Bali Life, Gold Layers & the Art of Everyday Jewellery A Founder’s Guide
By Andraya Kenton, Founder of Celeste Starre, STACKED, MEME London, and Luna Roca
There’s something about waking up in Bali that makes you want to live more intentionally. The light hits differently here. The air carries frangipani and possibility. And somehow, the jewellery you choose each morning starts to feel less like an accessory and more like armour… Beautiful, golden, quietly powerful armour.
I moved to Bali with my family four years ago, leaving behind city life in London for something that felt more aligned with who I was becoming. I run multiple jewellery brands, Celeste Starre, STACKED, MEME London, and LUNA ROCA and the island has woven itself into every collection, every design decision, and every piece I put on my body each morning.
This is a little window into how I live, how I layer, and how Bali has completely reshaped my relationship with jewellery.
My Morning Ritual: Breathwork, Big Plans & Gold Chains Before Sunrise
My mornings start before the sun does. I wake up, sit with a quick meditation or breathwork session, then head straight to The Rite gym before my kids are up and the beautiful chaos of the day kicks in.
After that, it’s coffee on the porch. Journalling. A huge whiteboard where I map out my priorities and delegate to my incredible team. It’s very CEO-meets-barefoot-in-Bali, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Jewellery is genuinely part of my morning ritual. I’m usually fully layered before I’ve even decided what I’m wearing. A couple of gold chains from Celeste Starre with my lucky talismans chosen based on the energy I want to call in that day. With about four piercings in each ear, I’ll add hoops, studs, and ear cuffs, and suddenly even jean shorts and a t-shirt feel like a look.
That’s the magic of good jewellery. It doesn’t need a fancy outfit to shine. It *is* the outfit.
Bali’s Best Cafés (And What I’m Wearing to All of Them)
We are completely, ridiculously spoiled for choice when it comes to cafés in Bali. These are the ones I keep coming back to each with that relaxed, conscious, sun-drenched energy that makes you want to stay for three hours and order everything on the menu.
My Canggu Regulars
Alchemy
Rainbow smoothie bowls, vibrant energy, and a raw vegan menu that genuinely converts sceptics. The kind of place where colourful layered jewellery just *makes sense*.
Kynd
Conscious café culture at its best. Great coffee, beautiful space, community-driven.
Roots
Wholesome, grounding, and always reliable for the best protein shakes ever. Perfect for a quiet morning with a journal and a stack of gold bracelets.
Ricky D’s
Right next to our canggu STACKED. Fun, flavourful, and has become a real Canggu institution.
When I’m Up in Ubud
Mudra
Spiritual, intentional, and the kind of space that makes you want to sit with your thoughts (and your crystals).
Clear Café
A Ubud classic. Incredible food, stunning interiors, and that deeply peaceful energy the town is known for.
Every single one of these cafés has that effortless tropical atmosphere where layered gold necklaces, a stacked ear, and sun-kissed skin just feel right.
My Outfit Formula: Keep It Simple, Let the Gold Do the Talking
The longer I’ve lived in Bali, the simpler my clothes have become and the more intentional my jewellery has gotten.
My go-to formula is almost always the same: a pair of Levi’s jean shorts or a funky pair of jeans, a simple tank or a vintage rock tee and then I let the jewellery do everything.
The more basic the outfit, the better it looks stacked with necklaces, layered bracelets, bold earrings, and meaningful talismans. That’s genuinely my style philosophy: start with a blank canvas and let the jewels tell the story.
Am I a Minimalist? Absolutely Not.
More is more. Always has been, always will be.
I’m a full maximalist when it comes to jewellery. Big stacks of bracelets. Rings on multiple fingers. Earrings, ear cuffs, hoops, studs. I never wear fewer than three necklaces and honestly, that’s a quiet day.
But here’s what makes it feel intentional rather than excessive: every piece means something. My lucky talismans from Celeste Starre aren’t just beautiful they’re chosen to call in specific energy. Strength. Fire. Abundance. Creativity. Protection. Each piece is a daily reminder of who I am and who I’m becoming.
That’s the difference between wearing a lot of jewellery and *stacking with intention*.
The Piece That Never Leaves My Body
I am never, ever without at least one of my I Am Manifestation necklaces from Celeste Starre. I have a huge collection and I rotate them based on how I want to feel that day whether I need courage, magic, blessings, abundance, or grounding.
Right now, I’ve been reaching for the I am Lucky Number 7 necklace with malachite constantly. There’s something about the grounding energy of malachite paired with the symbolism of lucky numbers that just feels aligned.
