Painted Seed Earrings

These earrings were made by Tjanpi artist, Doreen Driffen.

Materials: Painted Gum nut seeds

Your Tjanpi purchase supports minyma (women) living in the remote Central and Western desert regions to earn an income from jewellery making and fibre art.

 Every piece of Tjanpi seed jewellery is a unique piece of wearable art; hand made by a female Aboriginal artist from the central desert region of Australia. To make a piece of jewellery, first the artist collects the seeds – gumnuts, quandongs, and ininti seeds. These seeds are native to central Australia and are only available in certain seasons. Ininti is from the bats wing coral/bean tree (Erythrina Vespertilio), a plant that often features in Tjukurrpa (Dreaming) in the central desert region. The quandong is from the Santalum Acuminatum tree; the fruit of this tree has traditionally been used a food source for thousands of years. The gumnuts are from the various Eucalyptus trees in the region, and range in size depending on the type of tree.