Growing up, I had a jewellery stand that my father made for me. It was nothing fancy - it was a bamboo stick from our yard with small branches jutting out that he had cut up exactly to fit into my tiny cupboard. Decades later, I still think of that handcrafted wooden piece more than the fancy possessions I have had in the years since. That’s the beauty of nature - sometimes, the organically occurring beauty of it and how it was adapted to suit our needs can make machine-made pieces pale in comparison.

While I have a deep appreciation for art of all kinds, there is something truly mesmerising about found art that has long held a grip on me. The fact that something that was not meant to be a piece of art finding renewed purpose is downright poetic in my books.

When the brand Neti Neti was shared with me by our editor, I was blown away instantly by the use of driftwood and ebony wood. In the world of jewellery design, finding inspiration in the elements of nature is not unusual, but using these materials as the main medium certainly sets a designer apart. Sonika G Bansal, the inspired creative behind the label Neti Neti, has taken this unique approach, crafting pieces that go beyond traditional aesthetics. Through her designs, the raw beauty of these organic materials comes to life, creating a collection that is both environmentally conscious and profoundly personal.

For Sonika, this journey started with a sense of longing. “From a young age, I was captivated by collecting unique jewellery from around the world, yet often found myself longing for pieces that resonated with my own style but were either unavailable or unaffordable,” she shared with us at Homegrown. Her desire to do something more pushed her toward creating jewellery that tells a story - which got her started on a journey that evolved into working with natural elements, specifically wood.

Child Paintings By Hikari Shimoda