Makiko Oda.

Japanese Jeweller

“SCENES OF NATURE GIVE ME A PLEASURE. I AM AIMING TO CREATE THE JEWELLERY, WITH WHICH YOU WOULD FEEL BEING IN CONVERSATIONS WITH TREES & FLOWERS.” 

Through her handcrafted jewellery, Makiko Oda conveys the natural world not only through form and material, but emotional resonance. Each piece is a token of our experiences: ‘I seek to express the joy, wonder, and comfort that nature offers’, to ‘share the beauty found in the passing of time and the quiet music of the seasons.’ The combination of rich woods with touches of gold and platinum leaf invoke these enchanting moments.

With a deep appreciation for her organic materials, Makiko Oda chooses her woods for their innate qualities. Rosewood’s ‘dark colour with a subtle purplish hue gives it a refined and noble appearance’ that elegantly contrasts with metal leaf. Maple and Taiwankus are ‘flexible materials with no distinct grain direction, making them well-suited for creating gentle, organic forms’. Nature’s own designs in the unique patterns of Bird’s Eye Maple and Taiwan Camphor are often incorporated as key features of the jewellery.

Oda applies glints of gold and platinum to her carved wooden forms. The delicate touch of these metals recall the mysteries of shifting light, representing our ‘emotional connection to nature’ and all that can be ‘found in those luminous moments’. Worn on the body, the movement across their surfaces catches the eye – sparking the viewer to interpret their own connections, like fleeting memories of dappled forest light or dusk’s dispersed glow.

The process of working on her creations channels Makiko Oda’s own sense of wonder. She expresses her love of Rosewood’s ‘sweet, rose-like fragrance when carved, making it a truly special and charming material’. Her tools also carry meaning: a handmade tool crafted by her mentor is essential to her process, and she also treasures the bamboo tweezer and soft brush she uses to apply delicate metal leaf. Each tool not only shapes the work, but also the maker’s rhythm – focused, contemplative, reverent.  

Makiko Oda hopes to inspire those who encounter and wear her jewellery to have their own meditative moment. The pieces offer tactile reflections on the seasons’ passing, on beauty glimpsed and gently held.

View Available Work
Please enquire for more work in the gallery or for commissions. Email: info@flowgallery.co.uk T: +44 20 7243 0782

Varied expressions that plants show us.
Green leaves that wave in the breeze and shine.
Soft tones that autumn leaves raise by touching each other.
Gentle wood whisper.

Happiness that you would feel when you touch a flower.
Scenes of nature give me pleasure.
I am aiming to create the jewellery, with which you would feel
being in conversations with trees and flowers.

I want to touch your heart through jewellery.