Weaving   |   Silver

With unemployment in Ethiopia as high as 60-70% in some areas, the income artisans earn by creating these intricate silver pieces may be their only chance to sustain their families. Historically a craft for men, we have several master silver artisans who create our pendants, bracelets and chains.

One such craftsman is Gebre Medhin Bisrat who grew up as a rebel fighter for the People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (ERPDF) and fought against the former Ethiopian military government "the Degue." In 1988 at the age of 23 he married a female revolutionary and two years later turned in his weapons having had enough of the life of a fighter. He and his family moved in within a relative who taught him how to make jewely Gebre Medhin was quick to learn this traditional craft of his people. Working with both gold and silver, the latter made by melting out of circulation silver dollars called Maria Teresa thalers, and using timeworn techniques and simple tools, Gebre Medhin has grown his business enough to hire two other jewelers.

He is a beneficiary of the Ethiopian Cultural Heritage Project Artisanal Craft Development Program based in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. Gebre Medhin is especially known for his filigree work and his ability to create designs inspired by traditional Ethiopian motifs which draw from the religious symbols of Christianity, Islam and Judaism alike.