To Bee or not to Bee?

Bees. Initially, we chose to center our business around bees to have a theme, a muse, an inspiration. We wanted a central theme that not only resonated with our vision, but our personalities as well. The only nickname that Pio or I had ever gotten was that of flying B’s (thank you to our unpronounceable surname), which had gradually transitioned into the flying bees buzzing through the gates of our ski races. We like to say that we chose the bee long before Gucci stitched them into their shirts or Dior’s campaigns, then becoming their new jewellery collection. At the time, we certainly did not remember the bee as an insect that is even remotely acknowledged by any teen. And, as you probably have already heard, we like to be different. This proves to be a little more tricky today, with all other jewellery companies following suit on this apparent bee trend. But let us give you the reasons why we fell in love with bees and why their characteristics have a direct influence on our jewellery designs:

Regardless of our love for food and nature, although lets not forgive to give credit where credit is due: bee pollination is responsible for ⅓ of our yields, they are known to act not too differently from you and me. With the majority of bees, especially native bees, being solitary species, there are also those that reside in their colonies. Studies have presented various differences in personalities and behaviour amongst bees based on behavioural differences shown over time. An example resembling the gene activity in molecular pathways home to thrill-seeking humans. Some thrill-seeking adventurers may be able to encounter some new buzzing friends on their paths. They communicate with their nestmates about the best source of food via a waggle dance. If confronted with hunger, they are not one to shy away from a good binge eating. Most of all, the worker bees are the breadwinners in the colony, as female worker bees forage and return with nectar, pollen and water. Our flying bee earring and necklace were inspired by the act of foraging, buzzing naturally about you when you venture out into the real world. Worker bees are the only ones with a stinger, and the small bee legs in our design may poke you here and there. As two young ladies, we like to get inspired by other female species, their patterns and roles in their ecosystem. 

Another crucial character trait of bees is their intelligence. They are no Einstein but thanks to their mathematical intelligence, they were able to create a structure that best divides a surface into regions of equal area with least total perimeter. This is because wax is 8 times more difficult to produce than honey. More precisely, 8 kg of honey is required by bees to produce 3.6 kg of beeswax. Therefore, it requires immense effort and energy to produce their honeycomb. Another dimension is the size of the honeycombs, where those of smaller dimensions are more robust than larger ones, which are more prone to break once the honey is trapped. Only since 1999 has academic research proven the efficiency of a hexagonal grid to provide a robust surface and crucial to many infrastructures today and can benefit sustainable development. 

Our hive ring was inspired not only by the iconic structure but by the process in which worker bees visit bee-friendly flowers collecting nectar, pollen. The relationship between bees and flowers is a very symbiotic one, a transaction benefiting both parties AND us! The colors of the zirconia encapsulate a little flavour of each flower in the honeycomb, with the different heights of the hexagons attempting to embrace the natural, imperfectly perfect honeycomb created by our bees. 

Bees are responsible for an efficient ecosystem for their colony and beehive to flourish. In the beehive, the roles are clearly differentiated between the queen bee, worker bee at its three stages of age and corresponding responsibility and the drones (male bees). Like in companies or families, they make sure their living and working environment is optimal. Bees were the first animals to invent air conditioning. They use evaporative cooling and their wings to pump air into and out of the nest to maintain their ideal temperature during hot summers. Simultaneously, they maintain the ecosystem in nature. As humans, we must recognize that the survival of bees is closely related to the survival of our ecosystems. Bees not only pollinate the flowers we adore, but they also fertilize the crops we eat. As a result, bees and flowers have evolved and become more efficient throughout their life cycles. We aim to encapsulate an ecosystem with all bee parties, you guys and us, in order to create a nutritious honey comb for us all. 

Inbeetween is our beehive. Pia and I are the worker bees going out to design and produce jewellery pieces that nourish any Inbeetween moment. We produce sustainably wherever possible and viable, such as our canvas bag and our packaging. We hope to make the beehive a comfortable, inspiring place for you guys to be able to exchange with one another and feel like a mini bee family.

Sources:

https://www.wwf.org.uk/learn/fascinating-facts/bees
https://www.wired.com/2012/03/bees-insects-personality/
https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/honeybees-have-personalities-sort-of
https://uxdesign.cc/why-do-bees-love-hexagons-119cfd0d95a9
https://askabiologist.asu.edu/bee-colony-life