It was a business trip where a man met an inspiring and spiritual man who gave him a present. A  Lei necklace, beaded and made with kukui nuts.

Back home, the man wanted to pay it forward, he started collecting kukui nuts and wanted to share them with his friends. I made a custom ode to give the kukui nuts to his loved ones in a special way.

It had to be simple and timeless and most of all, authentic. A kukui nut used to be a measuring time-tool, just like the rings on a tree represent time.

To play with the surname of the man, Van de Gronde (‘off the ground’), I created a wooden cube from a tree that had grown at Leidseplein in Amsterdam. A tree grows in the earth, and the earth plays onto his name too, but also the earth also has many layers of time, just like a tree. 

The kukui nut is placed on top of the wooden cube, just off the ground. Inside the cube a hidden glass tube to place a small note in for the man to write his friends. 

Materials: plane tree, steel, kukuinut. 

10 x 4,5 x 4,5 cm