wide band rings

Creating clouds with sterling textures, Aparna designs a dramatic ring. She crowns wide the silver band with an oval of sleek black onyx.

.925 Sterling silver

A wide silver band rises to a dome crowned with the black mystique of onyx. Bold and contemporary, this men's ring comes from Balinese artisans for the Mutiara Collection.

.925 Sterling silver

Robert Aidoo-Taylor of Ghana hand crafts this men's leather wristband bracelet. A wide band of black leather is wrapped at the ends with matching nylon cord. Across the front is a band of braided off-white cord bordered by a black cord on top and bottom.

About his artistic journey, the artisan says: “I am a self-taught artist. In 2012, I ventured into the realm of handcrafted jewelry. I have always used wood in my art and it's exciting to be able to add other materials to achieve something interesting."

A shimmering black cotton and silk blend becomes a beautiful blouse by Isha Jain. Intricate gota embroidery combines with beads and sequins to surround the sleeves and neckline, while a wide band trims the front hem. Similar to appliqué, gota embroidery involves adding a different fabric to the background to create new textures.

Working with fine hand-woven Bengali silk, artisans Rajnandinee and Srabonti design a beautiful and versatile shawl. They ecru fabric features a hand block-printed motif in black and a wide black border. Delicate knotted fringe completes the design.

This adorable key fob is hand crafted by Claudio Ojeda in Mexico. The panda alebrije is carved from copal wood and painted in black and white and myriad patterns and shapes in pink and purple. The wood figurine adorns a stainless steel key ring. The artisan signs his pieces with the initials "T.C.", which represent his initial "C" preceded by his mother Teresita's initial "T". Claudio learned the art of crafting alebrijes from his mother.

The folk art tradition of alebrijes dates back to the 1930's in Mexico City. A man named Pedro Linares was taken ill, and in his fevered dreams he saw a strange land populated with curious creatures--a donkey with wings, a rooster with bull's horns, and a lion with the head of a dog. The beasts all shouted "alebrije! alebrije!". Upon his recovery, Linares began recreating the fantastical creatures he had seen in his dream. The art form gained popularity, and alebrijes are now made of wood as well as papier mache.