gifts we love

The reclaimed wood in these dangle earrings inspired by a Maya warrior tells a story of renewal and care about the environment. Guatemalan artisan Julio Molina transforms what others discard into delicate wooden sculptures filled with cultural significance that dance from lustrous sterling silver hooks. The intricate openwork carving demonstrates exceptional attention to detail, creating visual interest and lightweight comfort.

A little elephant calf wears the colors of natural wisdom in this adorable figurine by Thailand's Patarawan. Carved from raintree wood, this tiny elephant is later painted with folk art-themed motifs, displaying flowers and a palette of teal and fuchsia shades.

A tiny elephant calf wears the colors of compassion and friendship in this cute figurine by Thailand's Patarawan. Carved from raintree wood, this little elephant is later painted with folk art-themed motifs, displaying flowers and a palette of lavender and red shades.

Minimalism and eco-consciousness come together in these eye-catching dangle earrings. Boasting gleaming sterling silver hooks, this contemporary design by Guatemalan artisan Victor Hugo Lopez is carefully painted and carved by hand from pieces of palo blanco wood reclaimed from local sawmills and carpentries. “I love this jewelry collection I worked on with the help of my grandson Allan, who gave me ideas on creative ways to keep using reclaimed wood”, says the master craftsman. “Allan’s contribution allows me to maintain my commitment to not wasting this beautiful natural resource, and together we created high-quality products from what would have otherwise been discarded.”

This adorable retablo is the original creation of Alejandro Chavez in Peru. The wood and ceramic folk art accent features two levels. On the top, two Andean sweethearts express their love for each other while on the bottom, hand-crafted hearts are painted with the words Te amo (I love you). Retablos like this were inspired by the altarpieces first brought to Peru by Spanish conquerors.

Taking a walk, a nocturnal little cat brings the magnificence of Mexican folk art to your home. Zeny and Reyna hand-carve this alebrije figurine of copal wood, hand-painting the black cat with vibrantly colored intricate motifs. Small parts are separated for shipping to protect from breakage.

Alebrijes are a fairly recent Mexican art form, attributed to Pedro Linares. Unconscious due to illness in 1936, he was presumed near death and yet his dreams were extremely vivid. He tells of a place where all was peaceful and quiet until all of a sudden there appeared a lion with an eagle's head, a rooster with bull's horns and a donkey with butterfly wings. They kept screeching "alebrije, alebrije!" and Pedro began running away. He encountered a man who told him it was not yet his time to be there are and he should continue running towards the exit. In this dream Pedro climbed out of a window and regained consciousness.

Gusti Ngurah Semarajaya is a hardworking artisan from Indonesia, seamlessly combining wood carvings with painting. He designs this jewelry box, which is hand-carved from local jempinis wood. He paints the striking image of Bhoma on its surface, a fierce-looking god that is known as lord of the forest and protector of small villages. The box opens to reveal four small compartments that surround one large compartment, all lined with polyester velvet for storing pieces of jewelry. A convenient mirror is on the inside of the lid.

Carved from crocodile wood and painted by hand, this diminutive box depicts Sugriwa amid birds and flowers. Gung Gus creates the lovely design. The Hindu epic Ramayana tells how Sugriwa and his brother Subali bathed in the enchanted lake of the forest, thus turning into monkeys and becoming kings of different kingdoms. They helped Rama rescue Sita from the evil king Rahwana.