Monday, October 31, 2011

Possible Obsession?

A few years ago, while doing some research on the Sami people, I came across a website that sold handmade bracelets.  They are made in Sweden by Sami artisans and use reindeer leather and antlers, along with pewter coils--which the Sami developed hundreds of years ago.  The bracelets are of both traditional and modern design--some of the modern ones use Swarovski crystals, among other elements.  I tend to be more enamored of the traditional styles.  And I knew, very early on, that I wanted several of the bracelets.

The first bracelet that I got is probably the closest to traditional design that the website carries:


The second one I got still has a lot of traditional elements, but has a little bit of a modern feel:


The third one has more of a traditional look, but has an added color:


I was satisfied with having the three bracelets until I saw my fourth on the site a week or so ago:

This one has a silver cross medallion and a silver button, instead of antler.  It is quite plain and the leather is EXTREMELY soft.

All of the bracelets can be worn separately, but they also work very well together.

This picture helps show some of the details better.  They really are beautiful.

I'm not completely done buying bracelets.  I still have one more in mind and it will be much different from the rest.  It will have to be custom made for me and it will be two strips of leather--one red and one white--braided together with a pewter coil.  And of course, it will be the bracelet I will wear with my Red Wings jersey.  I'll post a picture when I get it.

5 comments:

  1. Anonymous8:00 AM

    I like 'em.

    ReplyDelete
  2. those are absolutely beautiful!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous7:56 PM

    I want the second one! I've never seen these or heard of Sami bracelets before. You learn something new every day!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm so glad others like these as much as I do--they are unique and extra-special to me because of some of my ancestors being Sami. I have my next bracelet on order--which will take about 3 weeks to get because it is being custom made for me. I will post a pic when I get it.

    krist: The website is SwedArt.com. The woman who has this business is Margareta Lidskog and she is an absolute delight to deal with. (She also has an Etsy page, but not as many of the bracelets are there. I think it might be easier to order from Etsy, but you don't have the variety.) Anyway, everything is done by email with Margareta--you get in touch with her and everything is done with a personal touch. While almost all of the merchandise is shown on the website, I found my last bracelet on the Facebook page for SwedArt. I'm guessing these didn't make it to the main site because they might be a limited edition--because of the cost of silver these days, Margareta isn't sure whether she will be selling them beyond the stock at hand.

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