Jewel Rocks

In Bali, you Eat, Pray (Play in my case), Love. You lay by the beaches, many for you to choose from. You take walks in the padi fields in Ubud, you eat eggs cooked by burying them in the soil at the foot of Mt Kitamani volcano, you taste the mouth-watering beef rendang and other Indo delicacy but you don't quite shop there.

Unless batik, surf garbs, bottle openers in the shape of penis, painting and art stuff are you cup of tea, there isn't much chance for you to swipe your plastic and splash your rupiah for a bit of retail therapy. You're in Bali. You're supposed to enjoy the wonders of nature on this island of gods. The one exception (for me at least), is Jewel Rocks. Tucked away in Jalan Drupai in Seminyak, my favourite store in Bali sells gorgeous handmade jewelry with their famed beaded bracelets and necklaces that are pretty coveted world-wide.

Inspired by travelers and global trotting, Jewel Rocks makes the prettiest beaded bracelets and necklace with a myriad of material from crystals, brass, silver, tibetan gold, thread, wood etc etc. A note of warning: if you love beaded bracelets, you'll experience a case of hysteria when you walk into their quaint little shop with their big collection of original designs, all handmade with love in Bali. It was Christmas morning for me.

After regaining my composure and sending off the boy to the very lovely Vienna Cafe across the road (excellent place to chill), I ended up with 2,800,000 Rupiah worth of loot and a big smile.....yes, it's ridiculous, but my insanity wasn't unfounded with the boy buying up 2 of bracelets (for his friends) because they're so beautiful. And yes, Rp 2.8 million because these aren't your a dime a dozen cheap stuff from the tourist souvenir stores. These are well-made pieces with high grade stones, crystals and pure silver that let you remember your Bali trip with.

My Stash

Photos don't do them justice really. They look so pretty and colourful that looking at them makes me happy

The simple tassel silver necklace which I got a lot of compliments wearing. Works really nicely on white or gray tops

The only regret is that I didn't buy more. I was contemplating buying more to sell on my blog but well, not sure if that would work in these days where mass-produced lower-price stuff takes favour for many people. So maybe next time. I'm so gonna raid the store next time and I hope it'll happen really soon too!