MADE IN SANTA CRUZ: Pine Cone Jewelry with Soul

For the next six weeks, Santa Cruz Patch will feature a guide to gifts made here. Send your suggestions to brad.kava@patch.com

Talk about sustainable. Yes, the word has become cliche, like this year's green. But no product more deserves the term than pendants from Third Eye Pinecones.

The company will join with American Forests to ensure that one tree is planted for each pendant sold. 

Carl Weiseth, the company's founder, started it after getting blown from a 90-foot tree, where he lived. He split his time between working for a biotech company and building the house in the forest in Washington. 

A gust of wind blew him off the tree and eight hours later, he crawled to civilization with six broken vertebrae, a ruptured spleen and nine shattered teeth. He ended up in the hospital for two months, during which he had a revelation that he wanted to spend more time in the forest than in tech.

He moved to Santa Cruz, where he found a pinecone -- and voila! -- discovered his passion for living a life more in tune with nature. (See his story here.) The pinecone sat on a shelf for months until one day he looked inside and found his inspiration.

The colorful pendants he makes sell for $60 to $135, depending on the jewels you chose. You can buy them at www.thirdeyepinecones.com