Organic Fruit Jewelry Product Review + Interview with The CEO and Founder of OFJ!

I love fruit and jewelry, and being able to wear both is pretty cool. The wonderful woman, Calista Wren, over at Organic Fruit Jewelry, was kind enough to send me a pair of kiwi earrings for me to review! 
pair_of_kiwi_earrings
Calista is the CEO, founder and maker of the beautiful organic fruit jewelry. She makes them herself out of REAL fruit, which she’ll tell you how in the interview below! 
 
I got the opportunity to interview Calista about her fruit jewelry business, her diet and lifestyle, and more, so you can get to know this amazing woman and fall in love with her jewelry like I did
 
miliany_wearing_kiwi_earring
 
In the interview below, Calista is going to share with us her health journey (she’s a raw vegan!), how and why she started this unique fruit jewelry business and turned her passion for fruit jewelry making into a business, how she makes the jewelry, plus more! She even shares her favorite raw food recipe, along with giving YOU, my lovely followers and readers, an exclusive discount coupon that you can use at checkout to shop at her etsy store! So, ladies – you don’t want to miss out on this post! 😉 
 
But before I introduce her to you, I want to first share with you my product review on her cute earrings! 
 
I love fruit jewelry, and these kiwi earrings are awesome! I’ve wore them a few times, and have gotten so many compliments and stare downs, haha… It’s pretty understandable; fruit jewelry is unique and you don’t see them being worn quite often. Wearing fruit jewelry stands out, and it sure makes great conversion… 
 
kiwi_earring
 
I love wearing my fruit jewelry wherever I go, especially to raw food events. Organic Fruit Jewelry have more than just kiwi earrings… she sells necklaces, drop earrings, round and oval earrings, and rings! The neat part of her jewelry is, it’s all made with a slice of REAL FRUIT! Her jewelry are a piece of beauty/art… jewelry art. 
 
Fruit jewelry makes a great gift and great to wear for any occasion. I’m in love with her jewelry, and I’m looking to build my fruit jewelry collection. 
 
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If you want to take advantage of this exclusive offer I mentioned earlier, you can do so now! All you have to do is: 
  1. Create an Etsy account (it’s free!) if you haven’t already. Or if you already have an account, shop Organic Fruit Jewelry store here
  2. Add items to your cart 
  3. Enter code: 10DISCO at checkout and get 10%  off your entire order! She offers international shipping.
 
*This coupon code is good through the end of this month, 5/31, 2015)*
 
Now, without further ado, let me introduce to you Calista Wren
 
calista_wren
Calista Wren, the CEO, founder and maker of Organic Fruit Jewelry, wearing matching orange fruit jewelry.
 

How, when and why did you get into this lifestyle?

I started going vegetarian around Sept 2011.  Initially I just wanted to be healthier, so I cut out red meat and most other meats.  By 2012 I decided “why not go full vegan, there’s no reason to ever need meat” so I went full vegan.  It wasn’t too difficult for me, I love veggies.  I only slipped and had meat a couple more times.  I was reading a lot of books and soon discovered Dr. Grahams 80/10/10 which got me into the raw vegan world where I am now!  It’s great!

Describe your lifestyle and food philosophy?

I eat pretty much 100% raw vegan.  Only rarely will I maybe eat a vegan snack bar or something that’s not 100% raw.  So I eat lots of fresh fruit. 

What does an average eating day look like for you?

I eat pretty much 100% raw vegan.  Only rarely will I maybe eat a vegan snack bar or something that’s not 100% raw.  So I eat lots of fresh fruit.

What does an average eating day look like for you? 

Lots of fruit.  I like to do mono meals a lot, so I’ll just sit down and eat a watermelon or lots of mangoes.  Usually for dinner its a big zucchini pasta salad that I make a dressing for in my vitamix.  

Does your whole family eat a plant-based diet?

No, my family eats a completely normal American diet.  I’ve tried to be a good influence on them without shoving vegan down their throats and they’ve been open minded.  My dad eats a lot of fruit smoothies now. 

 

Have you noticed any changes from changing your diet?

My energy levels are the biggest thing, they are definitely higher. I can also fall asleep and sleep better. 

Tell us about your company and fruit jewelry!

I love doing fruit jewelry!  I love experimenting and trying new fruits.  I’ve branched out to successfully do rose petals and poinsettia as well.  Other than that, it’s any fruit with brilliant colors or designs that can be dehydrated and keep it’s original form for the most part such as kiwi, oranges, strawberries, starfruit, lemon, dragonfruit, etc.

 

What inspired you to make fruit jewelry and turn it into a business?

I remember when I first became vegan and eating lots of apples (I didn’t know there were so many other choices of fruit back then) and admiring the symmetry inside the apple.  I always thought fruit looked amazing, and one day it just clicked – I thought “Why not try it?”  It took a lot of trial and error to find the right resin and things to successfully make it, but I like to think I’m pretty good by now. 

How long have you been making fruit jewelry?

I’ve been making it for about a year and a half.

What’s your favorite piece of fruit jewelry?

That’s a tough question, probably the limes or lemons.  They are so transparent they look really, really cool. 

You said you use real fruit. How do you make fruit jewelry?

The concept is pretty simple.  I slice it, dry it out, coat it in resin to preserve it, then add the metal rings and hooks to make it jewelry. 

What makes your fruit jewelry unique from other fruit jewelries? 

The poinsettia necklace.  It turned out really great.  I’m going to make more this Christmas!

Did you always have the entrepreneurial in you? What inspired you to become one? 

I never really thought of myself as an entrepreneur.  I was laid off in 2012 and found it really hard to find another job.  After struggling for a long time, I decided to try selling fruit jewelry.  I only thought of it as a money making hobby for a while, but figured I should start doing it full time because it has so much potential, and it just keeps growing. 

Please share your favorite raw vegan recipe! 

zucchini_pasta_raw_food_recipe

Here’s a recipe I love: 

zucchini slives and pumpkin seeds. 
 
For the dressing, blend:
3-4 small cloves of garlic
salt (to taste)
splash of lemon juice
3 handfulls of cherry tomatoes
1 handfull of fresh basil
2-3 dates 
 
I hope you guys enjoyed this post and interview! Please follow the links below to shop at her etsy shop and connect with her socially.

organic_fruit_jewelry_banner

 

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About Miliany Bonet 202 Articles
Miliany Bonet is an ambitious, world-renowned, raw vegan blogger, writer, researcher, author, and an entrepreneur who is passionate about sharing her love and desire for a plant-based lifestyle. She's also the main contributor at 0medz0.com. Her passion for writing shines through her posts.

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