Empowering Women through Handmade Fine Jewelry
As the site of the original legend of “El Dorado”, Colombia has a long and rich history of drawing out the unparalleled beauty of gold. Amalena artisans recover the sacred meaning of this metal for pre-Columbian tribes – A symbol of holiness and life that evokes the magic of the cosmos. Pure Colombian gold glitters like no other when caught in the light, as though mirroring the divine power of the sun.
Tapping into the rich heritage of gold mining in the region, Amalena partners with traditional artisans who utilize methods passed down over dozens of generations to create our unique jewelry. Each piece tells a story, imbued with the indigenous fables and infinite skill of each craftswoman.
Elena is the manager of Minajoya, the local goldsmith cooperative partner of Amalena. Since an early age Elena was interested in the art of making delicate jewelry. She had learnt the traditional filigree techniques that have been used since centuries in Colombia. To improve her skills and learn different and new techniques of goldsmithing she had to leave La Llanada, her hometown in in the South of Colombia, and move 1.200 km North to join the Jewelry Trade School for four years. Since then Elena has been working for 13 years now as a goldsmith.
Elena always had in mind to go back to her community and teaching others women the art of making precious jewels. Today this is a reality and thanks to her leadership other women have the opportunity to find a source of income through the art of making handmade fine jewelry. She has became a mentor and a lieder. As the manager of the local goldsmith cooperative, she knows how important it is for all the goldsmiths, that their work gets recognized and valued. She says that all of the members of Minajoya have one thing in common and that is that “making jewelry is our passion”.
Making jewelry has helped Elena to finance her education and is now an important source of income for her and her family. “I am very excited and happy about Amalena, says Elena, first because our association is included and second because we are using gold from the region. It involves the main economic activities that we have here and it creates new ones.”
“I love what I do”, says Elena, ”this is my passion. When I am traveling I focus on the landscapes. I get inspired and I immediately think about a jewel. The beauty of my craft is to materialize thoughts and ideas and create something pretty other people can enjoy and wear.”
The pictures and video were taken by Amalena team in Colombia during 2014. If you wish to share the material or get involved in the project, please contact us via email to info@amalena.com
To get more information about our social enterprise and Amalena Ethical and Eco-Firendly Gold Jewelry please visit our website
