Handcrafted Sterling Silver Filigree Dove Pendant Necklace - Peace and Grace

Artisan Organization: Paola Siza

Country: Andes

"I'm Nancy. Paola is the name of our first child and, in honor of her, we have named our workshop Paola Siza. Siza means "flower" in the Quechua language, and this is a way for us to show what her arrival meant to us. After her birth, we as a family decided to set up a workshop in our home.

"My husband Richard, my brother-in-law Edwin and I worked in jewelry workshops, and we had experience working for others. We began little by little, and we received orders we could manage calmly along with other jobs, parallel to these. Both my husband and brother-in-law managed this.

"We specialize in silver filigree. This is a technique created by hand. It consists in filling hollow shapes made by the artisan with extremely fine strands of metal – usually gold or silver. This results in complex pieces of jewelry that look a bit like lace. Our work is very fine and we don't stop until each piece is perfect.

"Our goal is to continue growing, give jobs to our neighbors and, at the same time, train young people who are interested in this art. For us, it's important to leave a legacy in Peru's world of art." Tenemos como meta, seguir creciendo, dando más trabajo local a peruanos y al mismo tiempo, capacitar jóvenes que estés interesados en artesanía. Para nosotros es importante dejar un legado importante en la artesanía del Perú."