The Leaf-Life collection

Some necklaces from the new Leaf-Life collection

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There's no better day than Valentine's Day to celebrate the new life of the upcoming Spring!

The new collection Leaf-Life is here!

Leaf-Life bracelets

Leaf-Life sterling silver necklaces

Leaf-Life earrings

The new “Leaf - Life” collection celebrates the vitality of Nature and the variety of colors and shapes with which it reveals itself on our Earth, in particular during the Spring and Summer seasons. The collection also wants to tell some of the believes and meanings that different cultures gave to some trees during the ages.

One day last September (2017) I stumbled upon a tiny adorable book that inspired me a lot for this collection. Its title is “The little guide to leaves” by Quadrille Publishing, and it’s beautifully illustrated by Tom Frost. Here I found the pieces of information that interested me a lot and pushed me to create this new line of jewellery.

In particular, I’ve been fascinated by the following trees with their stories.

Sycamore: in some areas in Wales, people thought that this tree would keep the fairies at bay; Native Americans believed it was a tree of magic and mystery and they called it the “ghost of the forest”.

Horse Chestnut: Ancient Greeks associated it with Zeus, fertility, abundance and good fortune.

Silver Birch: it’s associated with the coming of spring. The Celts used birch twigs to drive out the spirits of the old year.

Ash: for the Vickings, the Ash was a sacred tree. They called it the “World Tree”. According to this culture, its roots reached down to the underworld and its branches up to the heavens.

English Oak: powerful symbol of might and endurance. Common feature in many mythologies, it’s associated with a wide range of deities such Zeus and Thor. Its Latin name robur means “strength”. The Celts believed the Oak to be a tree of sacred knowledge. Today, the Oak is known to support more wildlife species than any other native tree.

I also wanted to add some tropical leaves to the collection: with millions of extraordinary life forms, tropical forests gives me the image of the explosion of life and colors.

My leaf jewellery has its roots also in the Pre-Raphaelite paintings and the Art Nouveau. Art Nouveau is "an international style of art, architecture and applied art, inspired by natural forms and structures, particularly the curved lines of plants and flowers" (from Wikipedia). This art movement started in Britain, in the floral designs of William Morris. One of my favorite artists of Art Nouveau is the Czech Alfons Mucha: his advertisement art, paintings and illustrations are for me full of inspiration.