wild jewelry

Working with recycled materials, Ghanaian artisan Akwele Suma makes a statement for ecological preservation. She chooses strips of poster and magazine paper in orange, forming them into helix shapes that dangle from brass hooks.

The artist uses the paper at hand so paper colors will vary, making each design a unique example of handcrafted art. These beads receive a protective coat of clear nail polish.

Featuring a palette of multiple hues, these earrings are a unique creation by Akwele Suma. "They remind me of berries," the Ghanaian designer confides. She crafts the earrings by hand, cutting paper from different printed sources and securing the discs with red silk threads to form a spindle shape. Featuring sese wood beads, the earrings hang from brass wires.

The artist uses the paper at hand so paper colors will vary, making each design a unique example of handcrafted art. These beads receive a protective coat of clear nail polish.

Ghanaian jewelry designer Rita Addo Zakour presents a pair of earrings with animalistic appeal. The hand-crafted dangle earrings feature sassy beads of recycled plastic with a leopard print motif. Flanking the spotted beads are small spheres of brown sese wood. The earrings swing from brass hooks. The artisan names them ayeyi, which means "praise" in the Akan dialect.

A mighty lion, king of the jungle, captures the imagination in this necklace by Ali Mohammed. The hand-carved sese wood pendant is surrounded by bamboo and wood beads and is worn on a black cord necklace of adjustable length.

A sassy leopard print on dark green distinguishes these beaded earrings from Ghana's Rita Addo Zakour. You'll also love the fact that they are made with eco-friendly beads crafted from recycled plastic bottles. The artisan names the design adepa, which means "good thing" in the Akan dialect. The earrings dangle from brass hooks.