Wednesday, April 25, 2012

AFGHAN JEWELRY, YO

top and cardigan - thrifted, bag from euphoria, shorts from bodhi imports, thrifted boots, ebay bootstraps, necklace c/o uber kuchi, charm bracelet from vestige, turquoise bracelet from a navajo trade post in arizona, thrifted belt


Probably the first thing you will notice in this post is that enormous and amazing piece on my neck. Along with other necklaces, a lot of the jewelry I wear come from countries around the world. This Afghan necklace is from Uber Kuchi, a perfect store on etsy with jewelry from Afghanistan, Central Asia, Africa and Israel. It is definitely worth a gander.

For those of you who are unaware, I would like to give you a lil' snip-it of insight into the world of Afghan jewelry and why you should buy.

As you know, thirty-some years ago the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, leaving millions of people flooding to refugee camps mostly in Pakistan and Iran, and others displaced around the country. Millions of land mines were placed all over the country, resulting in an ungodly amount of dead and disabled people, a lot of whom were women and children. Those same land mines and bombs exposed Afghanistan's natural gem deposits like Lapis Lazuli used to make some of the jewelry you see today. (*see bloggers wearing Lapis here and here.*) Cities were bombed, farms were bombed, generating lots of jobless and family-less people. In many instances, those that could work took jobs weaving carpets and making jewelry. In the early stages, wages were cheap, and the workers were predominantly female. Women learned the craft from being around other women, and warlords supplied them with gems to make some money. 

Since there is no direct trade with Afghanistan, most of the Afghan jewelry you see was crafted in Pakistan or Turkey. In fact, the city of Peshawar in Northern Pakistan is referred to as "Afghan Town". Passed down from generations, a lot of women nowadays have learned to hand make this traditional inspired jewelry in refugee camps or from their own homes to support their families and afford education. They cut, sand, and polish the gems before they hand make each piece. Most organizations that sell their pieces are fair trade, where the women are paid well above local wages. Often this can help empower these women to leave abusive situations in which they couldn't otherwise flee due to financial suffering. Pretty rad, eh? I could go into it more, but you get the idea, and I need to take Sticky out before she takes another dump in my closet.

With that said, BUY FAIR TRADE (betcha didn't realize fair trade included things that weren't edible!). BUY AFGHAN JEWELRY. On top of it looking freaking AWESOME, you now know what you are supporting and in turn can sleep that much better at night.


Photobucket

20 comments:

  1. I guess you never think of clothing or accessories to be fair trade as weird as that may be, but it's definitely a thought. Also it's nice to own something that isn't mass produced and therefore unoriginal. Love these images the sky in the first shot is awesome!

    http://lilylovelock.blogspot.co.uk/

    x

    ReplyDelete
  2. love that you included such an insightful paragraph as to why people should buy afghani jewelry. i wish the entire fashion blogging community would put half the amount of effort into posting something worthwhile. also, of course this outfit is perfect, as if i needed to say it.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your outfit is divine! Love it! And definitely going to take a look at that shop you linked

    ReplyDelete
  4. You have the best jewelry. That collar is amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love that this post is informative and really stylish. Love the outfit, and the info is good to keep in mind (:

    couturing.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. ummmm... hell yes I'm buying everything in that etsy shop. and wonderful explanation/history. for reals.

    ReplyDelete
  7. very informative post as well as the most perfect outfit ever; definitely checking out that etsy shop ;)

    CRYSTAL HEARTS VINTAGE

    ReplyDelete
  8. Awesooome. Cheers for the link and info, will definitely be getting some of that!

    ReplyDelete
  9. loving this look - such great details going on, and that necklace is phenomenal, following you on bloglovin now ;)

    ReplyDelete
  10. ah thank you so much for the comment on my blog! Im so gladyou commented as your blog and style is so amazing and really inspirational. And as for thejewellery, it is amazing! I love getting jewellery from other countries and items that have culture built into them:)

    rebecca x
    scatterrbrained.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  11. You actually make it seem so easy together with your presentation but I in finding this topic to
    be really one thing which I believe I might never understand.
    It seems too complex and very large for me. I am looking forward on your subsequent publish,
    I'll attempt to get the grasp of it!
    my page :: follow the link

    ReplyDelete
  12. can we take a moment to appreciate the fact that it says "cake <3" on the wall behind you?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ( that was from isabel hendrix fyi )

      Delete