Buying Artisanal Beach Jewelry

Nowadays, it’s somewhat of a rarity to see artisanal quality products being sold on any beach worldwide. From sellers of colorful sarongs in Brazil, friendship bracelets in Nicaragua and fedoras in Colombia, most products are mass produced, most often produced far from the local country and geared to a quick sale.

Would this be more of the same at Holbox Island?

I had just poured some Vueve Clicquot at our beachside swing bed overlooking the Caribbean ocean at Holbox Island when my girlfriend and I were approached from a local salesperson.

Normally, I am quick to dismiss any interruption to “bubbles and turquoise skies” but being a “people watcher” I had noticed this young lady spending approximently 40 minutes talking to the folks a few chairs over, so naturally I was curious since she seemed to be interested in more than just a quick sale.

After a quick glance at the usual works and dismissing them, I noticed her ring tray.  The  designs and colors caught my eye.  Although her English was good, I let her describe everything in Spanish.  I gleaned from that conversation that she designed and made all of her pieces. They were quite good and I tried several on! She also told us about the stones she bought wholesale, vouching for their voracity. Her name is Kia de la Selva.

While she showed me how she could resize the ring up (or down in my case), my girlfriend asked in Spanish and translated a few specific descriptions about the pieces which was helpful

So now we have champagne, rings and turquoise seas!  My girlfriend bought what I thought was a wonderful piece while I sipped champs…

In all seriousness, it was nice exchange and I was happy we could support someone with dedication to her craft and nothing mass produced. Great experience and $20 purchase!