Many of you know that artisan-crafted jewelry is one of my big passions. I have been lucky enough to travel the world and work directly with the artisans in all of these countries to bring this extraordinary product to you. I wanted to explain exactly what artisan-crafted means because no one else can do what we do.
Artisan-crafted means that each component is hand crafted by an artisan. It takes many artisans to make one piece of jewelry because of the many components and parts that are a part of it. The artisans do not sit in big modern factories but most work in either their homes or workshops in small extended family groups. It takes a master artisan to put the different components together to form a single piece of jewelry. In Bali, for instance, a master artisan is called a Tukang and must have at least 10 years of experience creating jewelry. As in the production of the different parts, no machinery is used to assemble each piece.
Each country gets its inspiration from their environment: nature, architecture, family, history, etc. And each country has its own specific ways of producing artisan-crafted jewelry. In Taxco, for instance, they are known for their bold, high polished silver jewelry with either very clean lines or flowing designs as seen in the beautiful iron work scattered throughout Taxco. India is known more for their stone work and the inspirations from great architecture such as the Taj Mahal.
I have been working with many of these artisans for years and have seen first hand how their lives have been improved. In one of the remote villages in Thailand, for instance, they now have a school and paved roads. In Taxco, one of our main artisans has built a new house and workshop on a hill overlooking the beautiful valley, and in India, an artisan invited us into his family's new home for tea. It is so enriching to know that we are helping people improve their lives.
On May 5th, there will be 10 hours of Artisan-Crafted programming featuring fabulous new pieces and many old favorites. Some of my favorites include the first ever, boxed interchangeable set of earrings from Indonesia. This set is a great gift for yourself or someone else. I will also be showing you a pair of Keshi pearl earrings that are limited editions and are simply stunning. They have a slight pink hue to them and remind me of the famous Cherry Blossoms in DC. I am also excited about the abalone cross from Indonesia. It is the largest cross that could ever be made from a single piece of abalone - WOW!
My good friend Dominique Dinouart will be back with an amazing collar necklace that really shows why she is a noted sculptor. She also designed a beautiful flower link bracelet to match the ring, necklace, and earrings that I bought for my mother.
There are just too many other pieces that are fabulous as well, so please tune in to be sure that you don't miss anything!
Pepper22, thanks for the warm wishes. There were 76 beautiful women in their 70’s-90’s at mother’s birthday party and it was quite an event.
Summer of 72, I have passed your comments on to Erin, our designer buyer and will keep you posted.
Wishd4it, Judith has designed a very special earring and ring to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Cherry Blossom Festival in DC. The samples that I have seen so far are spectacular.
Take care,
Peyton
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