Valuable gifts for loved ones, Beautifully used as a gift that
will please the recipient.
Thai Karen hill tribe silver
Karen hill tribe 2015-2022
Being between 98-99% pure silver, Karen silver has a higher
silver content than Sterling silver. It's just the solder used to fuse the
silver components together that makes up the last fractions of a percent.
Consequently, it has a weight, bright satin colour, and feel, all of its own.
Every piece is handmade and individual. The hand-hammered and chased details
are wonderful and you can actually see evidence of each piece having been
formed by the hands of a Karen craftsman. These pieces are not usually
hallmarked in any way, but we can guarantee their origins.Karen People
Thai and Burmese hill tribes can be traced back to the 12th
century, originating from Tibet. The Karen tribe is the largest of around
twenty hill tribes whose total population today numbers more than seven million
across The Union of Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand. In Thailand, around 400,000
Karen live at between 800m and 1800m up in the mountainous and densely forested
regions of Mae Hong Son, due west of Chiang Mai. Most villages are remote from
Thai civilisation. Houses are made of teak or bamboo and usually constructed on
stilts to provide space and shelter for livestock. The Karen villagers have few
possessions and little if any furniture, usually sleeping on floor mats,
cooking on open fires, and drawing washing and drinking water from a nearby
river. They are predominately farmers of agricultural produce for their own use
and are often referred to as 'The farmers of the forest'. Some speak the Karen
language, whilst others speak Thai.
Hill Tribe or Thai silver is hand-crafted by the Karen Hill Tribes of Thailand. It is rolled and hammered with primitive tools. They take great care with their designs, and they use stamps on many of the pieces. Because the pieces are handmade, the size and shape will vary a bit from piece to piece.