1 STORY & MYTH JAMAICA
“I have always loved stories and myths,” says Kristie Stephenson, founder of Story & Myth. “I secured the domain www.storyandmyth.com before I knew what to do with it – it resonated with me.”
Inspired by her grandfather, “a true storyteller”, Stephenson decided to create jewellery based on stories and myths, using seeds as her primary material. These seeds “carry a deep connection to the people who came to the Caribbean, voluntarily or involuntarily”, she says. ”In islands with indigenous communities, like the Taino, the seeds perhaps came with those people journeying out of South America and up the chain of Caribbean islands.”
Stephenson believes that marginalised and disenfranchised communities are the keepers of the best stories – filled as they are with folklore, musical talent, nutrient-rich food, healing water and island beauty.
Additionally, indentured labourers from India brought the Jobʼs tears plant toovercome obstacles. ”With its natural hole, it becomes a perfect bead, one of the earliest seeds used in jewellery making,” Stephenson says. Harvesting them depends on the moonʼs cycle, and she refers to them as ”Blessing Beads”, created with the intent to bless, guide and protect the wearer.
