Learning BauXo’s story, you might think that Bali is a crossroads of the world, paradise-style. And you’d be right. BauXo, as a company, is a true cultural blend. So is the design sense of its head designer, Hariyono, who draws inspiration from Bali, Java, Europe and North America. Even BauXo’s beginnings bespeak of crossroads paradiso.

The Beginning

Bali has long been a peaceful paradise destination for world travelers, with its unique blend of tropical beaches and weather, a welcoming Balinese hospitality, a rich Hindu tradition and an ancient but vibrant commitment to art.

The Balinese have a saying: “We have no art. We do everything as well as we can.” Thus, entire communities are organized around specialized artisanal practices like shoemaking, furniture-making, jewelry and sculpture.

Hariyono, Javanese designer and jewelry artist, settled in Bali to create his delightful eco-jewelry designs from pre-cycled leather. He took inspiration from his own cultural background, from Balinese traditions and from a broad range of cultures reflected in the constant stream of tourists from Asia, Europe and North America.

In 2002, Bali suffered terrorist bombings because of its position as an international tourist destination. Bali’s tourism plummeted as well as the economics of all who relied on it. Just after the bombings, Canadians Jeneen Gacek and Diana DeLuca, on a South East Asia sabbatical from their corporate lives, arrived in Bali.

On a Balinese beach everything seems possible. Stirred by the variety of arts available in Bali, Jeneen and Diana were beach-dreaming of starting their own business. In front of a meatball soup stand, they met Hariyono, whose own business was suffering under the strain on the Balinese economy. They fell in love with his designs and saw a way to realize their own entrepreneurial dreams while broadening his markets. The three joined forces to form BauXo, which means “meatball soup.”

Since 2003, the energetic trio has been selling Hariyono’s jewelry designs all over the world.

The Heart

BauXo is committed to creating wonderfully modern and unique eco-art jewelry under socially responsible conditions. The BauXo partners contribute to the Indonesian community by providing work opportunities, excellent working conditions, fair wages and education.

BauXo is also committed to environmental responsibility. All BauXo products are handmade, which itself leaves a lighter footprint. Using a form of conservation called “pre-cycling”, BauXo’s leather jewelry is made from excess leather cuts salvaged from its shoemaker neighbors. Small twisting cords and curves of hide, when modified by the expertise of Hariyono, highlight both the natural beauty of the leather as well as the wearer.

The Highlights

From Bali to Edmonton and now to you, BauXo brings beautiful eco-friendly jewelry designs incorporating elements from many cultures. The BauXo philosophy is “passion for life is the greatest accessory.” Clearly, the partners’ passion for life extends from soulful jewelry to its dedication to eco-conscious re-use, to fair wages and to providing to the Balinese people opportunities for employment and education.

Congratulations, BauXo, on your beautiful eco-jewelry and socially responsible business practices.

Gifts with style and relevance from a socially responsible small business . . .