Imagine...
... a
box with no apparent way to open it, yet if you know the secret
– you can. One box might take 4 steps, another 54. Now imagine a
store with not a couple, a few, or even a dozen – but nearly
100
of these amazing Japanese
puzzle boxes.
... a
carved wooden jaguar head decorated with over 50,000 beads, each
individually placed, forming intricate patterns. An art form
perfected by the Huichol Indians of Mexico.
... a
tiny basket, so tightly woven that they say it can hold water.
Such are the baskets of the Wounaan Indians of Panama.
... a
sculpture that is half giraffe, half gazelle and just so happens
to be purple and orange. This is the whimsical work known as Alebrijes to the people of Oaxaca, Mexico.
... a gold
lacquer vase that took a master craftsman over a month to
complete. Or a jade sculpture that took 3 months. Or a tiny bottle
with a portrait painted on the inside
Imagine
these items and thousands more, each with a story, waiting to be
discovered. |
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TAGUA CARVINGS FROM ECUADOR
Shop our Carvings from Ecuador - Located
in the northwest portion of Ecuador, a unique venture began called the Tagua
Initiative was formed. This began
in 1990 by Conservation International as a means of creating economic incentives
associated with the tagua palm nut, trying to find a way for the harvests to be
sustained. Because of this
initiative, today we see almost 2,000 people belonging to the Comuna Rio
Santiago-Cayapas, holding down jobs. However,
these jobs depend on the rainforest being left unharmed, allowing the tagua nut
to continue growing. |
TAGUA CARVINGS FROM PANAMA
Shop our Tagua
Carvings - Imported directly
from the Native Indian Artists that created these little masterpieces. Choose
from Animals, Fish, Birds, and Reptiles - all native to the country of Panama
that the carvings come from. The
tagua nut has a strong resemblance to animal ivory, making it a wonderful
resource for creating all types of beautiful things.
For many years, the tagua nut was used primarily for making buttons but
with new technology and more affordable materials such as plastics, a decline
began. Even so, the tagua nut still
has value in the making of other things to include chess set pieces, jewelry,
handles for canes, dice, figurines, etc. |
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Featured Products
THAI SILK SCARVES
 Shop our Silk Scarves & Shawls - Because
Thailand is the only Southeast Asian nation to have never been ruled by a
European power, silk production is much more traditional.
Additionally, Thai silk is considered exceptionally durable and high
quality. This quality silk is
washed, and then dyed carefully to produce stunning and memorable colors. |
TEA SETS & TEA POTS
 Shop our Tea
Sets - from Japan, China, and Vietnam that match our
other Japanese Tableware perfectly. Dozens of varieties of Tea
are also available. |
CHINESE FANS
 Shop our Chinese
Fans - The Chinese elevated the common
fan to an art form. We know that
leaves and bird feathers were used as early fans but China gets credit for being
the first place where fans were manufactured. |
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