About Thai Karen Hill Tribe people
Karen is the Largest Hill Tribe people group in Thailand. Most of them living in the Northern of Thailand, due west of Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son province. They are subsistence farmers who live at peace with nature and the forest in the more remote mountainous areas.
They were semi-nomadic people using slash and burn methods, moving around on 7 years cycle. Villagers have few possessions and a little furniture, sleeping on the floor mats, cooking on open fire.
In 1980 the Hill tribe people got some help by Jewelry Occupation Association that is the Lamphun Hill Tribes Development Center, Community Development Center, and UNICEF. Presently this project has finished. Today the Karen have established the silver skill group and run a self sufficient silver business. Each group has 5-10 families and each have their unique designs. The groups will never copy another's style.
Being between 99.5% and 99.9% pure silver, their silver product 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 color, 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 silversmith. These pieces are not usually hallmarked in any way, but we can guarantee their origins.
