Amazon Bamboo

Officially a subfamily of grasses, bamboo can grow half a meter a day. They live for about 20 years, but the underground root system continues to grow and produce new shoots, so they in essence live forever. They mature from shoot to full size in just two to three months. It is very different from traditional wood and trees, which take years to grow. The central technique used throughout the pieces is weaving. Strands of bamboo are cut and sliced, often into exquisitely thin strands. The natural material submits to spectacular skill and structural concepts.

Furmanovich has collaborated with a number of different artists with knowledge involving long periods of apprenticeship with masters and disciples. She was very inspired by the way the artisan’s elevated those objects from craft level to art form. The woven pieces of bamboo are set in 18k gold with precious stones and diamonds.

The collection is also the result of a partnership between Silvia Furmanovich and Instituto Jatobás, founded by Brazilian philanthropists Luiz & Betty Feffer. Spearheaded by Luiz Alexandre Mucerino, the institution is committed to influencing and expanding sustainable living and consciousness in the country. Instituto Jatobás has dedicated an area of over 80 hectares to bamboo cultivation in Brazil, becoming a reference in the material’s sustainable management, and a pioneer in the development of the first industrial unit of products derived from bamboo in the country. Silvia Furmanovich will be supporting the institution’s craftsmen to teach them Japanese knot weaving techniques and is collaborating with their artisans to create her jewelry and home ware pieces.