There is a story to be told behind each piece of jewellery by the Brazilian designer, who pays homage to a tradition as old as her homeland with the hand-embroidered gold-plated silver earrings.
At first glance, the spheres that make up the Cipó collection may look like simple skeins of tangled threads. However, behind the unique design of these jewellery, made of 925 gold-plated silver, hides the inspiration for a millenary culture, where nature springs pure and uncontaminated and man lives in symbiosis with his mother earth.
In fact, this capsule collection by Thais Bernardes owes its name to the cipó-mariri (from the indigenous Tupi language 'ysypó'), a type of liana that grows in the heart of the Amazon, the richest place on the planet in terms of biodiversity and a treasure trove of archaic knowledge.
The 'plant of visions'
Sacred to the natives, this plant has been used for millennia by forest shamans in a ritual to free the body and soul from impurities. Boiling it produces a drink known as 'ayahuasca', capable of provoking powerful hallucinations and making the mind travel through time and space, opening up communication with ancestors and the forces of nature.
The tradition of trançado in Brazil
It is precisely with the fibre of this plant that the natives make the characteristic weave (trançado in Portuguese) - recalled in the 925 silver earrings of the Cipó collection - the result of a complex process that is used to make various types of objects, such as hats, baskets, nets, sculptures and works of art. Handmade objects, just like Thais' jewellery, that make the encounter with the excellence of theItalian craftsmanship one of their greatest strengths and assets.
In Brazil, the braid appears in all indigenous tribes and is deeply linked to the history and myths of these peoples. The act of braiding is intrinsically connected to the plot of human destiny. In this sense, weaving is not something merely formal or aesthetic, but is the symbol of a double-stranded bond between man and his community, and between the community and nature, in a process of mutual nourishment and enrichment. It could be said that whoever makes a weave is, in some way, weaving the fabric of a story that is handed down from generation to generation to the humanity yet to come.
The Cipó collection of Thais Bernardes
Similarly, the complex embroideries of the spheres of the Gold-plated silver jewellery by Thais Bernardes tell the story of a thousand-year-old tradition that makes any object unique and precious.
From silver earrings with fringes and cubic zirconia pendantsincluding the special mono earring, to the rings which are developed in modules of two or three circles and, again, at theexclusive bracelet that wraps around the hand mid-palm, the Cipó collection is all about intertwining, shapes that wrap around the body, just like lianas, to embellish it and give a touch of originality to women who want to stand out with a design that is ethnic yet elegant and refined at the same time.
The partnership with Survival International
It is a deep and indissoluble bond that binds the designer to her land. This is why Thais supports the rights of its inhabitants, choosing to donate part of the proceeds to Survival International, a worldwide movement that has been helping to defend indigenous peoples and their lands since 1969.
Where to buy it
The collection can be purchased at the jewellers in Milan on the second floor of the Brian & Barry Building (via Durini 28) and online at www.thaisbernardes.com.
English 
Italian 
German