The Price of Silver and Tibetan Jewelry

When I started Dharmashop in 1999 the price of silver was hovering around $5 an ounce. When we order silver jewelry from our Tibetan artisans one of our staff in Nepal goes to the Nepal Investment bank and picks up bags of silver which he then drops off to our artisans so they can create our traditional jewelry. Silver prices have risen 800% since that time as prices now hover around $43 an ounce and this threatens our jewelry makers survival. The cost of doing business has been so high that many of our jewelry makers have left Nepal to find jobs in Thailand, the UAE and other countries where Tibetans and Nepalis are hired for their skill in metal work and wood working.

We are working with our artisans to create silver pendants and jewelry that are smaller then they used to be and use less silver then they used to. We still use sterling silver in all of our products but we have made pendants smaller, and bracelets thinner so they contain less of the suddenly precious metal.

We hope that the price of silver will drop to the $12 an oz range where it has been for several years, but we are ready to continue to innovate and find ways to bring you traditional crafts without breaking the bank.

The enchanting Bhaktapur and Nagarkot

After days of shopping and meeting with our thangka painters, incense makers and artisans of all kinds we head to Bhaktapur and Nagarkot for a couple of days of sightseeing and relaxation. Bhaktapur is one of the oldest cities in the region, every building is hundreds of years old. The streets are just wide enough for 2 people to walk side by side and traditional life goes on here as it did centuries ago. Tourists usually pay for a pass to enter the city but as we are visiting friends in their homes we just walk around the city watching craftspeople carve wooden statues and wall hangings, thangka painters sitting in the middle of their shops working on a new piece of traditional Tibetan art. Each city in the Kathmandu valley has a durbar square, we spend hours wandering through the 3 main squares and talking with locals and tourists enchanted with the city. In the next post we head up to 9000 feet to Nagarkot where we catch a glimpse of the Himalayas.

Kathmandu Day 2

We spent a lot of our trip to Nepal hunting around the shops in Kathmandu, Thamel, Boudha, Bhaktapur and Patan. We bought thangkas, mala beads, old Tibetan beads, cool bracelets and fabrics. Most of the things we bought are being packed up right now and will be here in the US in 3-4 weeks. I love meeting with the artisans that create our dharmashop items. So much love and care are put into the products we sell. Buying products from 3 and 4th generation crafts people means we are helping to support a family tradition. Haggling with merchants in the street is also a great deal of fun. Each merchant has a pitch and the haggling process is done with a smile and no ill will. We are always on the lookout for unusual products and his time we found some great onces.

The day before we arrived in Kathmandu a huge storm hit the valley. Lightning struck the Swayambhunath temple complex and did a lot of damage. The whole stupa mount is packed with tourists and monks who have come to survey the damage. The people here believe that the storm and damage are a bad sign and hope that the valley is not in for more trouble due to the damage to this amazing cultural site. The stupa is usually strung with prayer flags but they have all been knocked down giving a rare view of the stupa unadorned. The monkeys that live here seem unaffected by all the extra activity and the living goddess that lives in a tiny room above the shops lining the square seems in good humor.

Kathmandu

We arrive in Kathmandu at Noon and the moment we walk out of the airport all the madness and chaos of Nepal hit you like a brick wall. Today it's raining and cold so the powerful smell of incense and vegetation are not as strong as usual. Our friends pick us up as we wave off dozens of taxi drivers and head to their car. The drive to Thamel is slow and we see the continuing changes happening in this country. Over 2.5 million people pack the valley now that the civil war is over. More then a million came in from the countryside during the war and have not gone back as their prospects of finding work are better in the valley. Unemployment is staggeringly high and most people live on less than a dollar a day. The bigger trouble now is the lack of energy. The last decade have taken their toll on the infrastructure of nepal and there is simply not enough power in the hydro-electric system to accommodate 2.5 million people. So during the winter months there is no power for up to 10 hours a day. After dropping our bags at the hotel we head into the throng of thamel, meeting old friends and making new ones. Buying and trading with Tibetan, newari, nepali and indian traders.

Bangkok day 2

Today was all about making pilgrimage to some very powerful Buddhist sites. We spent the day criss crossing the Chao Phraya river on the local boats. We had beautiful 88 degree weather all day with only a threat of raindrops.

Wat Pho is amazing, you can spend all day wandering and taking pictures of the treasures of Buddhist art. The 160 foot long reclining Buddha is the main attraction, but not the most important Buddha statue at the Temple. There are ove 1000 Buddha images on site.

My favorite thing about Wat Arun is the decoration on this massive 220 foot Khmer style tower. All the decorations are made by broken chinese plates and cups to create flower images. In the 1800s when it was being built all the chinese tableware came by ship and as much as half of it arrived broken. You find this broken porcelain all over bangkok recycled into spectacular Buddhist art.

Thailand and Kathmandu Day 1

Christy and I arrived in Bangkok at 6:30 AM and grabbed a cab to our hotel. After a quick shower and breakfast we shook off the 23 hours on the plane and headed for the city. As this was Christy's first time in bangkok we had a friend with us to show her some of the touristy highlights, but we also met with artisans to buy amulets and beads for the Dharmashop. We spent hours walking around the royal place and it's temples and took a long boat around the winding river and it's tributaries. We endlesly walked the amulet market meeting old friends and making new ones. Tomorrow... Wat Pho and Wat Arun