Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

Orange Peel, Seeds, Beads, Pits and Beans…. Necklaces from Mexico

Rosarys-made-out-of-red-beans-and-pods

 

Orange Peel, Seeds, Beads, Pits and Beans…. Necklaces from Mexico.

The orange peel threw me a wow isn't this cool. Artistic, clever, and who would have thought it.

I bought a rosary necklace in red beans.

It was my first purchase of the trip.

 

Necklace-made-out-of-apricot-seeds-and-grains

 

Dyed apricot pits and seeds of something…Apple? I can't imagine how one drills a hole in an apple seed.

 

Colorful-mexican-tops

The owner of the interesting shop, full of old gems, silver and precious stone jewelry and other curious artifacts in located in Tulum's center. Had on two colorful apricot pit necklaces with a brightly colored top. She wore a scarf wrapped around her dark black hair and had a floor length skirt in purple. I teasingly asked her, "Can you dress me up in color?"

She laughed, "Sure, but are you going to like it?"

"Like it yes, wear it that is another thing." I said.

That is when I decided to buy a red bean necklace… a little color to remind me of Mexico.

 

Orange-Peel-necklace

 

Dried orange peel, cut into tiny circles worn on a necklace with black seed beads and white beans.

The orange peel is more rose color than orange.

I loved it.

 

Angel-mask

A pair of hand made paper mache angel mask.

 

Acorn-necklace

An acorn necklace.

Creative style n'est pas?

As I type this blog post today, sitting outside by the sea, I realized that the business card of the shop that I am writing about is back a few steps were we are staying… the sun, the waves, the blue, the time that floats gently by is not helping me to get up and go get it.

As they say in Mexico, "Tomorrow." I will add it.

 

 

White-bean-necklace

 

White bean necklace.

Would you like one? If so tell me if you are a jewelry person or not. Do you prefer gold to silver, diamonds to apricot and bean necklaces? Do you make you own? Wear only heirloom pieces? Or are you like my mother and never wear jewelry, other than rings?

 

Tulum-Mexico-shop

 

Leave your comment in the comment section today and tomorrow, and I will randomly pick three of you, and send a necklace to you.

If you want one, let me know, they cost about $10 a piece (includes postage) and I'll send you one too.

 

 

Comments

56 responses to “Orange Peel, Seeds, Beads, Pits and Beans…. Necklaces from Mexico”

  1. Sharon Penney-Morrison

    I would prefer one of the rocks from the beach. Or A small cross to wear around my neck.
    So much of the items you have shown, can be bought in Hispanic shops here, or in New Mexico.

    Reply
  2. The Pliers

    My favorite jewels are the beaded earrings for my pierced ears that I have bought in places as diverse and distant from one another as:
    ˜The zocalo in Mexico City in front of the Palacio Nacional whose walls are graced with the murals of Diego Rivera
    ˜The market in Xochimilco
    -Calle 60 & the zocalo in Mérida
    ˜the annual Pow Wow at the Mission San Luis Rey
    ˜the get ‘n’ go off the 15 in Nevada at the turn-off to Red Rock Canyon
    ˜the gift shop in Monument Valley
    So many beads to wear, no little time…

    Reply
  3. Tammy Hensley

    I love necklaces of all types! I love the vintage ones like the one I wore on my wedding day that my grandmother wore on her wedding day or the ones I have created out of unexpected materials much like the ones you speak of in Mexico!

    Reply
  4. Lilly

    I am loving your posts from the Yucatan. Someone hear in my California neighborhood has painted their fence a bright red, causing a neighborhood buzz. In the Yucatan it would just blend in. Here it shouts out and I’d love to know those neighbors now.

    Reply
  5. michelle in Htown

    Oh, my goodness. I’ve been to Mexico, but never Tulum. I have been so lucky to live in Texas where we’ve such wonderful access to Mexican and Central American goods. The colors … the colors. They make my eyes dance. I tend to dress in black and gray (khaki when I’m feeling brave), but I’ve added Mexican pottery and textiles to my home in bits and pieces. Now, off to plan a Tulum vacation. Thanks for the tour.+

    Reply
  6. Stephanie

    I love the unique necklaces and prayer beads. Pick me!!

    Reply
  7. Cheryl ~ Casual Cottage Chic

    I wear repurposed vintage jewelry my friend creates and also I make necklaces from vintage buttons (not beans and dried fruit peel…lol.) They are lovely, but just not my style. Now the fan coral, that I do love! So delicate.

