Back to Nature for Fun and Profit

Though nature-oriented products have been somewhat in vogue ever since the environmental movement began in earnest way back in the 1970s, consumer interest has visibly accelerated over the past few years. As one might expect, distributors are meeting increased demand with a wide range of earth-o-centric products incorporating not only natural themes in general, but even actual bits of nature in particular.

One firm called Viva Terra, for instance, offers a selection of ultra-rustic end tables made entirely of intertwining hardwood roots; more broadly, other companies are doing a brisk business in wooden furniture that emphasize their, ahem, roots, often opting to pursue a less "refined," more tree-like product line by leaving the bark-clad exteriors intact and otherwise letting the natural beauty of the wood define the design.

So, now that you have all of these tables that kind of look like trees, what to put on them? A genuine bird's nest filled with glass eggs (pictured) makes for a particularly conservationist conversation piece. The same goes for an extended segment of aragonite (also pictured), which makes up in natural charm what it lacks in traditional, symmetry-heavy aesthetics. Or how about a clock incorporating real butterflies? Butterfly and Nature Gift Store offers one, along with a frankly astonishing range of other products incorporating stunning specimens of the world's prettiest insect. The true butterfly aficionado (they do exist) might opt instead for one of the same company's hotter items: a pendant made from a single stunning butterfly wing, encased in glass and emblazoned with sterling silver.

Indeed, jewelry ranks among the foremost genre of the ecological merchandising surge, with designers pumping out new, nature-based pieces that go well beyond the usual gemstones and pearls. One offers necklaces composed of orchid blooms coated in resin, which does an admirable job of preserving the flower as a spring-y accessory of the sort that's particularly refreshing in the winter months. In a similar vein, another firm specializes in Hawaiian flowers plucked from the state's Orchid Isle, offering both minimalist, slightly-treated versions that stay preserved for years without showing any visible signs of treatment as well as pressed flowers installed in traditional silver jewelry casings.
Take that, diamond tennis bracelets!