Have you ever watched a monstera leaf unfurl? It starts as a tight little scroll, completely closed, and then over the course of a few days it slowly opens into something new. The first leaves are small and whole and heart-shaped, no holes, no splits, just a simple leaf doing its best. And then as the plant gets older and happier and more itself, the fenestrations appear. More holes. More cuts. More complexity. More character. The older the monstera, the more it has been through, the more extraordinary it looks. I think about this more than I probably should.
The Monstera
Monstera deliciosa is native to the tropical rainforests of southern Mexico and Central America, where it grows as an epiphyte, climbing trees and reaching toward the canopy with leaves that can grow to nearly three feet across in the wild. Young plants produce small, whole, heart-shaped leaves with no fenestrations at all. As the plant matures and establishes itself, the leaves begin to develop their characteristic splits and holes, each new leaf more complex and more fenestrated than the last.
Nobody entirely agrees on why monstera leaves develop their fenestrations. The leading theories include allowing wind to pass through without tearing, enabling light to reach the lower leaves growing in the shade of the canopy, and helping rainwater reach the roots below. Whatever the reason, the result is one of the most distinctive and beloved leaf shapes in the plant world, immediately recognizable and endlessly reproduced in art and design, which tells you something about how deeply people respond to a plant that gets more interesting the longer it lives.
The monstera is not just a houseplant. It is a lesson about what happens when something is given enough time and light and care to become fully itself.
The Piece
Each monstera leaf in this set was hand cut from recycled sterling silver sheet, a real monstera leaf pressed into the surface so that every vein is a permanent record of an actual leaf that once existed. The characteristic fenestrations are pierced through the silver, the same splits and holes that make the real leaf so extraordinary, and each leaf is twisted slightly the way monstera leaves naturally angle themselves toward the light. A thick twisty stem is soldered to the top of each leaf, that little coiled scroll that looks exactly like a new growth unfurling. The whole surface is given a dark patina so every vein and edge reads in rich detail.
The necklace pendant is approximately 1 inch tall on an 18 inch sterling silver twisted rope chain, bright and dainty and sturdy. The earrings are approximately 0.75 inches tall with their stems, on sterling silver posts and push backs. Every piece is made by hand which means no two are exactly alike, just as no two monstera leaves are exactly alike in nature.
You can order the full set, the necklace only, or the earrings only from the options above.
The Craftsmanship
- Necklace pendant: approximately 1 inch tall, 18 inch sterling silver twisted rope chain
- Earrings: approximately 0.75 inches tall with stem, sterling silver post studs
- Material: recycled sterling silver throughout, oxidized
- Detail: real leaf impression, pierced fenestrations, twisted stem
- Options: full set, necklace only, or earrings only
- Edition: made to order, each piece unique
A Note from Tamara
I made this set because monstera people are my people. The ones who check their plants every morning and feel something specific when a new leaf starts to unfurl and watch it open over the course of a week with more investment than they would like to admit. I love that this plant starts simple and gets more complex and more beautiful the older it gets. I think that is true of a lot of things worth loving. I hope whoever wears this looks down at those little pierced holes and thinks of their own monstera, doing its patient and extraordinary work on the windowsill at home.
Shipping
Your monstera will be made to order just for you in my little studio in the New Hampshire woods. Please allow one to two weeks for it to be created. You will receive a tracking number by email so you can follow it on its journey to its new home.