Natural fabrications

Wood accessories are an easy way to introduce a bit of African-inspired style to your wardrobe. Here’s a look at four jewelry designers who craft little luxuries out of natural elements.

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JEET SOHAL, BARE JEWELRY

Bare Jewelry designer Jeet Sohal often uses petrified wood in her artisan pieces. She works necklaces and bracelets into simple forms to highlight the material, which has the polished, smooth surface of a stone. Flattened wood ovals and rectangles embellish 14-karat gold chains as pendants or charms. “I wanted to create a new look that would make the machined gold look more organic,” the L.A.-based designer says, “and petrified wood was the only medium I could find that accomplished this.”

Bare Jewelry is available at www.barejewelry.com, or at Satine, Intuition and Tracey Ross in Los Angeles.

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GABRIELA ARTIGAS

Gabriela Artigas’ dramatic creations are fashioned from exotic woods such as ebony and white wood. Buffalo horn disks, obsidian fragments (she grew up in Mexico City in a town surrounded by volcanic rock) and other natural substances complement the wood in her chunky, tribal-esque cuff bracelets. “I design contemporary jewelry that resembles traditional African pieces, but it’s the beauty of a globalized world,” says Artigas, who moved to Los Angeles two years ago. “My materials come from all over--amber from Colombia; onyx from Mexico; wood, horn and buffalo bone from Thailand.”

Gabriela Artigas is available at www.gabrielaartigas.com, or at Aero & Co. and Xin in Los Angeles.

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PATRICIA CANDIDO

A native of Brazil, designer Patricia Candido frequently draws on her country’s African ties when creating her ethnic-style bracelets and chokers. “Our food, music and arts have been influenced by Africa,” says Candido, an L.A. transplant since 2002. “Same goes for my jewelry--like African jewelry, nature is the foundation of my line.” This has resulted in pieces such as the Indian bracelet with bamboo, abalone and silver; and the Africana choker with orange coral, lemon chrysoprase and bronze from Kashmir.

Patricia Candido is available at www.patriciacandido.com, or at Show in Los Angeles.

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ROXANNE ASSOULIN, LEE ANGEL

Perhaps best known for her luxurious costume jewels, SoHo-based designer Roxanne Assoulin also creates a less fussy line of baubles known as Lee Angel. Among this collection are earthy yet chic necklaces and bracelets featuring wood, glass and gold beads. Rows of wood beads form a nested necklace, and bracelets wind around the wrist three times. Her handcrafted pieces are available with glass beads in various colors, including jade green, coral and muted peach.

Lee Angel is available at www.leeangel.com, or at Spirituali and Jennifer Kaufman in Los Angeles and www.shopbop.com.