I hate it when I vacillate on buying something really cool, choose to save my money, then regret it.

It was gorgeous, it was on sale, and I didn’t buy it…and now, it’s not on their website.

However!  The company that made this exotic-looking necklace, Rainforest Native, makes a ton of other beautiful jewelry, so I’m not complaining…well, at least not much.  (I’m mostly just kicking myself.)

They have seven different lines of jewelry, all of which are available on their website.  A couple of my favorites are the:

• Essential Line (that’s the line my necklace the above necklace comes from) which has lots of pieces in natural forms, with bright colors, that run from just 8$ to 37$;
• Fresh Water Line, including glossy mother of pearl and coconut jewelry, from 16$ to 55$;
• Icara Line, made with silky-smooth palm wood, from 20$ to 58$; and
• Rustic Line, which has really simple, classically exotic pieces made from seeds, at 10$ and up to 50$.

And it wouldn’t be an Awakened Aesthetic post if there wasn’t a story behind this company: Rainforest Native was co-founded by a cultural anthropology student, Christian, who set out  into the Amazon Rainforest to study indigenous cultures.  He was amazed at how the indigenous people used seeds, bones, and other natural fibers to adorn their bodies, and that he was able to cure a life-threatening case of Malaria using the natural remedies the medicine men and Shamans gave to him.  These experiences in the Amazon were so profound that Christian vowed to dedicate his life to saving the Amazon rain forests.  To this day, he and his wife Erika do just that.  When they trekked back to the State they did so with a big dream and a couple of duffle bags full of fair trade ecological jewelry…and they’re now partnered with the WWF, Conservation International, Rainforest Foundation, Amazon Conservation Team, and Rainforest Alliance.  Even as they grow, Christian and Erika continue to focus on philanthropy and raising money from the sale of their jewelry to give back to rainforest conservation.

It almost sounds like a movie, doesn’t it?  No wonder Rainforest Native’s jewelry seems so inspired – it truly is.  Even if you aren’t into their native, exotic-looking pieces, you have to admit that they’re story is almost worth a donation to one of these great organizations.

[[All photos by Sarah Schlossman.  Click here to see more of her work!]]

Tags: all natural, charities, conscious shopping, eco-conscious, handmade, inspiration, Jewelry