By Mi-Ling Stone Poole – 

The third stop on my recent caribbean cruise was George Town, Grand Cayman. The beauty of this island is underwater where you’ll find design inspiration from the island’s world-renowned coral reefs.

Jewelry stores were abundant. Kirk Freeport, an exclusive shop on the island, sold a number of pieces made from the riches of the Caribbean. Black Coral was a specialty on the island and was marketed heavily.

Another shop I found interesting was BlueBay Jewelers, which carried a colorful line of enamel jewelry from Paris called Belle Etoile that had all the colors of the sea embedded in the pieces.

For the ultimate in design inspiration you can visit the conch shell house. It was made entirely from mollusk shells.

Our last port was Cozumel, Mexico. A bounty of color met us ashore from the bold and bright colors of the handmade pottery to the delicate pieces of shell that created art work, purses and other accessories. And if silver is your thing you will find silver platters, and other silver accessories for your home at the shops downtown.

As we headed back to the ship, I passed an old man who had a table full of beautiful cloths. He told me his wife made them on a loom and they were woven from coconut skins and dyed in various colors. I couldn’t resist, and bought one to take home.

My trip proved to be a wonderful experience. Not only did I get an opportunity to fellowship with old friends and meet new acquaintances, but I was delighted to find fresh and new design ideas as we traveled from port to port.

Which island is your favorite for design inspiration?