African Summer

by Paulette Bertrand.
(New Richmond, Wisconsin, USA)

I love working with Kazuri Beads from Kenya, so when I saw the giraffe focal bead, I knew I had to design a necklace around it.

I used ceramic Kazuri beads in many shapes and sizes along with hand rolled paper beads from Uganda. I added the chain for a little more fun and finished it with a seed bead loop and Kazuri button.

This necklace makes me smile every time I look at it.

For anyone unfamiliar with Kazuri, it’s an organization started by Lady Susan Wood outside Nairobi to give women work.

It’s fair trade and now employes over 300 women. The paper beads are from Paper to Pearls, also a fair trade organization giving women work.

The mission of both organizations is to educate and help women in Africa to become self sufficient.

Paulette Bertrand
Fair Chic Jewelry