Shimmer Jewellery Reframes Preciousness Through Brazilian Biomaterials
Brazilian designer Ana Luisa Braun Rodrigues combines natural materials, traditional craft and digital fabrication in the Shimmer Jewellery Collection. Developed at Central Saint Martins, the collection explores Brazilian identity while questioning which materials and forms of knowledge society considers valuable.
Vernacular Materials In Contemporary Jewellery
Shimmer introduces Brazilian vernacular materials into contemporary accessories. These include large Camurupim fish scales, pre-consumer food waste and Capim Dourado, also known as golden grass. This naturally golden plant grows in a specific geographical region and holds cultural significance for local communities.
Braun Rodrigues works directly with artisan communities and combines their knowledge with processes such as dyeing, weaving and stone cutting. Digital fabrication techniques support these hand-making methods, bringing traditional and contemporary production together within a single design language.
The natural materials appear alongside more conventional luxury materials, including gold-plated sterling silver, black silk and precision-cut crystals. This contrast draws attention to the visual and functional qualities of resources that are rarely used in high-end jewellery.
Golden Grass Revealed In Detail
The Shimmer Super Long Earrings use Capim Dourado and draw on the weaving knowledge of Brazil’s Mumbuca community. Although the earrings measure 16 centimetres in length, the lightweight plant fibres make them comfortable to wear.
Small crystal loupes are incorporated into the earrings. These resemble droplets of water while acting as magnifying lenses, allowing wearers to examine the texture of the golden fibres more closely. The pieces are made partly in Brazil and partly in the UK.
Fish Scales As A Durable Surface
Other pieces use naturally dyed and specially treated Camurupim fish scales. The organic material has an iridescent appearance and, according to the designer, combines visual delicacy with durability and resilience. A concealed silver structure supports each scale without distracting from its surface.
The single and double fish-scale rings explore different arrangements of the material. In the double version, two overlapping scales add depth and create a stronger contrast between the hidden metal structure and the organic exterior.
Through these material combinations, Shimmer proposes an alternative understanding of luxury based on craftsmanship, human time, collective knowledge and ethical collaboration. The project also links its approach to gender equality, decent work, responsible production and the protection of terrestrial ecosystems through UN Sustainable Development Goals 5, 8, 12 and 15.
Source & photos: Only Natural Design Competition / Ana Luisa Braun Rodrigues