A Small, Beautiful Way To Help Tibet

At Crossroads Trade we carry beautiful things not only for their beauty, but as a way to provide support and to uphold the dignity of refugees and exiles. Many oppressed people flee with their talents and their work ethic intact, and seek to express them and to provide income for their families. Kate made that commitment to help again when this morning she bought jewelry from Jewels of Tibet, headquartered in far northern India. Many Tibetan exiles are living and working in northern India, and we provide the connection from you to them.

The new finds range from the classically beautiful to the fun. The pendants feature the highly symbolic double dorjee motif. Known in Sanskirt as vajra, it represents both a diamond and thunderbolt, with all the attendant associations of power and strength. The well-known symbol of the lotus glows on the rings.
The scrap-metal necklaces are remarkable. Made of dozens of tiny cups, these necklaces hold their shape when twisted. They can be worn as necklaces, knotted or unknotted, but they're also striking when wrapped around your wrist.

As I write, the Bejing Olympics are in full force. Even as the athletes are competing, awareness of the fate of Tibet, of protestors suppressed and web sites shut down, is always present. The symbols on our jewelry are not only religious and cultural symbols, but symbols of a people who will not go away. How can you help the people of Tibet? One way is right here.

-- Lisa

Not Your Usual Recyling Center

The recycling we do at Crossroads goes way beyond taking our flattened cardboard to the local drop-off. We carry an ever-growing assortment of goods made from recycled material. Our insecticide-can cars from Burkina Faso in West Africa (one of many styles of galimoto) reflect the ingenuity of kids and adults who fashion their toys out of what's thrown away. The Burkina Faso sparkplug musicians bring a note of whimsy along with a strong sense of design.

Some of our most popular recycled offerings come from Haiti. We do business with a group of men that flattens and burns out the residue from steel oil drums. The steel is cut into a variety of critters and painted in wonderfully cheerful patterns.

We have lots of jewelry from recycled materials. Brazilian magazine pages have been fashioned into bracelets and earrings. Our can-tab bracelets always bring hoots of recognition (perhaps some customers have their own collections?) when spied in the shop.

But there's so much more here at Crossroads Trade. We'll be posting an entry about our wallets and bags made from recycled material. Our recycled items are made by artisans who can work without investing a lot of capital in supplies and who make a dent in reducing the waste stream around the world. And all our recycled roducts are a lot of fun.

Gorgeous jewelry from Christopher Nieto

Our jewelry from Christopher Nieto, an artist from the Santo Domingo Pueblo (a place and a people, in northern New Mexico), arrived with a hand-written letter from him. Many of the pieces he sent are new designs, unavailable anywhere else.

"The eight-strand nugget choker (blue turquoise) is from Nevada; it's a really good stone and color, some of the better quality I've come across in a while."

The single-strand necklace features turquoise from Kingman, Arizona, where Chris can get "a wide variety of different shades" at one time.

The multi-colored stone chokers are "all various stones from all over the world."



Christopher Nieto jewelry sells for up to $1,500. Ours (we have more than what is shown here) range from $85 to $350. If you have coveted one of his necklaces, here is an excellent opportunity to acquire one at a good price.

New Jewelry at Crossroads Trade

We're making great progress in finding new sources for Indian jewelry! I've tracked down two artisans from Santo Domingo Pueblo, New Mexico, whom I'd been trying to contact for some time. Daniel Coriz makes spectacular inlaid earrings. Chris Nieto makes Santo Domingo's trademark hand-made heishi bead necklaces, in which every bead is ground by hand. Chris Nieto's work will arrive next week. We hope to have Daniel's earrings within the next few weeks.

Just received: a variety of Indian jewelry, including: Lupe Lovato's turquoise slab and hand-ground beaded earrings from Santo Domingo; Zuni inlaid and needlepoint earrings; and Navajo earrings and bracelets with a variety of stones and settings.

We also just received a shipment of lovely Balinese earrings. These pieces are made in five family workshops, and come to the US through a fair trade wholesaler. For this round, we've chosen a variety of shells in striking, simple, silver settings.

Please stop by for a look,or ask us to e-mail you photos!

Kate

Welcome to the Crossroads Trade blog!

Crossroads Trade now has a blog! Here you'll find the latest news -- new arrivals to the store, discussions on fair trade, and how the events of the world effect a charming little shop in Coolidge Corner.

The blogs will either be signed by Kate or Lisa: Kate Harris, the store's owner, or Lisa Deeley Smith, who works there.

Spread the word! Come back often!