About our Fair Trade Ornaments
Thirty years ago the village outside Chiang Mai, Thailand where these astoundingly well-crafted ornaments are made was chronically poor. Today it's thriving thanks to a creative partnership between over 400 artisans, like Chai and Chan pictured below, and Pilgrim Imports of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
No longer do parents send their kids away to faraway big cities to work in grueling and often dangerous factories. They are able to remain in their home town and utilize traditional metal-working skills that have been passed down through generations in this beautiful bucolic region where family and food are cherished.
Each piece is crafted by hand, usually in the artisans' homes, allowing them to escape the rat race of long bus commutes and daycare. No lead or other dangerous chemicals are used (lime juice is the strongest solvent!) so there is no industrial waste and the area farmland and streams remain pristine.
The living wage jobs in the village have propelled improvements in other areas of civic life too. For example, the elementary school recently installed a paved road, computers in classrooms, and running drinking water. The Thai government has deemed this once destitute school a model for rural education.
Purchasing these ethically made ornaments will bring joy in so many ways. For the recipient who relishes in the craftsmanship and quality of the gift, for the artisans who build better and better lives for themselves and their families, and for you knowing your gift touched lives near and far.