Possessing a transcendental beauty, the pendant of this necklace is handcrafted with an array of ebony, lacewood, roxinho, sucupira, and pau marfim woods atop a caoba wood base. The triangular pendant is designed with care by members of Brazil's Teixeira Family. This stunning necklace adorns the neck on a length of cord, completed with 18k gold plated fixtures.
"We recycle vinyl LP records and CDs in wall clocks, which we combine with wood inlay and pyro-engraving. We make jewelry boxes with recycled wood and decorate them with assorted cast-offs."
Along with family members, Raí and Ricardo Teixeira craft "bio-jewelry" and décor objects in wood inlay and... pyro-engraving.
"We left our home of Belém in Northern Brazil seeking new work opportunities and better schools for our little daughter, Sofia," the artisans explain. "In Rio de Janeiro, we continued working in the pyro-engraving technique we had used in Belém.
"Our designs had a lot of volume and weight, making it difficult to transport by bus to the Old Rio crafts market to show and sell. After more than 30 years as an artisan, I've worked in inlay jewelry only since 2014."
Raí noticed that the women of Rio are stylish and fashionable. They appreciate jewelry and the family decided to create it. "We began crafting earrings and necklaces with our wood inlay techniques.
"We had never done this before and had to develop our own technique and tools. With that, in those two and a half years, we developed and created our line of eco-friendly jewelry and décor accessories.
"We use wood from market crates in the structure of our designs and also for our exhibits in craft shows and events. Our studio is set up around these crates, which are discarded from a nearby wholesale market. We recycle old vinyl LP records and CDs in wall clocks, which we combine with wood inlay and the pyro-engraving. We make jewelry boxes with recycled wood and decorate them with assorted cast-offs such as jewelry pieces, old coins, lighters and all kinds of scraps.
"In our wood inlay, we use recycled woods that are native to Brazil as well as wood types that were introduced from Africa and Europe. Therefore, we like to say our designs have an ethnic footprint. For example, we might synthesize the encounter of the great Amazonian forest with Rio de Janeiro's urban forest. The straight lines in our work derive from the modern architecture of Rio de Janeiro and the curves in our designs are inspired without a doubt by the mountains that encircle the city.
"Ours is a family effort. Ricardo cuts the wood, assemble pieces makes collages and does the sanding together with our nephew, Gustavo, who is learning the techniques. Raí is the designer. She waterproofs the wood and creates the montage. Raí's mother helps with the drawings and creating mini-earrings. Raí's father collects materials for recycling, and our niece Maria Alice promotes our work on the Internet.
"These designs are our own creations. Our motto is 'Make 100 pieces as carefully as though you were crafting only one.' Quality is our objective — we put ourselves in the shopper's place. Shoppers want to buy things with quality, with a good finish, something beautiful and well made.
"When we need extra help, we call in youth from a nearby juvenile detention facility to work with us and have made this a project." Helping people is a theme that resonates with Ricardo.
"When I was about 26 years old, I suffered a great existential crisis," he recalls. "Without faith, without a relationship with the transcendent, with the divine, I fell into despair and thought about ending my own life. I needed something crucial, a foundation, and at that crucial moment, it was as though a voice spoke to me. 'No! Don't give up. Keep moving ahead!'"
"At that moment, I decided to take to the road. I traveled across the country in search of something new. For the first time, I stood before God and prayed. For six months, I traveled, sleeping in plazas and doorways, in an encounter with God and self. Along the way, I met wonderful people.
"Brazil's economic crisis has affected us a lot, so today we are focusing on reaching markets in the US and perhaps Europe. To do so, we are better organizing our crafting process, reorganizing the workshop and buying the tools we lack."
Only valid on the Normal shipping option for shipments to 48 Lower US states.
Discounted shipping price may not be applied to previous orders.
This item ships with a free artist storycard, so you can remember who you impacted today. Customized gift messages are also available with every order.
We want you to be 100% satified with your order, so if you are not completely happy with your item, you can return it within 60 days of receiving it.
We pack, ship, certify and 100% guarantee the quality of this item. Watch this video to see how.
This item is available for backorder and will ship within 2 to 8 weeks. Artists love to get backorders. Placing a backorder ensures that the artisan will do their best to create and deliver your item to our local office for shipment.
Although we cannot guarantee availability, we do expect to be able to fill the order within the timeframe indicated. But sometimes life happens - special materials may not be immediately available to the artist, or there might be some other circumstance beyond our control that could delay the shipment.
If for any reason we are unable to ship the item within the timeframe indicated, we will notify you.
In the unlikely even that we are unable to ship the item within the timeframe indicated, we will contact you and provide an updated delivery window.
