Before it becomes jewellery, jarina begins deep in the Amazon rainforest: a seed with a soft, milky centre that slowly hardens into something dense, smooth and ivory-like. Known as “vegetable ivory”, it has long been carved into buttons and decorative objects, but unlike animal ivory, it can be harvested without harming the palm that produces it.
In the hands of Brazilian jeweller Helena Palmeira, it becomes something more personal. Chosen for Shine 2026, the Goldsmiths’ Centre’s new talent showcase, Helena hand-carves jarina seed and reclaimed woods into rounded, sculptural forms, then wraps them in gold, using laser soldering to secure precious metal directly around the carved material. The eff ect is tactile and almost talismanic: pieces that appear bound, held and protected.
That language of wrapping runs through her Jarina collection, shaped by Helena’s own experience of leaving Brazil, living in Berlin and eventually moving to London. Packing, migration and the small objects we carry because they remind us of home became a starting point for jewellery about memory, attachment and what makes something precious.
By placing materials from Brazil alongside gold and gemstones, Helena also quietly unsettles conventional ideas of luxury. For her, value can reside not only in rarity or price, but in the community, history and memory held within a material – transforming jewellery into a way of carrying a little of where we come from with us.
‘I’m a jeweller from Brazil making sculptural jewellery, using materials from Brazil and Latin America. I’m now based in London, where I’m a resident at the Sarabande Foundation.
My BA was in product design but before I went into jewellery, I worked as an art director and graphic designer. I loved the creative side of the job, but I also loved making things with my hands - it always felt like a form of meditation to me. So one day, I took a silversmithing course and I completely fell in love with it. I later applied to do an MA at Central Saint Martins, which had always been my dream school, and
decided to fully commit to building a career in jewellery.
My residency at Sarabande gives me studio space, mentorship and, just as importantly, a creative community. Building a practice in a different country can feel quite uncertain at times, so having the support and encouragement of people I admire so much, and who believe in my work, gives me the confidence to keep developing it. Being selected for Shine gave me a similar sense of validation and community.’
The Jarina Collection
‘My collection is called Jarina, after the Brazilian seed that fi rst sparked my interest in researching materials and the narratives they carry.
The collection grew from my experience of moving between countries: packing your belongings, leaving home and carrying small objects because of the memories attached to them, regardless of their physical value. I wanted to explore materials that carry those kinds of stories and fi nd a way to keep them close to the body. That led to the binding and tying aesthetic that runs throughout the collection – a visual language of wrapping, securing and holding something precious close.
My favourite piece is probably the Jarina Ring. The seed is very small, so carving it requires a delicate balance: it is easy to remove too much material or break it. Seeing it fi nally come together with the gold felt like a real achievement.’
A Material with a Story
‘Jarina grows on a palm found across the Latin American Amazon. It was once one of Brazil’s major exports, widely used for buttons before synthetic resin became common.
Harvesting the seed does not require damaging the plant, and gathering and selling it can also provide an income for local communities. Most people don’t immediately recognise it, which I enjoy – there is often real surprise when I explain that the carved form they are looking at is actually a seed.’
Carving by Hand
‘I begin with a single piece of material, whether that is an entire seed or a piece of reclaimed wood. Everything is hand-carved, so every object is unique. I work intuitively with the grain and limitations of each piece. Once the carving is fi nished, I wrap it in gold, usually using wire and, for rings, sheet, then use laser soldering to secure the metal directly around the material.
Learning to carve jarina and wood was very diff erent from carving wax. It became a process of understanding how each material behaves and working with rather than against it. I’ve also recently begun carving stone, which I’d like to explore further alongside the materials I already use.’
Researching Shape Through Binding
'My process always starts with research. I’m interested in the stories behind the materials I use, so I spend a lot of time exploring their cultural signifi cance, history, and the themes I want the work to communicate.
From there, I experiment with form. I make lots of physical models using things like fabric filled with sand or infl ated plastic bags to understand the softness and tension of bound objects. Those experiments become drawings, and eventually they’re translated into the final material.
The carving itself is a very intuitive process. Every piece is hand-carved, and each material has its own grain, limitations, and personality. Once the form is finished, I bind the pieces with gold.'
Migration, Memory and Home
‘Before moving to London for my master’s, I lived in Berlin for a couple of years. That experience of migration, and the longing for home that can come with it, became an important part of the collection. There is a desire to carry small keepsakes that make you feel connected to where you come from. At the same time, I wanted to showcase materials from Brazil and place them within the context of jewellery.
Jewellery is such a powerful symbol of preciousness and luxury, and I’m interested in questioning who gets to decide what counts as luxurious. A material can carry community, memory, history and narrative, and that can make it incredibly precious. Some of the rare woods I work with cannot simply be recreated. I’m interested in using jewellery to reframe those ideas of value.’
Sculptural, Tactile and Bound
‘I would describe my work as sculptural – almost like miniature sculptures – and very tactile. The pieces have rounded forms that make you want to touch them. The binding aesthetic is central to the work, but it isn’t only decorative. Wrapping and tying can also become the practical solution that holds gemstones within the wood or other materials.
That is where everything comes together: the narrative, the stone-setting, the wrapping and the limitations of the material all becoming part of the same visual language.’
Creating an Emotional Connection
‘I think the collection can speak to anyone who has ever felt emotionally attached to an object – something that belonged to a grandmother, perhaps, or something that reminds them of home.
I love telling people where the materials come from and sharing the stories behind them. Some people who have bought my work have told me it was the fi rst piece of jewellery they had ever purchased because they felt such a strong connection to it. I feel very honoured when that happens.’
Shine and Beyond
'Being chosen for Shine 2026 is a huge honour. I’ve admired the programme and so many of the makers who’ve taken part in previous years, so to now be part of that community feels really special. The group this year is also incredibly talented, and it’s been so inspiring to get to know everyone’s work.
Everyone at the Goldsmiths’ Centre has been welcoming and supportive, and that sense of belonging means a lot to me. I wasn’t so aware of how to approach my practice as a business, so learning about areas such as pricing and marketing through the programme has been incredibly helpful.'
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