Beads & Baubles carry a range of Thai Karen Hill Tribe Silver, each piece lovingly created by hand by the silversmiths of the Karen Hill Tribes of Thailand.  This is silver of the purest quality and approx. 97-99% silver content (compared to 925 which is only 92.5%).  This is NOT the bright and shiny 925 silver which has other metals added to it to brighten and harden it, THIS IS ALMOST PURE, UNADULARATED SILVER, and HANDCRAFTED. Thai Hill Tribe silver is BULKY and ETHNIC in general - do not purchase if you are looking for something fine and dainty.  The whole process is done by hand or primitive (if any) machinery - from the actual mining itself to the creation of these gorgeous pieces.

These are collectors pieces as the traditional methods are giving way to the exploitation by large conglomerates who have built factories to mass produce Thai silver products - it IS NOT THE COMMERCIALLY, MASS-MANUFACTURED, FACTORY-MADE Thai Silver which has become available of late.  These were purchased DIRECTLY  from the silversmiths of the Karen Chiang Mai tribes, and as such VERY EXCLUSIVE and VERY UNIQUE.

By purchasing Hill Tribe HANDCRAFTED SILVER, not only are you purchasing a product that is exclusive and individually unique, you are also buying ethically and your purchase goes a long way towards supporting the impoverished Karen Hill Tribes and ensuring the continuation of a traditional craft that has existed for centuries and in danger of being overwhelmed by modern commerce.  Plain and simple, your purchase helps to provide job opportunities for the youth of the Hill Tribes, allowing them to remain in their villages, earning enough to ensure their survival and the continuance of these skilled master silversmiths.