🐝 From the Forest to the Coast: The Story Behind My Kenya Collection

By Samantha Snow

Last year, I visited Kenya for the very first time.

My partner grew up here, and it remains a huge part of his life - not just because of family and friends, but because of the incredible landscape. From the vast inland plains to the coastline, Kenya’s beauty is alive in its wildlife, its flora, and its fauna.

During my visit, I had the chance to explore the Arabuko Sokoke Forest - a place alive with the hum of bees and the scent of mangroves. There, I met Emmanuel, who runs Honeydom, an enterprise of three thriving apiaries producing different types of honey and beeswax.

From two of his apiaries, I collected the beeswax that would become the heart of this new collection: one located among the mangroves, and another home to tiny mosquito bees - a small species capable of gathering nectar from the most delicate coastal flowers.

And now, I’m back again - to photograph the pieces here, where it all began.

“The hives in the Arabuko Sokoke Forest, where the wax for this collection began.”

Creating with Meaning

That experience made me realise I was meant to create this Kenya-inspired collection - one that holds deeper meaning because it uses material born from the same place that inspired it.

During my time on safari in Tsavo, I was surrounded by red earth, wildlife, and vast skies. Later, by the coast, I found myself amongst flowers and mangroves - smaller, quieter moments of beauty.

Those contrasts - bold and grounded, delicate and intricate - found their way into each piece.

Caption: 'The beeswax on the left was made by mosquito bees - tiny bees that collect nectar from the smallest coastal flowers.
The beeswax on the right came from hives near the mangroves. Its rich brown colour comes from the red soil that drifts from inland to the coast, carried by rivers and wind - and even gathered by the bees themselves as dust clings to their legs'

The Beauty of Beeswax

Working with beeswax has always felt special to me.
It’s a material that carries memory - soft, warm, and alive.

The beauty of using beeswax in my work is that it allows me to create jewellery with a deeper sense of connection - pieces that feel tied to nature and to the people who wear them.
Each design in this collection was carved directly from that Kenyan beeswax and then cast in silver and gold.

No moulds. No mass production. Just wax, metal, and meaning.

“Each design began in beeswax - carved by hand before being cast in silver and gold.”

A Journey in Every Piece

Every piece in this collection conveys a part of my journey - from the forest, to the coast, to the studio.
It’s a story of transformation - of wax shaped by hand, of silver and gold shaped by fire, and of inspiration shaped by the land itself.

And to bring the story full circle, I’ve returned to Kenya to capture the collection here - surrounded by the same light, soil, and air that inspired it.

“Each piece holds a fragment of the journey that inspired it.”

This collection is a celebration of Kenya - its landscapes, its bees, and its beauty.
It launches on Sunday, November 16th at 6PM.

I can’t wait to share it with you.

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