We are super excited to share our latest creative piece – friendship bracelets!
These special pieces are a non-profit item. 100% of all profits will be donated to the Bali Children Foundation to sponsor the education of Balinese children from families in need.
Remember those days when it was just you and your best friend against the rest of the world? When you wanted to express and show off that friendship in some particular way, showing that you were made from the same piece of wood, and that you were inseparable at the same time? Yes, we would make friendship bracelets and wear them until they fell off (or they weren't cool anymore or quite gross to be honest). They are symbols to a long and lasting friendship.
OUR INTENTION
We created these beautiful bracelets with the help of our wonderful Bali moms – who usually also braid the bracelets of our Soul purpose collection. 100% of the sale of these bracelets will sponsor the tuition of a child here in Bali. What started with our Back to School sale a week ago, should not just fizzle out – hence we chose to create something sustainable and long-term to be able to continue the support for these kids in need.
The bracelets carry the powerful energy of the Herkimer diamond, which can be programmed and encoded with all the love and intentions you wish for your best friend and your friendship.
It is often said that friends are the family we choose. The wine to our life. The Yin to our Yang. True friendship is one of the greatest gifts we receive in life. And from time to time these friendships, whether they are near or far, often or rare, many or just one – they all equally need a reminder, a gesture, an expression of how much they matter.
There is something to be said about the power of nostalgia at this moment in time, especially during these pandemic times. “Nostalgia serves as a kind of emotional pacifier, helping us to become accustomed to a new reality that is jarring, stressful and traumatic.” writes Danielle Campoamor in an article in the New York Times.
Thinking of what made us feel comfortable in our teenage years... – there’s a comfort to it all, don't you think? So if you miss a dear friend, know you can express your love by sending bracelets that are woven and made with love, care and good intentions. So whether you make a friendship bracelet for yourself or for others (or both) or buy one, the present is like a sentimental nod to the past and does something good beyond that, too.
A LITTLE BIT ON THE HISTORY OF FRIENDSHIP BRACELETS
Did you know that the craft of friendship bracelets seemingly dates back to a period from 481 to 221 B.C when in China decorative knots appeared as 'fashion decoration' or with the intention to hold buttons? However, knot-tying arts have developed independently in different parts of the world. Hence, the exact origin of the friendship bracelet is difficult to pin down.
Macrame, a craft of tying knots to create intricate patterns, is said to have developed in 13th-century Arabia. Everybody knows about the knot-tying technique of sailors which in parts derived from the art of macrame (to this day, the basic knots used in macrame are the same knots that are an invaluable part of the sailors' knot-tying repertoire). It is also suggested that the friendship bracelet is a direct descendant of Central American Indian crafts.
Native American tradition is that the creator of the bracelet ties it with love for the other person in mind.
Other sources state that the exchanging of sentimental jewelry between friends likely stems from 17th-19th century, the Victorian era in which it was often made with strands of loved one’s hair as a way to keep a physical part of someone close to you while you were separated.
The friendship bracelet first appeared in the U.S. during the 1970s when it was popular to wear ethnic items.
We could all use a reminder every once in a while of how much we matter to our friends. May this be it. With that little hunch of nostalgia, too.
Sources:
https://www.braceletbook.com/history/
https://ericaweiner.com/history-lessons/hair%20jewelry
