Hand Crafted Sterling Silver and Gemstone Charm Necklace - Banyan Tree

Artisan Organization: Ketut Sulastri

Country: Indonesia

"I'm Ketut Sulastri and I make jewelry. I'm a married woman who is known to be a hard worker, and a diligent and happy woman. I was born to parents who were construction workers. Since I was a little girl, I used to work after school as a silversmith to pay the school fees and help my parents so they could buy things.

"I learned to craft jewelry by observing people making it. When I was 15, I started taking orders and making them at home. I also started creating my own designs. Since I like jewelry so much, this became more of a hobby. Many of my designs are inspired by traditional Balinese arts and crafts combined with the current jewelry trends.

"I opened a small shop ten years later to sell my designs. That was a great moment in my life, and I felt my life was improving so I could help my parents and also my neighbors by giving them orders to complete. Now there are 20 women who assist me, and they are mostly homemakers from my neighborhood. They now have a chance to earn more money and have a better life.

"I use sterling silver, gemstones, beads and nylon cord in my creations. We use manual tools like scissors, needles, solder and pliers.

"I hope everyone helps us to sell more of my designs, so I can recruit more neighborhood women who really need more income.""