IS LIVING JEWELRY REALLY ALIVE?
Yes! Living Jewelry is a line of accessories with living plants that you can wear! The one-of-a-kind capsules that I make house actual plants that require water and sun. I typically use air plants, succulents, and cacti for their heartiness and low maintenance. Air plants do not need soil to live! They get their nutrients from the air and can be glued right into the jewelry, even upside down. Air plants and succulents can live indefinitely for many years if they are properly cared for, and can be replaced/replanted as needed.
WHERE CAN I BUY REPLACEMENT PLANTS FOR MY JEWELRY?
Air Plants: click here to buy
Succulents and Cacti: please message me below for my current succulent selection.
Yes! Living Jewelry is a line of accessories with living plants that you can wear! The one-of-a-kind capsules that I make house actual plants that require water and sun. I typically use air plants, succulents, and cacti for their heartiness and low maintenance. Air plants do not need soil to live! They get their nutrients from the air and can be glued right into the jewelry, even upside down. Air plants and succulents can live indefinitely for many years if they are properly cared for, and can be replaced/replanted as needed.
WHERE CAN I BUY REPLACEMENT PLANTS FOR MY JEWELRY?
Air Plants: click here to buy
Succulents and Cacti: please message me below for my current succulent selection.
HOW LONG WILL THEY LIVE?
These plants will live for years and years if properly maintained. I've have one that's seven years old and counting!
He's got a permanent home in my kitchen window. Here he is:
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THEY GROW TOO BIG?
Plants are much like goldfish in that they typically don't outgrow the parameters in which they live. If you don't give them much room to expand, they stay fairly petite.
Succulents: After several months, you will see your succulent slowly evolve and maybe even see little roots growing outward. On rare occasions, you will have a plant that is just VERY happy and growing a lot! If this occurs (congratulations, you are a very good plant parent!) you can carefully pull your plant out of its capsule, cut the bottom half stem down to size, and then replant it back into your jewelry.
Air Plants: I glue my air plants into the jewelry. It's very rare that an air plant will outgrow its glue base but if that does occur, you can simply re-glue your plant again with a small dab of E6000 glue:
HOW DO YOU GET YOUR PLANTS SO SMALL?
Succulents and Cacti come from plant nurseries and even home repair stores that have a garden center. I propagate them, which means that when they get proper sun and water, they begin to grow little "pups". These offshoots are the perfect, tiny size for jewelry.
Air Plants also can be propagated (they grow little babies at their base) but because they grow much slower than succulents, I buy the majority of my baby air plants from shops on Etsy.com. You can find just about any type of air plant or succulent online, and have it shipped to your home.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THEY DIE?
It can happen to the best of us. Maybe you left the country for two months and your jewelry didn't get watered. Perhaps you spent 10 hours with your air plant jewelry in the scorching sun and they fried. Or maybe you over-loved your plants and watered them so frequently that they rotted. Not to worry!
The end of the plant does NOT mean the end of the jewelry!
You can order a replacement plant and watch my tutorial videos below on how to replace your new plant. It's very simple!
HOW OFTEN DO I NEED TO WATER MY JEWELRY?
Air Plants need their entire surface to be misted with a spray bottle about twice a week. In the winter months, you can get away with watering just once per week. (Make sure to thoroughly shake your air plant jewelry after watering! This helps extract any water that has collected at the base which, if left soaked, can cause it to rot and die.)
Succulents can be watered about every 10-12 days. They need their roots to get wet so make sure you water the soil well.
Cacti require the least maintenance and can go for three weeks without water. Like succulents, they need their roots to get wet so make sure you saturate the soil.
HOW MUCH SUN DO THEY NEED?
Succulents and Cacti like sun. I keep my succulent jewelry right in my kitchen window sill. They'll survive the winter months, but they will be slower-growing or even dormant.
Air Plants also need light but they prefer indirect light. This means that you don't want the bright sun beating down on them. I keep my air plant jewelry a few inches away from a window but not actually in the window sill, so the sunlight filters in but it is never directly under the intense sunlight. You can certainly wear your air plant jewelry outside but I'd advise against wearing it at an outdoor event for an extended amount of time if it's very sunny out.
CAN YOU SHIP LIVING JEWELRY?
Absolutely! Because air plants are glued down, they ship very well. Succulents are a bit more tricky since they're potted in soil and risk toppling out of the jewelry in transit. Rest assured, I make sure your plants are packed very well and can withstand a bumpy ride to your doorstep! I always provide a small packet of soil for succulent jewelry just in case it needs a touch-up.
In winter months when temperatures dip below freezing, I will ship your living jewelry with a heat pack.
All shipments are made through the USPS with Priority Mail shipping.