induced artificially in order to create the pearl more quickly.

Freshwater pearls are created by molluscs which live in lakes, rivers, ponds and other bodies of freshwater. They can reside in hot or cool climates and are often cultured using tissue only.

X-rays reveal how a pearl has been created, for example, a natural pearl will show concentric layers right to it's core, a cultured pearl created using a nucleus or bead will show a solid centre surrounded by the layers of nacre created by the mollusc. If mantle tissue without a bead is used, it is more difficult to distinguish if the pearl is natural.

The colour of pearls vary depending upon the colour of the nacre produced and can therefore vary from white or cream to black. Freshwater pearls can also be dyed many different colours.

Gemstones

Gemstones, also known as precious or semi-precious stones, are usually made from minerals which when cut and polished are used to make jewellery etc. Some rocks such as lapis-lazuli and organic materials such as amber are not minerals but tend to be classed as gemstones too. Gemstones are classified into different groups and varieties and are prized for their beauty, rarity and aesthetics. Many gemstones are also attributed with healing and mystical properties. For example, in India, moonstone is believed to bring good fortune and is a prized gift for lovers as it is thought to arouse tender passion. Amethyst or quartz is seen as the symbol of sincerity, serenity and peace of mind

Jute

Jute is made from bast fibre which is a long, soft fibre composed mainly of cellulose. This fibre comes from plants in the genus Corchorus, which are farmed using traditional methods in India and Bangladesh. The fibres are spun into coarse, strong threads. It is very durable, for example, a jute bag has the life span of over 1000 plastic bags. It is non-polluting and is totally biodegradable. It is an extremely useful material in that it is not only renewable and sustainable, but also provides employment and income for 5 million people in India and Bangladesh.

Mother of Pearl

Mother of pearl, also known as nacre, is the composite material produced by some molluscs. It is a very favoured material because not only is it beautiful, being iridescent, but is also extremely strong and resilient so making it a good material to work with.

Pandanas

Pandanas leaves come from the pandanus plant known as Pandanus Spiralis, Pandanus Palm and Screw Palm due to it growing in a distinctive screw pattern. It grows in coastal areas of the tropical pacific and varies in size ranging from small shrubs to trees up to 20 metres tall. It produces large seed pods which has some resemblance to pineapples. When they are ripe the seeds can be extracted and ground into flour. The leaves are very fibrous and strong and can be woven into baskets, mats etc. or the fibre strings can be woven into cloth for textiles.

Paua Shell

Paua is the Maori name given to three species of sea snail (haliotid) which are found in New Zealand, the three species are: silver paua, paua, and virgin paua. Of these paua is the most common and grows up to 18cm in length. They are found in shallow coastal waters along rocky shoreline. The Maori have traditionally prized them both as a food source and for the use of the shell for jewellery and crafts. The interior of the shell is iridescent and is usually of intense green, purple and blue, though sometimes pink too.

Rattan

Rattan comes from hundreds of species of palms which are grown in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia and Australasia. Most of them generally differ from other palms in having slender stems and growing like vines rather than trees.

In order to use rattan the skin of the stem is peeled away and the solid core is then used. This then makes a useful weaving material as it has the characteristics of being durable and lightweight, and it is also reasonably flexible. Being totally natural it is also biodegradable.