Extinction Brooch Series
Once widespread across Sumatra, the Sumatran elephant now survives in increasingly fragmented habitats. This hand-woven brooch captures the gentle presence of a baby elephant in soft ivory and pearl tones. Closely packed glass beads form a compact, rounded shape, while subtle shifts in texture define the curved trunk, small tusks, and wide, attentive ears lined with a warm blush and metallic accents.
Both tender and grounded, the piece balances vulnerability with quiet strength. Its modest scale belies the weight of what it represents: memory carried through generations, and endurance under pressure. The brooch stands as an intimate reminder of a species at risk and of the care required to ensure that these listening ears and slow, deliberate steps are not lost from the forests they once shaped.
As of late 2025, the Sumatran elephant population remains critically low, with estimates generally ranging from around 1,100 to 2,800 individuals, though recent data from sources like the Indonesian government point towards figures closer to 1,100-1,500, living scattered in small, fragmented habitats, facing severe threats from habitat loss and human-elephant conflict, putting them on the brink of extinction.