Born and raised in India and now living in San Diego, my friend Manju Raj combines a love of the ornate and colorful with an appreciation of the colors and symmetry of succulents. Recently Manju began making succulent-inspired jewelry. I knew GGW’s readers would enjoy seeing out-of-the-ordinary, garden-inspired earrings and pendants, so I posed a few with the succulents on my patio. (Of course Manju’s jewelry looks good on people, too!) To see more of her items, visit Manju’s website.
Above: Euphorbia polygona ‘Snowflake’ models an Echeveria imbricata pendant.
Above: Earrings depicting spiral aloes (Aloe polyphylla) dangle from Aeonium haworthii.
Agaves are edgy, keep-away plants. The above earrings and pendant, featuring Agave victoriae-reginae, add some yin to that yang. The model is a rather fierce little Agave xylonacantha.
Above: Manju’s spiral aloe pendant. Below: Sedum nussbaumerianum earrings.
Btw, Manju welcomes your comments and constructive criticism. For example, she wanted a red succulent for her line, so she chose a rosy-red Aeonium ‘Zwartkop’ hybrid. But does it “read” more like a rose or camellia? (Email her directly, if you like, at [email protected])
Are you an artist or designer who, like Manju, has found inspiration in the beauty of succulents? If you sell mail-order, I’d love to see what you’ve come up with. Email me at [email protected]. Thanks!
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