Don’t forget to come to the National Craft Fair in the RDS this December to buy some new jewels for yourself or a loved one!

What is Thai (Karen Hilltribe) and Bali silver, and how is it made?

The Thai beads and pendants I use as a part of my jewelry creations are made by the Karen Hill Tribes in Northern Thailand using traditional methods passes down from generation to generation. Purchasing these Thai beads helps sustain a traditional craft and provides the Karen people with a reliable source of income. The silver content in the Hill Tribe silver beads and pendants is typically 95-99%, even higher than sterling (92.5%). This higher silver content is softer and therefore easier to shape into all the unique and wonderful styles. On close inspection you will notice that no two pieces are exactly alike, attesting to the handmade nature of these beautiful pieces.

I personally hand-pick all of the beads and precious metals that I use. Bali and Thai (Karen) silver are sourced by me in my travels, directly from the artesians themselves.

Bali silver is astonishingly ornate and has 92.5% (Sterling) or higher silver content. Each dot and spiral meticulously rendered by hand to create the astonishingly ornate beads- each one a work of art in itself! I also go personally to Bali especially to source these ornate silver beads by hand.

Both types of silver comply to Fair Trade regulations.

Several of my pieces are one of kind and cannot be recreated due to the limited amount of materials available. However I may be able to make a very similar looking piece of jewelry for you using similar stones or colours.

I would like to have an item of jewelry custom-made to my own design and specifications. Is this possible?

Yes, I will be happy to help you. Please use my contact form to describe the type of design you require (perhaps reference similar items/components on my website) and if you have a budget. I will contact you via email to inform you whether or not it would be possible to make your design, and approximately how much it would cost. I require a 50% non-refundable deposit, to cover the cost of some of the materials.

I want a piece of jewellery from your website; how can I buy it?

This website will soon be a fully functional E-retail site. At the moment, if you would like to place an order, you can communicate with me through the ‘contact page’, by email, or you can also order by telephone by calling +353-86-376-4189. Please have your card details to hand.

Guarantee

I take great pride in my work and take particular care to ensure that your piece of jewelry is of sufficient quality to be a keepsake.

Here are some examples of the different styles of hooks available for the earrings from Courtney Designs.

Stud, clip-on, french wire, kidney wire, and different hook styles. If you have an additional style in mind, please let me know and I can try to make/ source it!

The various Hill Tribes live in the area known as the Golden Triangle, where Thailand, Laos and Burma (Myanmar) all come together. The Hill Tribes consist of six distinct groups, each with its own characteristic dress, customs and styles of ornamentation. The Tribes are known in Thailand as the Karen (Kariang, Yang), the Hmong (Meo), the Mien (Yeo), the Akha (Kaw), the Lahu (Mussur), and the Lisu (Lisaw). All of the tribes do silversmithing.

The tribal villages are scattered over an immense area. Some can only be approached on foot; others are serviced by primitive dirt (mud) roads. The people have a difficult existence, growing rice and wresting their other needs from the jungle. In this border area, they are plagued by the activities of smugglers, rogue soldiers and opium warlords.

The people in many of the tribes have learned the collectors in the outside world are tremendously interested in their crafts. They have success in making basketry, musical instruments, jewellery, tools, utensils, weapons, traps and clothing for sale to townspeople.

Watching how the jewellery is made took me back to my first silversmithing class years ago. Silver ingots are flattened by pounding with hammers. The resulting sheet is cut with jewellers’ saws, inch-by-inch, and wire is repeatedly pulled through ancient draw ties.

Repousse work is accomplished by hammering thin silver sheets into black tar moulds. The silver they use is soft; they use a .999 pure silver, not the .925 sterling to which we are accustomed. The jewellery they create, with such tremendous effort, has enormous consequence to them; not just as objects of value but also as items of classic beauty and symbolic significance. The pieces go together surprisingly fast, but on inspection we notice that there are no two pieces that are exactly alike; each has its unique, handmade characteristics.

Buying this silver from the Hill Tribes helps the Hill Tribes maintain their culture through providing work for the villages. Without such work, the young people are forced to drift into the towns, looking for city-work. With a steady flow of orders, they hope to continue to train the young people in their silversmithing traditions and to reverse the city trend and continue their tribal culture.

Karen Hill Tribe Silver

The Thai beads and pendants I use in my jewellery creations are made by the Karen Hill Tribe in northern Thailand using traditional tribal methods passed down from generation to generation. Purchasing these Thai beads helps sustain a traditional craft and provides the Karen people with a reliable source of income. The silver content in our Hill Tribes silver beads and pendants is typically 95-99%, even higher than sterling (92.5%). This higher silver content is softer and therefore easier to shape into all the unique and wonderful styles. On close inspection you will notice that no two pieces are exactly alike, attesting to the handmade nature of these beautiful pieces.

Here are some further examples of their work, some of which is available for sale at my stalls, or incorporated into my designs.

My favorite piece- a very feminine shape!

A selection of Hilltribe silver pendants from my stall.

I wanted to share some photos with you of my travels to Thailand, my visit to the Karen Hilltribe village near Pai, Chang Mai. I source my Hilltribe silver- used in many of my jewellery creations- directly from them in my travels. I am always amazed and delighted at the intricate and ethnic designs which they create out of pure silver, handcrafted up in the mountains, with rustic tools and surroundings. (see tomorrow’s post for some photos of the silversmiths, some samples of my favorite pieces, and more general information about Hilltribe silver.)

My sister Sairah Tyler (on the right) and I, (Courtney Tyler) visiting a Hilltribe village near Pai, Chang Mai, Northern Thailand.

….curious eyes….

Cooking dinner. The hard way!!

A Karen Hill tribe woman weaving a scarf.

Joy, the elephant.

Guarantee

I take great pride in my work and take particular care to ensure that your piece of jewelry is of sufficient quality to be a keepsake.