    Reply
  8. Diane

    Gorgeous! I wear jewelry — funky earrings, little bits of color to dress up a blackonblack outfit. I love unusual things. Beads are great, diamonds are great, creative is the best.
    Diane

    Reply
  9. Betsy

    I wear all sorts of jewelry, some from my family, gifts, or rolled paper beads that my daughter’s Girl Scout troop made twenty years ago. Each piece has memories attached…

    Reply
  10. Marie-Noëlle

    Corey, that first picture could illustrate or promote Halloween in the USA by its colours!!!
    And so could the masks, I think … I find those angels rather scary …
    I suppose you’ve been able to feel and touch those colourful garments hanging in the shop. The fabrics looks rather thick – as tightly woven.
    I wonder how women there can wear those in the heat …
    (Can you tell whether they dress like this daily or occasionally, please?)

    Reply
  11. Zosia

    I have a necklace made of watermelon seeds.
    Enjoy your blogging sessions by the sea :-).

    Reply
  12. Barb

    How creative! I love those colorful necklaces.

    Reply
  13. judy

    Oh Corey – beware the bean seed necklace. I brought one home a few years ago only to find when I unpacked it that it was infested with maggots. It obviously had not been dried properly before stringing. Rather nasty and I won’t be doing that again.

    Reply
  14. Lana Kloch

    thanks you for sharing your “spirit”. i read your blog daily…dare i say religiously…
    you have opened my eyes to new wonders. merci

    Reply
  15. beatnheart

    As a jewelry maker and designer you would think I was totally festooned with necklaces and such…but I’m not..earrings yes, but anything around my neck kinda makes me a wee bit crazee…like wearing a bra.
    but beads …another story entirely…love my bead porn…I would love those acorn bead caps in a big giant way

    Reply
  16. Kathie B

    Wow, talk about a “blast from the past”!!!
    Seed necklaces much like the orange-colored one in the first photo were très populaire when I was in high school, and a longish strand only cost $1 — of course that was about hourly the minimum wage back then! — and were sold at shops along Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, as well as in Tiburon (I still have the powder-blue strand I bought on a sail that the father of a girlfriend took some of us on across San Francisco Bay from the Richmond Yacht Club, as well as memories of docking for lunch at a restaurant on the pier — the name of the place eludes me after, OMG, a half-century!).
    I still have a few such necklaces (my mother’s and my own) packed away somewhere among the hundreds of boxes of stuff hauled here all the way from my parents’ house.

    Reply
  17. Kathie B

    Ditto for drying beans from the garden (a lesson learned the hard way). Now, after we finish drying the beans, we pour them into freezer bags and store in our chest freezer until we’re ready to cook them. Our favorites for soup are the tan seeds of Romano flat Italian beans, and Lima beans (Farmboy Husband uses both kinds for homemade vegetarian chili, as well).

    Reply
  18. martina

    Every day I wear the gold cross Dad gave Mom before I was born, a silver bracelet that was my Grandmothers and a gold ring from a dear friend. I love making little pins or bracelets from beads and found objects. Always a good conversation starter and friends have appreciated the items made just for them.
    Does the dried orange peel necklace smell of oranges?

    Reply
  19. Bev

    I often wear a necklace with a cross that I bought in Jordan. I am actually more of an earring person. My favorite pair are of the two hemispheres and I will often sing “I’ve got the whole world in my ears….”

    Reply
  20. Marie Amaro

    Sorta like Vavie’s rosary made out of olive pits! 🙂
    I like the ones with pink!

    Reply
  21. Sheala

    Love all sorts of jewelry! Gold and/or silver. The beads from Uganda (made from magazines) are amongst my favorite!!!!
    Have fun shopping.

    Reply
  22. JudyO

    If I don’t win I will buy one. I have always liked simple classic jewelry. I have several pieces my husband has given me over the years and some of my mother’s that she gave me. I wear the same ring, earrings and gold bangle bracelet almost all the time now. But I would love to give one of yours from Mexico to my daughter who would love it!

    Reply
  23. Jenna

    I love all the color in the jewelry and textiles. I hope you two continue to enjoy your trip.

    Reply
  24. Amylia Grace

    I would LOVE one! I wear almost no jewelry, but the necklaces you showed here are just the kind of thing I love. I wear mostly black, simple, and do a “pop” of color with a scarf usually, sometimes something else like a necklace. Anyone who knows me knows I am not a jewelery person usually, but there are exceptions; if I wear it, it has to have a good story or wonderful memory. Knowing you were in Mexico and wearing it would infuse my being with good mojo and positive energy, something I need right now. Thanks for your posts. They have been so grand, living vicariously through you here in chilly Iowa City! I love the creativity of these and the organic materials! If I’m not a random winner, I’d gladly pay for one.

