Tuareg Jewelry Selling Wholesale
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Tuareg Jewelry Booth
The objective of TuaregJewelry.com is to create jobs for as many Tuareg artisans as possible. In 2006 we started a wholesale division. That part of the business expanded in 2007 with most of the sales to museum shops and ethnic art galleries. We offer customers who carry the line the opportunity to be listed on the website under “Retail Stores” on the Home Page.
In January we participated in the San Francisco International Gift Fair. We will be making our second appearance at the Museum Store Association Convention in April in Tampa.
We welcome inquiries about wholesale purchases from businesses with valid resale licenses. I can be reached either via email at annelston@lossing.com or by telephone at 415-332-5598 or 415-882-4200.
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Elhadji Koumama Opens a Niamey Shop
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Boutique Koumama in Niamey, Niger
In the Fall of 2007 Elhadji built a building on Mahamadou Issoufou Street near Chateau 1 in Niamey to house a retail shop, workshop and shelter for some of the artisans. It is at the intersection with New City Eamac, about 300 meters west of the Stadium Seini Kountche. Elhadji speaks English so people in Niamey can contact him via mobile phone at 96 96 29 24 for directions and hours.
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Interior of Boutique Koumama
The shop has a lovely selection of 99% pure silver jewelry, including pendants, rings, earrings, bracelets and animal figures. Visitors can also watch the artisans creating the jewelry.
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Inquiring Minds Want to Know:
How are stone pendants made?
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Silver box for stone pendant.
Crafting silver and stone pendants requires special skill. One method involves making a two part “box” the precise shape of the stone. A design is then drawn on the top side and cut out by hand with a very fine blade. If there is a hole in the stone it is faced with silver by inserting a silver tube through it. Then the edges of the box are soldered together so that the back of the stone is covered in silver and the front has silver trim. The silver is filed and sanded smooth and then engraved.
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Cutting silver by hand with a thin saw.
The encased stone is attached to a cord with a separate piece hinged to the stone. That top piece may be an engraved bar with tsabit knob ends or an elaborate 3-dimensional piece.
While I was in Niamey in January I watched several men in Jaba’s shop work together for a week to create 12 pendants.
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Stone encased in silver.
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Stone with central medallion.
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Pendant ready for edge soldering.
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Finished Pendant.
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Another Style of Stone Pendant.
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