This item has a special shipping flat fee which means that due to bulk, duties, or other special requirements, the item will be shipped to you via one of our special one-rate services. Shipping is only available to the United States (lower 48 States only).
WOMEN
S
M
L
XL
XXL
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
22
BUST
35 - 36
37 - 38
39 - 41
42 - 44
46 - 48
WAIST
27 - 28
29 - 30
31 - 33
34 - 36
38 - 40
HIPS
37 - 38
39 - 40
42 - 43
45 - 46
49 - 50
MEN
S
M
L
XL
XXL
CHEST
36 - 38
39 - 41
42 - 44
46 - 48
50 - 52
WAIST
30 - 32
32 - 34
35 - 37
38 - 41
43 - 45
NECK
14 - 14.5
15 - 15.5
16 - 16.5
17 - 17.5
18 - 18.5
SLEEVE
32.5
33.5
34.5
35.5
36.5
FINDING YOUR SIZE
Take your measurements with the tape measure over your under garments. If your measurements fall between sizes you may prefer the next larger size. Inseam, skirt and dress lengths vary by style and will be listed in the item description. Our sweaters are knit in standard American sizes, however actual measurements vary by style.
BUST / CHEST
Measure around the fullest part of chest under the arms and over the shoulder blades keeping the tape measure level.
WAIST
Measure around the smallest part of the waist keeping the tape measure comfortably loose. Most garments use the low waist measurement noted below.
LOW WAIST
Measure around the body approximately 1.5" below the natural waist (above). This is the area where most pants and skirts actually fit.
HIPS
Standing with your heels together, measure around the fullest part of the body approx 7"-8" below the waist.
NECK
Measure around the base of the neck keeping the tape measure comfortably loose.
SLEEVE
Bend elbow slightly and starting at the center back of the neck, measure across the shoulder, to the elbow and down to the wrist.
INSEAM
Our standard inseam length for women is 32" and 34" for men; however inseam measurements will vary slightly by style.
Belts with buckles are measured in inches that correspond to a waist size however, most people do not wear belts on the waist, they wear them closer to the hips. A buckle belt measurement is take from the end of the "pin" of the buckle to the middle hole on the belt. Generally there are 5 holes for size adjustment, with a 1" space between each, so the middle hole will the be average size of the belt.
For at tie belt (no buckle) measure the belt portion end to end and half of the tie portion. This again is the medium size of the belt.
For a soft fabric tie belt it can be called "1 size fits most" and the entire length of the belt should be measured and listed.
See buckle/tie belt size standards below.
WOMEN
S
M
L
XL
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
22
inches
26 - 30
28 - 32
31 - 35
34 - 38
38 - 42
cm
76 - 86
81.5 - 91.5
86.5 - 96.5
91.5 - 101.5
96.5 - 106.5
+/- tolerance: 0.5 inches or 1.25 cm
MEN
S
M
L
XL
XXL
inches
30 - 34
32 - 36
35 - 39
39 - 43
43 - 47
cm
81.5 - 91.5
86.5 - 96.5
91.5 - 101.5
96.5 - 106.5
109 - 119
+/- tolerance: 0.5 inches or 1.25 cm
Sash tie length
Lay sash/tie out flat away from the garment and measure from end to end.
Belt with buckle
Measure from the end of the pin of the buckle (where it touches the buckle) to the middle hole.
Belt without buckle
Measure from the belt portion end to end and half of the tie portion. This is will give you the medium size of the belt.
Download our printable ring sizing chart to find the perfect fit!
We refer to these items as "discounted wholesale". Such items carry a deeper wholesale discount than other items, and have greater potential to provide your business with healthier resale margins.
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UNICEF Market offers triple win pricing, where YOU the consumer, Children from around the world, and Artisans all benefit.
WIN # 1 You Save!
Handmade goods from developing nations usually pass through a series of intermediaries before being purchased by retail consumers. Each of these intermediaries adds cost to the product, and that cost is passed on to the customer. UNICEF USA partnered with NOVICA, who works directly with artists through their regional offices in Asia, Africa and Latin America, allowing purchases from UNICEF Market to go directly from the artisans to fulfilling customer orders. By skipping steps in the traditional supply chain, you can buy high quality items for less than the regular retail prices.
WIN # 2 Children Benefit!
Each item purchased from UNICEF Market will benefit UNICEF's programs that provide lifesaving nutrition, medicine, education, clean water, emergency relief and more to children in need.
You can learn more about UNICEF's work, on About UNICEF.
WIN # 3 Artisans Profit!
UNICEF Market artisans set their own prices and control their own businesses. UNICEF Market offers artisans a free platform to sell their work throughout the United States.
