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Soapstone Menorah - Natural Stone
$158.00
$0.00
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Hand carved from soapstone by African craftsmen, this menorah is an elegant way to illuminate each night of Hanukkah. Each piece is mined from the Kisii hills of Kenya, and then chiseled and carved into shape. Because the artisans use rudimentary carving tools following traditional methods passed down through the ages, each piece will have differences in size, exact shape and texture. Candle holes may possibly not be symmetrical. These nuances attest to the unique, one-of-a-kind beauty of each piece.
Product features:
- Measures 12 x 2.5 x 6 inches. Due to the hand-carved nature, exact size may vary.
- Weighs approximately 15 lbs.
- Natural color stone. Colors may range from cream to grey to earthy gold in any single piece.
- Soapstone is a soft stone, making it ideal for carving into many forms. Use care when handling to avoid breakage.
- Each piece has gone through multiple stages of sanding and waxing, giving the soapstone a satiny finish.
- Fair Trade, socially responsible products that help alleviate global poverty.
Story Behind the Art:
Each sculpture is artfully hand-carved from a single piece of Kisii soapstone, found only in the hills of southwestern Kenya. Mining the soapstone from surface hills is a labor-intensive process, using little to no machinery. Laborers works with shovels, picks, axes and machetes to carve out large soapstone chucks, which are then carved into beautiful art. _
THE STORY BEHIND THE PRODUCT
Artisan Organization: SMOLArt
Country: Kenya
"Our Soapstone is carved by the artists of SMOLArt a group of artists who live in the rural village of Tabaka, Kenya, the heart of soapstone crafts. The name, a shortened version of Small, Medium, and Large Artists, refers to the size of the soapstone products the artisans make, not their stature. Established in 1990, SMOLArt is a member of the WFTO, and as such assures that the artisans are paid a fair price for their work. In addition, the organization support community development by contributing to projects that improve living conditions, education, and health of their members and the village at large. Soapstone is mined from great pits in the area surrounding Kiisi, Kenya. The mined soapstone is then delivered to carvers who carve sculptures from the natural stone for the wholesale market, the color of which ranges from cream, to pink, to brown, to yellow, to black, to a marbling of all of them. Once carved, the craftspeople smooth rough edges of the soapstone with sandpaper dipped in water and polish the piece to a high gloss or paint African motifs in brilliant colors with etched accents. All of the soapstone products we sell are completely handmade. The tools consist of household items from screwdrivers, hand drills, to switchblades. "Pangas," sword-like tools usually used for cutting down vegetation, are used to cleave the stone in the mines."
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