Coconut chic - Leonie Campbell makes stunning statement with shell jewellery

For many people, having a surplus of coconuts at their disposal would lead to the creation of sweet treats such as drops and gizzadas. But for 23-year-old Leonie Campbell, her favourite fruit is the head cornerstone of her product line, Cocozuri.

Launched in 2019, Campbell said that she got the idea to start making products from coconuts from her mother, Carmeta Davis, who is a dressmaker.

"I got a lot of my creativity from mom. It was a dream of hers to do something creative out of coconut shells. We have a lot of coconut trees in our yard, so one day I was like, 'let's just do it'. I think the first thing we made were like bangles. We started from there and it just took off," said Campbell.

Since then, Campbell's product line has expanded to include earrings, necklaces, cups, bowls and a host of other items. The Spanish Town, St Catherine resident told THE STAR that large portion of the work involves transforming the hard coconut shells into the desired eye-catching pieces.

"We take the whole coconut, and you have to use a hacksaw to cut it in two. So we remove the flesh from inside the coconut, so [that] we're left with just the shell. From there, it's just a matter of the design," she said. "It's a lot of work ... even the small items take a lot of work, because of the amount of time that you have to take cutting and sanding everything. I am really passionate about it, and I see where I can try to be more productive in the space."

Looking back on her earlier pieces, Campbell said there are clear differences.

"They were okay; we thought they turned out pretty great, which they did actually. But over the years of experimenting and learning more, you really realise that you had just started and you can see the growth now," she said.

While Campbell is not currently taking orders, she said she is building anticipation by creating a presence online, while she configures a website which is scheduled to be launched in two months.