This post is sponsored. Editorial direction and opinions are my own.
Blackberry thorn. Lemon seed. Cardamom pod. Birch bark.
No, these aren’t ingredients for a tincture – they’re inspiration for a collection of straight-from-nature jewelry by local designer, Becca, of Thicket Jewelry.
Becca has an MFA in Poetry, and it’s evident in the attention to detail she gives to her designs before they’re even cast. For one, they’re made with recycled materials whenever possible. But most distinctively, they’re cast from real organic materials and kept true-to-size. There is both a practicality and a delightful whimsy in this fact, this way of capturing the minute details of the natural world and solidifying them, quite literally, as keepsakes.
But let me tell you another story first.
Becca and I have known of each other for five or six years. She was a picture framer within walking distance of the coffee shop where I worked and we’d greet each other and make small talk whenever she came in to grab a drink. Later on, she worked with a fair trade company assisting with design and fabrication. Meanwhile, I was starting my job at the thrift shop.
We lost touch until I spotted her at a craft fair selling her jewelry. It was a new venture at the time, but I found it all very intriguing. I didn’t buy anything that day, but my friend bought one of Becca’s early earring designs and still wears them weekly. It’s funny when you make connections with people and then find your paths crossing again and again, even funnier when you realize you share a similar aesthetic and ethical vision. Neither one of us was working in the sustainable fashion space five years ago. Now here we are working together.
Blackberry Thorns and Brambles
I’m wearing a mixed earring set composed of blackberry thorns and brambles cast in recycled silver. I’ve found the size of these ideal for everyday wear because I can sleep in them without irritation. The fine metal is also ok to wear in the shower (versus cheap metals which can turn your skin green over time). I actually opted to keep a Blackberry Thorn matching set (the other featured items are on loan for review) because I already have stick earrings. This gives me more versatility, but I love the asymmetry of the mixed set. You can purchase individual earrings for your own mixing and matching. Earrings start at $24 each.
And the title of this post is true: I wore – and am still wearing – the Blackberry Thorn earrings for over a month now. I wore them on my recent trip to Florida and they generated some fun conversation about what they were and how they were made. I appreciate items that spark conversation and come with a story, so these are really perfect for that. They make a statement without hollering at you.
Lemon Seed
The delicate pendant in the photo above is cast from a lemon seed in the same recycled silver. While I don’t personally wear a lot of necklaces, I am drawn to unobtrusive pieces like this one because they don’t hit you in the face when you bend over or get entangled in purse straps and seat belts. Like all of Becca’s pieces, it is thoughtfully created. The Lemon Seed necklace is $98.
Final Thoughts
Thicket Jewelry doesn’t need a lot of creative marketing because the pieces speak for themselves. In a sea of minimalist jewelry, this is a remarkable accomplishment.
By turning the small details of the natural world into fine art, Thicket also – at least for me – achieves something like virtue: it draws the eye to everyday miracles, diverts our gaze from the hardness of our modern lives and lets us ease into a walk through the brambles, taking footpaths carved by animals over hundreds of years and trod before by millions of tiny and large footprints. It re-enchants our world.
In a word, it’s poetry. Condensed into visual haiku.
