Often when we are selecting the latest new frames and accessories to show in our shop, it is not only the obvious quality and beauty of the pieces, but the stories of their origin, conception, and inspiration, that ultimately convinces us that they are THE ONES. On our latest trip to the New York Vision Expo, Elizabeth Faraut, creator of LaLoop, was particularly excited to tell us about the her newest pieces.
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- LaLoop #578J Untreated Jade
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- LaLoop #578BL Bead For Life beads w/ Onyx
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- LaLoop #578T Untreated Turquoise
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- Close-up of Bead For Life bead
About LaLoop #578BL, in her words: “I was reading and was moved by a Nicholas Kristof piece in the New York Times. He writes about these women in Uganda who make these beautiful beads out of recycled paper. These impoverished village women often times live in huts and have many kids to take care of while their husbands are taken away to fight in civil wars that are going on. This non-profit organization called Bead For Life takes these beads and markets them, giving these impoverished Ugandan women not only a source of income, but also a job (which is not so easy to find in their situations.) I designed the LaLoop #578BL necklace using these beads married with smooth black onyx.”
About LaLoop #578T and #578J, in her words: “I met this supplier at a bead show a few months ago. He was from Afghanistan. A miner from Afghanistan. He had come to this bead show in Southern California with boxes of untreated stones. He had mined them himself. I took a look at his calloused hands and knew that he had mined them himself. I love the untreated, natural element of the turquoise and jade. I had never seen this before and wondered why there is so much gloss applied over natural stones in the marketplace.”
