Hill Tribe Silver, what is it?

Another one of my favorite topics is Hill Tribe Silver.  It comes from Northern Thailand.  I've been designing with it for several years and absolutely love the results.  Where most silver beads are cast and are .925 silver content, Hill Tribe is made by hand and is .99 silver.  The higher silver content makes the metal more malleable so hand tools can be used to shape it.

The term Hill Tribe refers to people who typically have migrated from another country (not all however) and live in the hills or mountains.  The Karen Hill Tribe produce most of the beads and jewelry you see on the market today.  I have heard different stories about the people and silver production.

One person informed me some importers of the finished goods pay only after the items are made.  This forces the craftspeople to finance the raw silver themselves.  This can lead to problems if the interest charged or terms are unreasonable.  The company I buy from have advised they pay for the raw silver in advance, then again for the finished beads/jewelry.  This eliminates potential financial problems.

The beads come in all sizes, shapes and finishes.  Just as it's become with Turquoise, my eye has learned to spot Hill Tribe Silver in all it's forms.  Their designs incorporate amazingly well to Western styles and I use them for my Western line often. 

These beads represent a few of the several different finishes and designs

 

The interesting shapes make it so easy to design

The price of silver lately has really skyrocketed.  This has changed the landscape of what is produced as some designs require an increase in price that the market will probably not bear.  Regardless of the outside world and it's fluctuations, I'll always love Hill Tribe Silver!


Happy Trails!
Michelle