The Koumama FamilyThe CraftsmenThe TuaregNigerAnn Elston

About The Craftsmen Mohamed Master Craftsman 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. Mouhamed, maker of some of our most elegant pendants (e.g. Jaba, Chevrons, Crescents and Greek Key) spent many frustrating years before he saw the fruits of his labor pay off in family praise and marketplace success. You will enjoy owning the work of all the Koumama craftsmen and their individually signed jewelry!

Using only simple hand tools and implements that could be easily transported on camels (screwdrivers, nails, safety pins, files, charcoal and handheld bellows) Tuareg craftsmen have plied their trade for centuries. Although they now work in a central compound, they continue using the same traditional tools and methods to produce world class jewelry featured in traveling displays at well known museums such as UCLA's Fowler Museum, Stanford's Cantor Museum and the National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution. It is our pleasure to introduce some of the craftsmen whose work is displayed worldwide and soon, we hope, in your jewelry box.

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