Meaningful and Beautiful Jewelry – Nikaya Handcrafted

I just fell in love with Nikaya’s gorgeous brass pendant necklaces and then, fell head over heels when I heard the Nikaya story. The Nikaya Handcrafted company’s products encompass all the notions of “meaningful business” and “meaningful beauty”. The company was started by Andrea and Brandon Ross, a dynamic husband and wife duo. After having lived in Southeast Asia for five years the Ross’ wanted to find a way to bring the traditional crafts they so admired to a wider audience.

“Nikaya allows us to share the traditional Cambodian craftsmanship with the world and enables buyers to help provide a sustainable livelihood for local artists to help them build their businesses and escape poverty. Each of our products is so unique and really represents the past and present of Cambodia, as well as the amazing workmanship.”

The home décor, jewelry or fashion accessory pieces are each created in different homes and villages throughout Cambodia, giving women and the rural poor the chance to earn a sustainable living wage to support their families and improve their lives.

The unique and modern designs are created under the tutelage of Design Director Alexander Adel – a Savannah College of Art and Design alum (I’m a fan!) – with great respect for the local and traditional handicraft techniques and influences.

The brass jewelry, and the pendants that I went gaga over, are crafted from recycled shell casings, a metaphor for allowing a painful part of Cambodia’s history to be recreated into something beautiful. Each piece is handmade by a small group of talented artisans. They hammer down and manipulate the old shell casings piece by piece creating a wearable work of art.

Is that beautiful or what? And, at under $35.00, these necklaces are a steal. What a superb gift idea. Of course, I had to buy one myself. I chose the “Simple Peace” pendant. Love it, wear it all the time and collect compliments.

All that and I didn’t even have a chance to mention all the other philanthropic programs happening through Nikaya. You’ll have to read about those here. Oh, and also need to mention that the company is fully fair-trade compliant and eco-friendly. See the rest of their home décor and lifestyle accessories collection here.