Colombia is home to the highest degree of biodiversity per hectare of any country in the world. It is abundantly rich in minerals, including gold, silver, platinum, emeralds, coal and oil, and its soils are dark and fertile. Tragically (and predictably), the ongoing political and military struggle over the control of this wealth has lead to severe environmental degradation, and the persecution, forced displacement and murder of millions of Colombians.

Peasant, indigenous and Afro-Colombian communities are increasingly pressured to replace subsistence crops with cash crops, especially coca, and to discard traditional ways of life.

Jewellery making and the continuation of traditional handcrafts provide a sustainable alternative to this. All our jewellery, bags, hats, jugs, plates and other traditional arts are made using natural, locally available fibres and seeds.

Colombia's floral diversity provides artists with an extraordinary palate of colours for natural dyes, and all the colours in our jewellery are 100% organic – even the most vibrant greens and electric blues. Of course, many of the seeds are just naturally colourful!!

Every piece of jewellery we sell is a thoughtfully handmade original. If you buy something, and love it as much as we do, we can arrange for you to send a photo of you wearing it to the artist who made it. This is a way of creating dialogue between those who make, and those who appreciate, which is increasingly rare in a world carved by borders. Not all the artisans have access to the Internet, but those who do love to know who has bought their work.