I’m also completely obsessed with our new I Am Magic necklace in blue lapels with and anch and Isis wings because and I’ll say this with full conviction we are all magic. Wearing it is a little daily reminder that I hold the power to manifest my dreamlife .
And then there’s the Rainbow Bright necklace, which I layer during the day and style up for evenings. We’ve just released it as a bracelet too, and I am sure it’s going to be one of our bestselling summer pieces. It adds colour, personality, and that playful energy I love in a jewellery stack.
The Draya Earrings: The First Piece I Named After Myself
For the first time ever, I named a pair of earrings after my nickname the Draya earrings and they feel incredibly personal.
I love mixing metals, and although Celeste Starre and STACKED are predominantly gold brands, I love weaving in touches of white gold. The Draya earrings do exactly that. They’re substantial without being heavy, cool enough for the beach but elevated enough for dinner at the Beach House at The Regent. They really embody my personal style: layered, strong, versatile, and expressive.
Why Waterproof Jewellery Changed Everything for Me in Bali
Bali life is not gentle on jewellery. Between ocean swims, ice baths, saunas, steam rooms, pool days, and sweaty gym sessions, I needed pieces that could keep up with me without losing their beauty.
That’s exactly why we developed our STACKED waterproof jewellery line, and it has genuinely changed the way I get dressed every day.
I swim in it. Sauna in it. Steam in it. Wear it in the ocean, the pool, the ice bath. And it keeps its beautiful warm gold tone through all of it. On water-heavy days, I’m fully stacked in STACKED no questions, no second thoughts, no “should I take this off?”
When I’m out of the water, I lean into my Celeste Starre pieces, which have beautiful plating and elevated detailing. Like all plated jewellery, I recommend removing them in water so they last a lifetime, but paired with waterproof pieces, you genuinely get the best of both worlds.
We also have some incredible chunky waterproof bracelets launching now that I’m so excited about. They elevate even the simplest outfit and are built for exactly this kind of lifestyle.
Crystals, Talismans, & the Spiritual Side of Stacking
I’m deeply connected to crystals, and I love layering semi-precious stones alongside my talismans. Malachite, tiger’s eye, blue lapis, rose quartz, each one carries energy that I feel throughout the day.
After living in Bali for four years, so many of our pieces are designed with the energy of the island woven into them. Lucky talismans. Spiritual symbolism. Goddess energy drawn from cultures around the world. Ethically sourced crystals that feel deeply aligned with Bali’s essence.
I truly believe jewellery carries intention. It’s not just decoration. It’s an extension of your lifestyle and your energy. When you wear pieces that mean something to you, you embody what you’re calling in.
How I Style Jewellery for Different Moments
Morning café date: Colourful, layered, expressive. Meaningful talismans, stacked bracelets, multiple earrings. Full boss energy before 10am.
Beach or workout day: Fully STACKED in waterproof pieces. Bold, layered, and completely carefree. Nothing comes off, nothing gets damaged.
Meetings: Slightly more refined, but still very much *me*. Clean gold layers, intentional talismans, sprinkles of colours and earrings that say “I’m not affraid to make a statement”
Sunset drinks: This is where I go bigger. Statement earrings like the Draya, deeper necklace layers, bolder stacks of rings and bracelets. The golden hour deserves golden jewellery.
My Advice If You’re New to Stacking
Start with one meaningful necklace. Add small hoops. Choose one statement piece that makes you feel like *you*. Then build slowly and let your stack evolve naturally.
Stacking should feel intuitive, not forced. There are no rules only energy and intention.
Three Pieces I’d Pack for a Bali Weekend
1. I Am Magic necklace: for daily intention setting and effortless layering.
2. A STACKED waterproof bracelet stack: so I can move between beach, workouts, and saunas without ever taking my jewellery off.>
3. Draya earrings: because they work seamlessly from casual daytime to elevated evening looks.
Why Gold Jewellery and Bali Just... Work.
Gold complements sun-kissed skin beautifully and pairs effortlessly with the linen, denim, and natural fabrics that Bali life calls for. It transitions seamlessly from beach days to evenings out, catching the light in a way that feels warm, luxurious, and completely at home in the tropics.
Celeste Starre pieces are designed for exactly this intentional, versatile jewellery for real life. Durable enough for an active tropical lifestyle, meaningful enough to carry your energy and intention with you wherever the day takes you.
Shop the pieces mentioned in this post at celestestarre.com and discover your own way to stack with intention.
Follow Andraya’s Bali life on Instagram: @andrayakenton
