Continue the journey
Discover behind-the-scenes moments on YouTube, listen to the sounds of Brazil on Spotify, follow our travel anecdotes on Polarsteps, or explore visual inspirations on Pinterest. Each extension reveals another layer of the story behind this piece.
Lots of love!
Mei and Benjamin
Coffee & Cacao Bracelet
Brazil Collection
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Inspiration: Brazilian coffee & cacao
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Materials: Brushed gold, matte enamel, roasted-brown gemstones
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Craft Detail: Cocoa-textured panel with oval stone alignment
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Region: Minas Gerais & Bahia
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Dish Profile: Earthy, robust, aromatic
Inspiration
The bracelet is inspired by Brazilian coffee and cacao, two ingredients central to the country’s agricultural identity and known for their earthy depth. Roasted coffee beans provide dark, warm brown tones, while cacao introduces matte, slightly textured surfaces that vary depending on fermentation and roasting stages. These characteristics informed the design: the roasted-brown gemstones echo polished beans, and the matte cocoa-like panel references the natural surface of cacao husk. Brushed gold was chosen to mirror the muted tones often seen in traditional roasting equipment. In regions like Minas Gerais and Bahia, beans are sun-dried on wide patios — the color variations observed there directly influenced the bracelet’s palette.
Discovery
Mei and Benjamin experienced these ingredients firsthand during visits to a small roasting facility and a cacao farm. Mei took note of the subtle color differences between lightly roasted and fully roasted beans, while Benjamin focused on the fine textural contrasts between cacao shells and processed nibs. These observations led them to test different matte finishes for the bracelet’s central band and to select gemstones that matched the deeper tones of fully roasted beans. They refined the alignment of the oval stones after sketching the pattern seen in drying trays on the farm.
Travel Diary
While touring the cacao farm, a worker demonstrated how to crack open cacao pods using a wooden mallet — a technique that helped Mei study the interior texture used for the enamel reference. Later, during a coffee tasting, they were offered a rare local roast by mistake, which ultimately inspired the bracelet’s darkest gemstone tone.
Where we find our Jewellery inspiration
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