Handmade Silver Jewelry
Great Art for a Great CauseThe Story of Tuareg Jewelry
Tuareg Jewelry is fine silver jewelry made by artisans of the Koumama family. Once a nomadic tribe, today the Koumama family lives in Agadez, a historic city in Northern Niger. They are famous for creating unique, high-quality, fine silver jewelry using only simple hand tools and traditional Tuareg methods passed down for 25 generations. The goal of this tribe is to preserve the art of the Tuareg and create sustainable jobs for the silversmiths. Although "born into the trade", Koumama men serve extensive apprenticeships under the watchful eyes and guidance of older and more experienced family members. They begin by making the simplest of designs often to see them scrapped and re-melted. Only after years of painstaking effort do they begin to make jewelry deemed suitable for sale under the Koumama name. Some items, like crosses, are made using the ancient "lost wax" method. Giorgio Armani's Spring Summer 2011 collection
inspired by the Tuareg people of North Africa, |
 Tuareg JewelrySilver Jewelry each piece signed by the artist |
