Brazilian Jewellery Design Ecojoias da Amazonia - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Brazilian Jewellery Design Ecojoias da Amazonia
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To wear it, is to display the beauty of the natural resources that the forest so ... Scientific names of the plants used in the manufacture of our Eco-jewels ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation
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Title: Brazilian Jewellery Design Ecojoias da Amazonia
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Brazilian Jewellery DesignEcojoias da Amazonia
- Unique and intricate jewellery that has the soul
of Brazil
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- To own an Ecojoia is to own a little piece of
the Amazon rainforest. - To wear it, is to display the beauty of the
natural resources that the forest so kindly
provide us with a beauty that is in our interest
to protect and it is our duty to honour and
praise. - To purchase an Ecojoia is to support the work
and the effort of traditional communities to
protect and maintain the Amazon rainforest for
the generations to come.
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Scientific names of the plants used in the
manufacture of our Eco-jewels
- Pupunheira (Bactris gasipaes)
- Pupunheira is a palm tree found everywhere
in the Amazon region. It can reach up to 20 m of
height. The leaves and the stems are used to make
hatches, to build houses, as well as in the
manufacture of some gardening tools. The flowers
of these palm trees are appreciated as a spice,
and the fruits, cooked in water and salt, have a
very delicate taste and are rich in vitamin A and
unsaturated fats. Pupunheira has been cultivated
for the extraction of the heart of palm. The
advantage of this palm tree is that the heart of
palm can be extracted without killing the plant
when the mother plant is cut, it triggers a
physiological response that results in the
stimulation of growth of new clones around the
severed off stem.
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- Babaçu (Attalea especiosa)
- This palm tree has a peculiar beauty. The
fronds of the Babaçu palm tree grow in an upward
position as if trying to reach the sky. The main
products that are extracted from the babaçu palm
are the nuts contained within the fruits. The
nuts are manually extracted by the villagers
through a traditional system called quebradeira
where they separate the nut from the hard seed
shell by beating the nuts with rocks. Babaçu is
one of the most important resources for the
traditional river-basin communities of the
southern Amazon region.
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- Açaí (Euterpe oleracea)
- The açaizeiro is considered to be one of the
most important palm trees for the populations of
the north region of Brazil. The river-basin
communities of the lower Amazon region have in
this palm tree the main source of their
subsistence. They use its fruits, fronds, roots,
heart of palms and the stem in various ways. The
fruit of açaí comes in two different colors
white and purple. Both are extensively used in
the making of juices which are rich in vitamins
A, B, and E. Among the minerals, açaí is rich in
potassium and calcium and it also presents a high
content of lipids and fibers, as well as various
proteins rich in iron. Nutritionists have stated
that this fruit has a high energetic power and a
high content of unsaturated fats. Açaí is a
medicinal plant and a good and alternative source
of energy.
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- Coco-da- Bahia (Cocos nucifera)
- In Brazil we find two varieties of coconut
trees the midget, and the giant coconut tree.
Besides their size, these two varieties differ in
their longevity. The giant coconut tree can reach
a height of 35 meters and it can live more than
150 years, while the midget one can be
approximately 20 m high and lives for about 75
years. The coconut plantations in the north of
Brazil are increasing in number since the fibre
started to be used in the manufacture of
mattresses, car sits, and other cushion types,
while the coconut shells are being extensively
used in the manufacture of jewellery and rustic
kitchen pots and cups.
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- Jarina (Palandra aequatoriallis)
- Jarina is a kind of palm tree nut also known as
the vegetable-ivory. The ivory-palm-tree is a
relatively short (approximately 5m high) palm
tree which bears a very large and fibrous
agglomerate fruit that can weight up to 12
kilograms. Each fruit has about nine cavities
containing a refreshing liquid, similar to
coconut milk. During the maturation of the fruit,
the liquid hardens to a sweet gelatinous form
that is considered a delicacy among the
communities of the Amazon basin. Through time,
the gelatine hardens even more till it becomes a
very hard stone with a light coloration. When
polished, the seeds of the Jarina palm tree have
almost the same properties as the animal-ivory.
Due to its ivory characteristics, jarina has
been a good substitute for the animal-ivory and
it has been used in the manufacture of piano
keys, jewellery, and art crafts in general.
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- Tucumã (Astrocarium vulgare)
- The long spines that grow along the upper part
of this palm tree stem is a striking
characteristic of Tucumã. The fruit of this palm
tree has a high nutritious value and it is much
appreciated among the inhabitants of the Amazon
basin. It is used in the making of ice cream,
jams, and a sweet liqueur known as the Tucumã
wine. The maceration of its leaves yields a very
resistant fiber used in the manufacture of art
crafts. The Tucumã is native to the Amazon and it
is most commonly found in regions of very poor
soils.
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- Castanha-do-Para (Berthollitia excelsa)
- The majestic chestnut trees are secular. They
spontaneously grow together with various native
trees in groupings traditionally called the
castanhais. Also know as the chestnut-of-Brazil,
this is one of the most important trees in the
Amazon. The resources it provides have a
significant role in the socioeconomic
organization of Amazonian communities, as well as
in the restoration of environmentally degraded
areas of the rainforest. The fruits of
castanha-do-Para have a rigid and fibrous shell
and it can weight up to 2 kilograms. The chestnut
is rich in proteins, unsaturated fats, vitamins
A, B, C, D, E, F, PP, and in minerals such as
Calcium, Phosphorous, Potassium and Iron proteins
(proteins with high content of Iron in their
composition). The chestnut is considered to be
the meat of the Amazon communities (only
six chestnuts are enough to provide the body with
almost all the substances necessary for a whole
day of high energy work!)
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- Saboneteira (Sapindus saponaria)
- Saboneteira, the soap tree, is a peculiar tree
that grows from north to south Brazil. The
saboneteira is traditionally used for medicinal
purposes and is an important tree in urban
arbour. The fruits have various globules that
become yellowish when mature and its seeds have
a dark, almost black coloration and are very
hard. When rubbed between ones hands, the fruit
produces a soapy foam due to the presence of a
secondary compound called saponin, that has
similar properties to the common soap.
Medicinally, it is used as an antiseptic in the
Amazonian region, but not as commonly used for
this purpose in the south regions of Brazil.
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- Lágrimas-de-Nossa Senhora
- The tears of the Virgin Mary. The name of these
seeds reflect the strong Catholic background of
Northeast Brazil. The seeds of this very tall
tree have the shape of a drop and the colour of
pearls. Mother Nature has kindly given us a seed
that comes already polished and perfumed, ready
to be used in the making of jewelleries and other
crafts.
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EcoLogicaThe logic of being environmentally
concerned
- We work in partnership with traditional
communities of Brazil to ensure the maintenance
and protection of our natural resources. This is
our goal!
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The talent and the patience of weaving blades of
grass into gold
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Capim Dourado
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