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About the Artisans
Making Jewelry in eSwatini (Swaziland)
Sisal, Grass and Sterling Silver Jewelry
The Weavers
This Fair Trade handwoven jewelry is lovingly handcrafted by women in the mountains of Northern Swaziland. Only a few weavers and silver workers have the skill and talent to create this intricately woven miniature disk jewelry.
Some weavers in Swaziland choose to weave baskets while others will choose to weave these jewelry disks.
Weaving the miniature jewelry disks is some of the finest weaving anywhere. And the weavers in Swaziland must first make the thread to weave with.
Solid Sterling Silver Jewelry
Several silver artisans in Swaziland create handmade bezels to surround the finest of the miniature woven disks. Each disk is carefully matched to each bezel, as all of the pieces vary slightly due to their handmade nature.
The silver workers also do some of the link work and make other custom silver pieces to embellish the jewelry.
Natural Jewelry
This jewelry utilizes the miniature woven disks to create earrings, necklaces, bracelets and rings. In some cases, disks will be sewn together to create layered color designs. Silver metals in this type of jewelry are Sterling Silver plated over a nickel free base.
About Sisal
The sisal plant grows as a weed throughout Swaziland. It is a close relative to the yucca plants in the American Southwest that are used by Native Americans to weave their baskets. Sisal originated in Mexico and spread across the world as it was planted to use its fiber which is perfect for making rope.
The fibers are stripped from leaves by scraping a tin can or other metal object over the leaf and against a piece of wood to remove the leaf pulp. Very thin, very strong fibers remain which are spun together to make long threads, perfect for weaving. Batches of threads are then dyed to prepare for weaving.
Jewelry Care
It is best to remove jewelry before bathing or swimming, as chlorine in water can cause pieces to fade over time.
To clean solid sterling silver, you can remove the disks from the bezels, polish the bezel with a silver cleaning cloth, and then return the disk to its original position in that bezel. Make sure the disk is seated fully in the bezel so it is secure. Each disk is specific to each bezel, so be sure to keep them in the same order and direction and that they are well seated.
About eSwatini (Swaziland)
eSwatini, formerly and still commonly known in English as Swaziland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. It is bordered by Mozambique to its northeast and South Africa to its north, west, and south. At no more than 200 kilometers (120 mi) north to south and 130 kilometers (81 mi) east to west, eSwatini is one of the smallest countries in Africa; despite this, its climate and topography are diverse, ranging from a cool and mountainous highveld to a hot and dry lowveld.
The government is an absolute monarchy, ruled by King Mswati III since 1986. Umhlanga, the reed dance held in August/September, and incwala, the kingship dance held in December/January, are the nation’s most important events.
The Swazi population faces major health issues: HIV/AIDS and (to a lesser extent) tuberculosis are widespread. It is estimated that 26% of the adult population is HIV-positive. As of 2018, eSwatini has the 12th-lowest life expectancy in the world, at 58 years. The population of eSwatini is young, with a median age of 20.5 years and people aged 14 years or younger constituting 37.5% of the country’s total population.
Source: Wikipedia
Shop with a conscience. Choose Fair Trade goods.
All of our African baskets are verified Fair Trade, because we believe that indigenous people around the world should be compensated fairly for their amazing work.