    Reply
  25. Laurie

    Hi Corey,
    It looks like you are having a fabulous trip. If I don’t win a necklace I would also like to purchase one. When I was in high school during the late 60’s early 70’s I made my own earrings and still have all the supplies. I have always loved beads and unique jewelry goodies. As a preschool teacher we made the noodle necklaces and strung corn and natural things for all kinds of fun jewelry to wear. The natural pieces are my favorite and these necklaces are just so cool. I think the apricot pits are very nice as well as the dried orange peel. Thanks for always including us in your adventures.

    Reply
  26. Mahala

    What a fun trip! I love jewelry and I make it myself. I have a friend who loves oranges and I actually made her an orange peel necklace two years ago. She laughed hard when I gave it to her and she still wears it.

    Reply
  27. Corinne

    Oh! super ces masques!

    Reply
  28. Dianne D

    Ever since I saw Merida on HGTV house hunters, I have wanted to go there.
    Since I collect acorns, I would love to buy an acorn necklace, the more colorful, the better.

    Reply
  29. Claudia

    Those necklaces are cute… remind me of the childhood days when I tried to pierce apple seeds with a needle… like you said: how could they get holes in those? My apple seeds always split, to my great disappointment.
    I always wear earrings, and sometimes necklaces. The only ring I wear constantly is my wedding ring; with other rings I tend to get annoyed to have to put them off for housework and then on again… so I usually keep them off…

    Reply
  30. Stubblejumpin Gal (Kate)

    I like jewellery, but tend to forget about taking it off and putting it on, so end up either not wearing any besides earrings (pierced, that are always there), or when I do remember to put it on, it is worn for a long, long time.
    I love looking at it on other people, but for me to wear it, it has to be tough otherwise I lose or ruin it when I put my hands in water, get into the tub, etc. I don’t like jewellery that gets in my way. Earrings get worn to bed and lost when I pull a sweater over my head; necklaces get broken; bracelets clank against my keyboard; toe rings never come off cuz I’d never remember to put them on again; anklets get snapped. I do like jewellery, but it kinda has to be built in! So what I have tends to be kept where I can see and admire it, like hanging on a wall or rack, rather than worn.

    Reply
  31. carol

    These are so creative! I love jewelry, but do not own much. I used to wear bracelets but now I have two necklaces that I swap out and of course earrings. I love the creativity of your blog Corey. I feel as though I am visiting Mexico! Thank you for my vicarious journeys!

    Reply
  32. Kristin McNamara Freeman

    The jewelry made by indigenous people always provide a picture of great imagination, creativity, sensitivity to methods that will endure the stress of being worn; the current upcycle/repurpose trend in crafting in America is beginning to push crafts people to trying some of those things that are done historically and instinctively by indigenous communities. The acorn caps seem to have a universal attraction to people around the globe. I have a large collection of necklaces and earrings made by folks from the native communities in the Americas, Africa, Australia and New Zealand and would love to add more pieces to my collection.
    Kristin ..

    Reply
  33. parisbreakfast

    Everything here is a sustainable/vegetarian’s dream..i.d.Edible if one should get caught out in the desert with no supplies.
    Love the last little peek into a shop
    So many trasures lurking..
    Dreamy

    Reply
  34. Mélanie Aussandon

    I love jewellry , I love diamonds and pearls , I love onyx and I think everykind of jewellry . I have boxes full of rings , necklaces , earrings but I don’t wear them often . I like to have them and to know they are here close to me .When I am in Mexico I love to wear bright colors but when I’m back in France , it is hard to wear my mexican outfit.
    I definitely can’t wait to see you

    Reply
  35. jen

    I have a seed necklace from Guatemala that I love (that I paid $6 for!) but I’ve never seen one made from beans–love the read ones!
    Normally I love to wear silver but a little color is always a good thing!

    Reply
  36. mo

    WAOUUHH Corey, toutes ces merveilles rien que pour toi !!
    Magnifique !! tu ne nous as pas montré les bijoux en argent :!
    biz à vous tous
    mo

    Reply
  37. Karen C

    I love jewellery. Especially sweet little treasures sent to me from France that were hand picked at the Brocante.

    Reply
  38. Massilianana

    Lovely neclaces so creative and…I had the same misadventure than Judy with necklaces I bought in Brazil only mine were not infested by maggots (agh !) but by numerous tiny ants . Oh well …
    Anyway yes I am a jewelry person, I enjoy making it myself from scratch or with interesting little pieces found in the brocante ( for instance I once bought a vintage keyholder from the 60s with a tiny earth globe hanging from it and I turned the globe into a pendant on chain , added tiny antiqued gold stars and there I had the universe hanging from my neck !)and also I wear what my kids sometimes make for me ( without pasta hee hee) or thin gold chains with a little gold heart or clove ,or big colorful necklaces for the summer, it can be anything. And don’t get me started on earrings, rings etc…!!! 🙂
    Enjoy your shopping and…good thing you tried colorful clothes . How did it feel ??

