The native materials used in the handmade silver jewelry of the Tikanchay collection bring the pieces to life with color. The Huayruro seeds are bright red, the spondylus shell ranges in color from purple to orange to a crimson red. In addition, the blue of the sodalite stone, the blues and greens of Peru’s native turquoise (chrysocolla) and the deep black of the obsidian stone, bring an element of mystique with their reputed powers and symbolic natures. Now imagine the story of the individual artisans who create our Peruvian jewelry designs, from Cuzco and Pisac in the south, from Catacaos and Chiclayo in the north and from Huancayo, a central valley in Peru. And of course, the artisans of Lima who create pieces like the Obsidian jewelry shown above. They learned their crafts at their parents’ knees using techniques that have been passed from generation to generation. As I travel the country working with our artisan families, I never fail to be amazed and impressed by the talent, expertise and imagination of these artisans. Each new design is an innovation with a story to tell, a culturally rich and visually exciting fashion statement that we are proud to bring to market.
