Everyone knows that fruit is good for you. Fruits of all kinds are packed full of nutrients and vitamins, and not to mention, some truly wonderful flavors.
But they're almost as lovely to look at as they are to eat. No wonder so many paintings are dedicated to baskets of colorful fruits! Of course, if you've ever kept a banana on the counter for a little too long, you know that fruit doesn't stay beautiful and appetizing for very long.
One artist, though, is changing that thanks to a line of handmade jewelry that celebrates the delicious, nutritious magic of fruits. The Pennsylvania-based artist Raw Design Co. is a bioengineer by day, but makes beautiful pendants, earrings, and keychains using real fruit.
By carefully drying the fruit slices and encasing them in resin, she captures their color and beauty forever, much like another artist who created tiny time capsules using leaves and flowers in her jewelry.
Read on to see how these striking and unusual pieces are created, and let us know if you would wear one, or if you'd keep the fruit on your plate.
[H/T: Instructables]
Raw Design Co. creates these bright and unusual statement necklaces using slices of real fruit that have been dehydrated and preserved in resin. They make a great addition to a summery outfit!
And they're entirely made by hand!
The process begins by slicing the fruit very thin, so that light can come through and illuminate the details.
Citrus and kiwi are not only bright, but they hold up well during the dehydration process, and they have a nice, smooth round shape that works well for jewelry.
The fruit is brushed with a mixture of cornstarch to help preserve the color even more.
The slices are then dried in a dehydrator for two days or so, depending on the size and thickness of the fruit.
When they're dried out and (carefully!) removed, any excess parts are trimmed away. The kiwis, for example, get their brown rinds removed.
The fruit is also spray-sealed to prevent whatever remaining moisture there is from interfering with the resin.
Next, the resin is mixed up and the molds are prepped.
The fruit is placed on top of a layer of resin in the mold, and then sealed in with another resin layer, so it's completely encapsulated.
The wires, hooks, and other findings are also placed into the resin to be sealed in. They can also be glued on later, depending on the piece.
After the resin is dried, the pieces are popped out and polished off.
Depending on the look desired, they can be very smooth, like this kiwi.
Or they can maintain some of the fruit's original texture, like this blood orange.
There are also plenty of shapes to choose from, and sometimes, the fruit is cut to just highlight one part of it.
And an exotic fruit is always fun to work with!
The organic shapes of the fruit look very striking in a square frame, and it lets us see the segments of this orange, for example, in a whole new way.
They really remind us that fruit is truly beautiful… And delicious!
Raw Design Co. also features jewelry using other plant life, like these ferns.
In addition to handmade jewelry, Raw Design Co. also stocks handmade clothing and vintage items. You can see everything on Etsy, and check out their other tutorials on Instructables. You can also keep up with the latest projects on Instagram.
And be sure to SHARE this clever jewelry with your fruit-snacking friends!
