Choker, brooches, ring and earring
By Helena Palmeira
Born in Goiania, state of Goiás
Based in London
The ‘Vegetable Ivory’ and the Louro Wood
These displays showcase how we can build bridges between people, places, and generations. Helena Palmeira (left) and Fernando Jorge (right) are both Brazilian designers with an MA in Jewellery from Central Saint Martins. While Jorge has built an acclaimed international career, Palmeira has just graduated.
Both incorporate Amazonian materials into their work. Jorge has been using louro wood and tagua seed (jarina or the ‘vegetable ivory’) since the early stages of his practice, while Palmeira only discovered jarina last year when visiting this very exhibition, Brazil Creating Fashion for Tomorrow. That was a shift in her MA final project.
Since launching his eponymous label in 2011, Jorge has developed a distinctive visual language that blends the spirit of his two homes: the sensuality and warmth of Brazil with the refinement and rebellious edge of Britain. This synthesis is expressed not only through materials but also through form, resulting in designs that are organic and sophisticated, elegant and contemporary.
Choker, brooches, ring and earring
By Helena Palmeira
2025
Reclaimed jacarandá (Brazilian rosewood), recycled gold and silver, jarina, clear quartz
This sculptural jewellery set centres around jarina and reclaimed jacarandá wood (Brazilian rosewood), salvaged from discarded furniture. Currently endangered, jacarandá holds deep cultural value and has long been associated with status and refinement in Brazil and beyond. The brooches, ring, and earring feature jarina – a seed from an Amazonian palm tree known as ‘vegetable ivory’ for its smooth, bone-like appearance. Here, it is hand-carved to retain its organic texture and subtle asymmetry.
Drawing on the rounded and sensual forms of Brazilian modernism, the pieces evoke the visual language of restraint and adornment, with their interplay between material richness and formal minimalism. For Palmeira, the body becomes the
wearer and the sculpture.
Courtesy of the brand