    Reply
  39. Caty

    love everything there!
    i’m not a jewelry person unless is something like this or silver very very very simple. just special occasions depending on what I’m wearing. If not, I’m like your mother; just a small wedding ring.
    I made one necklace (paper one) once
    always a pleasure to read you Corey! enjoy there!

    Reply
  40. Jeni

    I love all the color, but usually wear something really simple. I bought a tiny little seed pearl necklace with a tiny little piece of amber from an artist selling outside of Zama’s in Boca Paila. I never took it off for a year then it slipped of my neck and was lost. I was sad, but I have the memories of the kids and I running on the white sand beaches.
    I also bought some really unusual amber earrings that are wire and dangle, I wear then when in a bohemian mood in the summer to remind me of our beautiful times at Tulum and Solomon Bay. You Lucky duck, I remember the soft air and beautiful sunsets!

    Reply
  41. Sarah

    I love love love pearls. I have a old antique 1900’s bracelet made with tiny diamonds & rubies that never comes off. I change earrings and rings and love anything handmade. I buy jewelry all over the world since I work for the airlines so it’s hard to pick favorites!!!! I would welcome any of them :0)

    Reply
  42. Alan

    “I can’t imagine how one drills a hole in an apple seed.”
    With an iDrill of course.

    Reply
  43. lorelei

    Glass bead or seed necklaces are my favourite.I’m not so much into gold jewellery and prefer silver.
    Such beautiful photos from your vacation!

    Reply
  44. Alexis

    That is such a fun and creatie idea!

    Reply
  45. Tongue in Cheek

    Thanks Alan.
    But even with an idrill I wouldn’t be able to get it right, instead I would drill a hole in my finger.
    C

    Reply
  46. Tongue in Cheek

    Hi Karen C.
    You are welcomed!
    C

    Reply
  47. Tongue in Cheek

    Bonjour Mo
    Have you made the foot?
    Miss you!
    C

    Reply
  48. A Facebook User

    I love all the colors and organic materials. I’ve made coffee bean necklaces before and it’s not as easy as it seems.

    Reply
  49. chardonnaylynn

    Love it all….the more eclectic the better! Favorite pieces include a silver bracelet and necklace from Taxco that belonged to my grandmother and a gold bracelet engraved with my great-grandmother’s initials. Gold, silver, mother-of-pearl, natural fibers, precious gems….they’re all fabulous!

    Reply
  50. mo

    Yes I’ve made the foot !!
    but not the “corbeille de fleurs” it is no possible !!
    you would see when you will back
    (scuse my english without translation)
    kiss you two
    mo

    Reply
  51. Nancy

    Oh my Corey..These have such a natural beauty to them..everything you have shown us of your trip to Mexico is just breathtaking..What a beautiful place..I used to make jewelry..I should do it again..

    Reply
  52. Marilyn from Chico, Ca

    yes, yes, yes…I would love to win ! I have loved your pictures of Mexico….We used to camp down there (many moons ago), but it was in San Felipe in Baja.

    Reply
  53. Ellen

    I love the alchemy of jewelry. I like to wear charms that inspire me. Now I am thinking of Lucky Charms cereal, lol I prefer silver and nature over diamonds!~ These are lovely and add the magic n’ charm to the muse’s insight~ It is amazing how we can create out of what is available and make such lovely treasures~
    Thanks for sharing 😀

    Reply
  54. Karen C

    I remember making appleseed necklaces in the 70’s when they became a fashion craze and I must have eaten kilos of apples in my pursuit of having one of the first ones to wear.
    I also seem to remember they had to be made the height of your current ‘crush’.
    I would thread the fresh seeds directly onto a waxed cotton thread and needle as I finished each apple.
    Thankfully I was always attracted to boys under 6 foot.

    Reply
  55. Jackie

    Win or not, I’ll take one. Do I paypal the $$ to you? I love the idea of orange peel in a necklace. Does it smell of oranges still?

    Reply
  56. Laura

    Corey, you did it this time. You’ve choked me up!!!!
    I grew up with those necklaces (funny how they haven’t changed in 40 years). My Mom would buy them and my sister and I would end up with them. I loved playing with the seeds and bean. That jewelry is ingrained in my memory!! Thanks 🙂

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Privacy Policy - Terms and Conditions