This handcraft creation is offered in partnership with NOVICA, in association with National Geographic.Glossy purple creates a striking contrast with natural soapstone in earrings from Ghana's Rachel Armah. She crafts the earrings by hand with enhanced agate, and adds miniscule bauxite beads. Armah call this design Oboafo Ye Na an Akan phrase meaning a good person is hard to find. The earrings are worn on brass hooks.
Product Features:
- Weight: 1.02 oz
- Dimension: 2.4" L x 0.6" W
- Style: Dangle
- Gemstone colors: Green, purple
- Gemstone shapes: Bead
- Two bezel-set bead-cut agates each measure 15 mm
- Material: Soapstone
- Metal: Brass
- Clasp: Hook
- Made in Ghana
Story Behind the Art:
Growing up in Abiriw was enjoyable and exciting. It was very much a communal life, and every year in September we celebrated the Odwira festival to give thanks for a good harvest and year. Festivities included a grand durbar of chiefs amidst drumming and dancing. The highlight of the celebration for me as a young girl was the display of the beautiful traditional colorful attires that people wore and accessorized with gorgeous beaded necklaces and other adornments.I am a single mother of two daughters and due to the hardships I have faced as a single mother, I have done all I can to support my girls through petty trading and teaching. With my background in clothing and textiles, I started sewing for people to supplement my income and I realized the need for accessories to enhance the cloths I produced. With this awareness coupled with the rich cultural experience I had growing up in different towns, I got into bead making.I learned the skill from a friend who graciously taught me at no cost. It was a very smooth and pleasant learning process and I was excited to put to use what I was taught. My friend was a good teacher and I a keen student, so in three months I was ready to start crafting pieces and selling them. However, due to financial constraints I wasn't start my own venture, I needed some capital to buy the materials and tools to start. God being so good I was able to put some money aside through my sewing to purchase what I needed and I have been designing and crafting beads since 2007. I am currently focused on my sewing and bead making, and now there is one more artisan and two apprentices who help me with both trades. I also call upon casual workers for when it gets really busy.I have a real passion for what I do and I work mostly with natural stones made into beads. I travel quite a distance to the eastern region of Ghana to get natural bauxite and soapstone. I am in contact with stone carvers there who shape and cut them to my specifications.
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