soapstone collected and carved locally in western Kenya
“Soapstone is actually a type of rock, mostly made of the mineral talc, that is very easily molded and therefore often used in sculpting. In Kenya, it is found in quarries near the town of Kisii, in the western part of the country. After extracting the rock, artisans immerse the soapstone in water to soften it, allowing it to be molded, sculpted and sanded into beautiful pieces. This is very labor intensive and always done by hand. Although the soapstone can be naturally found in a variety of colors, it is also possible to color and decorate the final piece.”
Bracelets from sculpted sustainable material– tagua nuts (Ecuador)
“The tagua nut is the seed of the Ivory Nut Palm tree, a native species of the South American rainforest, especially found in Ecuador and Colombia. This unassuming seed is collected by indigenous farmers and distributed to artisan groups who sculpt and “˜clean-up’ the tagua nut creating a smooth surface which can then easily be colored into beautiful hues of blues, golds, greens, reds, pinks and much more.” This industry sustainably uses renewable resources and doesn’t require the deforestation commonly associated with other industries.
Rishi Tea (organic and sourced from Egypt, India, and China)
This fair trade company is actually based in Milwaukee.
