Natural fibers, seeds, gems, fish scales and leaves. All these elements, to begin with, can become valuable objects. Brazilian craftsmen and designers have increasingly inspired themselves in nature to make sustainable jewelry.

The bio-jewelry can be produced with only natural products or elaborated with precious metals. Moreover, produced in harmony with the environment, the jewelry also promotes social inclusion.

 “We try to promote the qualification and diversification of products that draw attention to the local identity, with job and income generation and the valorization of that culture”, explains Nilvana Soares, General Coordinator of Tourism-related Production at the Ministry of Tourism.

The consumer market of these products is growing in the world and the Brazilian craftsmen have increasingly valued the use of local raw material, relying on the rich biodiversity of Brazil’s countryside. 

 “Production, in this case, means the use of material collected without damaging the place of origin. The idea is that these businesses should privilege buying raw material from rural communities. Social benefit would come this way”, affirms the Jewelry Design Professor at the Pará State University, Rosângela Gouveia.

Sustainable development and inclusive green economy are the main topics at the Rio+20. These concepts are being deeply experienced in practice by many Brazilian communities. The craftswoman and designer from the state of Pará, Selma Montenegro, is an example. She lives in the Amazon forest and creates her jewelry using, mainly, seeds from the Inajá and Tucumã trees.

“I always thought that people don’t value what we have, a lot of people treat like garbage something that is so precious. I can make use of fruit seeds that were eaten and then thrown away”, argues Selma.