Amazonian women bring biojewelry to the spotlight of COP30
10 de June de 2025
By Fabyo Cruz – From Cenarium
BELÉM (PA) – It was in the midst of a crisis that the Corrêa family found the seed of a new future. In 2015, after the fishing boat that supported the household sank, artisan Angela Reis and her daughters — Jeovana, Adriane, and Jéssica — began selling necklaces made from açaí seeds, laid out on a cloth in Praça da República, downtown Belém (PA). What was born out of necessity transformed into a business, art, and a mission: to give visibility to the power of Amazonian biojewelry.
Currently, leading the Eco Arte collective, they are preparing for the 30th UN Conference on Climate Change (COP30), which will be held in November this year in the capital of Pará. But even before that, they already boast achievements that have crossed borders. One of them was having one of their pieces worn by Environment Minister Marina Silva during events in Pará, Japan, China, and Indonesia. “She wore our necklace with such affection, and seeing that gain worldwide attention was a huge recognition,” says Jeovana Corrêa, 23, a graduate in International Relations and responsible for the brand’s strategy and internationalization.
The trajectory of Eco Arte is marked by autonomy and affection. Matriarch Angela, 51, learned to make seed necklaces at a young age in her hometown, São Caetano de Odivelas, in northeastern Pará. When her husband’s boat sank, she and her daughters decided to turn traditional knowledge into a source of income. “They’ve helped me since they were five, seven years old. They did macramé [a hand-weaving technique using knots] and helped with sales. Today, they handle management, marketing—everything,” she says proudly.
Among the items for sale are necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and rings made from jarina, açaí, and pupunha seeds, as well as yellow croaker fish scales — a fish caught by their father, José Corrêa. All raw materials are collected sustainably, respecting nature’s cycle.
About the Eco Arte brand, Jeovana explains: “Our logo strongly reflects our story and origin. It features the Pará state flag as the background, the name ‘Eco Arte’ written in letters that resemble boats — a reference to our father, who is a fisherman — and also includes Marajoara graphics that represent this local culture from Pará.”
Sustainability
“Biojewelry consists of accessories made with natural elements, from nature itself, which we transform into pieces that highlight the natural wealth of the Amazon, especially here in Pará. They are not industrialized; they are all handmade. That’s very important — understanding what biojewelry is,” explains Jeovana. “There is an endless variety of materials, but the main ones are seeds and fibers extracted from trees, palms, and leaves. You can also use fish scales, wood, mother-of-pearl, which comes from shells,” she adds.
Jeovana also comments on a specific tree: the jarina. “This tree produces a fruit, and inside it — called ‘ouriço’ — are seeds that are highly valued and known as ‘vegetable ivory’ due to their hardness and marbled appearance. Jarina can be used in its raw form, varnished, or transformed into rings and bracelets. You can make a wide variety of pieces from it,” she emphasizes.
“When you use the seed, the tree remains standing. It’s circular economy, it’s preservation,” explains Jéssica Corrêa, 20, responsible for marketing. “People think the seed will just stay on the ground, but actually, it can become an accessory, something that complements your look, makes your outfit more sustainable, and adds a unique touch,” she says.
The concern for sustainability extends even to the packaging, made with kraft paper — a material produced from unbleached cellulose fibers, typically from pine and eucalyptus trees — as well as jute fabric, an organic and biodegradable plant fiber obtained from Corchorus capsularis. No plastic material is used.
“We think about the product from the collection stage all the way to delivery,” adds Adriane Corrêa, 25, a pharmacy student responsible for the project’s finances. “It’s sustainable, biodegradable packaging. We care about the whole process: from raw material to the final consumer. We apply the concept of a circular economy in every step,” she highlights.
Jeovana adds: “It’s not just a pretty piece or something to complement a look. Yes, it’s beautiful, but it also carries a story. When someone buys a biojewel, they carry with them the knowledge and origin of that material. They understand what a seed is, where it came from. That’s very valuable. This awareness helps people see nature differently. Instead of discarding materials, you can repurpose, reuse, and transform.”
“More than accessories, biojewels carry a message. Each piece comes with an explanatory card, in Portuguese, English, and Spanish, about the material used and its origin. We want people to know what they’re buying, where it comes from. It’s not just beauty — it’s the story and resistance of the Amazon,” she concludes.
Female Entrepreneurship
The story of Eco Arte is also the story of many women who found autonomy through entrepreneurship. “For a long time, women were taught to depend financially on their partners. Today, we are protagonists. We build together, as a family and as women,” summarizes Jeovana.
For Adriane, it is important to talk about female microentrepreneurship. “In our case, where it’s a mother and her three daughters, we support each other. She passed on her knowledge to us, and we grow together. That’s very meaningful, because she took care of us our whole lives. And now, through our own business, we’ve achieved financial independence. It’s about making the family business thrive, using the gift she has, which she passed on to us, to grow more and more.”
They highlight, however, that they still face the challenge of local recognition. “Our necklaces sell for R$ 50 to R$ 75 here in Belém, but we’ve seen the same pieces being sold for up to R$ 200 in other states, like São Paulo. What often happens is the product is taken from here and valued elsewhere, while here it doesn’t receive the same appreciation. COP30 will be an important opportunity to change that — to value what is made here, by the hands of our people,” says Adriane.
COP30 as an Opportunity
With COP30 approaching, the group has intensified their training. The members participate in workshops and courses offered by the Brazilian Service of Support for Micro and Small Enterprises (Sebrae), focused on customer service, pricing, and business management. They are also developing a business plan with consultancy support.
“We’ve regularly participated in training focused on COP30. We’ve taken courses on customer service, pricing, business management, and sales strategies. We’re building a business plan with help from a consultant, who helps us better organize finances, separate costs, and better understand income and expenses,” explains Adriane.
Jéssica highlights the strategies designed for the conference: “Those who buy a necklace, for example, receive a small card in English. Marketing is an area we want to develop further because of COP. Through social media, we’ve reached diverse audiences, including international ones. That’s why we created cards in Spanish and English to go with each piece explaining the materials used. We also have a bilingual catalog, in English and Spanish.”
She says that foreigners’ reaction upon discovering the biojewelry is one of immediate enchantment: “For many, it’s surprising to see Amazon forest seeds transformed into sophisticated and unique accessories — something uncommon in their home cultures.” The use of natural elements as raw materials, combined with artisanal design, sparks curiosity and admiration, reinforcing the symbolic, aesthetic, and environmental value of these pieces that carry the essence of the Amazon.