Nature’s jewels
Stopping to smell the flowers
Arlene Marturano

Baubles, bangles and beads are everywhere in nature, free for the taking and making into original accessories. Nature–made barrettes, belts, bracelets, earrings, necklaces and pendants add life to your wardrobe. A walk in the woods or a gait in the garden will revive your hunter–gatherer instincts.

Decorative seeds, twigs, nuts, leaves, petals, fruits, and stems are within arms reach or beneath your feet. The sharp observer will find bags of natural objects on each excursion: seeds from persimmon, chinaberry, juniper, ginkgo, paw paw, palmetto, wisteria, cannas, magnolia, jimsonweed; nuts from oaks, hickory, black walnuts, buckeye; and berries from dogwood, holly, hackberry; and pieces of bark.

Even the produce market and bins at the health food store contain raw materials for jewelry: seeds from apples, oranges, melons, squash; coffee beans; soybeans; dry beans and peas like kidney, anasazi, calypso, fava, black, cowpeas, pintos, lentils; pits from peaches, plums, and cherries. Some enthusiasts start botanical bead gardens to harvest the seeds for their craft projects. Seeds of moonflower, mini–gourds, Job’s tears, balloon vine, dry beans, melons, squashes, and corn furnish variety in color, shape, and texture.

Seed jewelry can be strung on a variety of materials. Beading thread can be made of cotton, linen, or polyester; beading wire made of tigertail; cords made of raffia, silk, or leather; and even dental floss and fishing wire will do.

The hardware pieces that hold jewelry together are called findings. Jewelry findings may be found at local craft shops and online. Common findings include assorted clasps, end caps, jump rings, barrette backs, head and dangle pins, earring hoops, backs, and wires, and crimps and bails.

A basic tool kit for the jewelry maker should contain assorted clamps, varied pliers, craft drill, drill bits, rubber bands, wire cutter, sandpaper, craft glue, tapestry and sewing needles, scissors, tape measure and ruler.

A pair of twig earrings can be made with any eye–catching stems or twigs. The stems of the flower stalks of the palmetto tree are appealing as are the bright red and yellow twigs of shrub dogwoods or the green twigs of kerria. Using end caps, jump rings, and ear wires as hardware from the craft store, a new fashion statement can be dangling from your ears in less than an hour. Or let gold findings highlight the rich brown tones of acorns, a versatile bead for earrings, necklaces, and bracelets.

Woody twigs from a rose, dogwood, river birch, Japanese maple, or other backyard beauty can be bundled with sturdy strips of bark from river birch, sycamore, or shagbark hickory and brass wire. Fasten the bundles to barrette clips with nylon thread or fishing wire. For a burnished look apply a coat of clear spray enamel or varnish. You’ll look like a goddess when wearing the new design.

Anyone can fashion necklaces and bracelets from a variety of seeds and nuts. Many seeds can be dyed with fabric dye to further customize a piece. Natural black and white calypso beans strung with orange dyed melon seeds are a stunning duo for a necklace. Black dyed chinaberry strung with natural soybean or moonflower seeds create a dramatic dress–up for a basic black dress.

Palmetto seed threaded with gold beads and paw paw seed fitted with silver spacer beads make elegant bracelets. What could be simpler than stringing a trio of green pea and pumpkin seeds alternately on a 30 inch length of beading thread and tying and trimming the thread ends. If the peas are sprayed with clear high gloss enamel, they look like pale jade instead of lowly legumes.

Whether you plan to add the natural look to your own wardrobe, take orders for custom jewelry, or envision your own Tiffany’s Au Natural, there are a number of jewelry making books at craft stores and the public library to bring out your inner jeweler.

Materials for making jewelry can be found at Swift Water Beads on Harden Street.

References to Assist

Belsinger, Susan. Explore the World from Home with Botanical Beads, Herb Companion, January 2006.

Fry, Kenzle, Linda. Gatherings: Gleanings from the Garden . Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 1998.

Yow, Cathy. Jewelry from Nature . Asheville, NC: Lark Books, 1998.