Add RecipientWood Animal Napkin Rings Set of Six
Using only rudimentary hand tools, including pocket knives, screwdrivers, and hammers for chiseling, the artisans of Jedando Handcrafts in central Kenya turn six blocks of mahogany into whimsical animal napkin rings. The set of six includes a giraffe, zebra, lion, rhinoceros, elephant, and cheetah. The average length of each animal from the nose is 10 cm and average height is 6 cm.
- No two sets are alike as the napkin rings are handcarved and handpainted and the mahogany wood has dark and light patterns.
- This is a fair trade product meaning that all persons involved in its production made a fair wage.
About the Artisan
Jedando Modern Handicrafts is a Kenyan organization that works with individual carvers in Machakos, Kenya creating functional products. Carving is a tradition in Kenya with the children learning the craft from their parents. Carved by hand using only rudimentary hand tools, olive wood bowls, salad serving sets, and animal-shaped napkin rings take shape from pieces of olive wood, mahogany, and mpingo, or "African Ebony." An integral part of the organization's function is to educate the craftspeople on the need for reforestation to enable the products to be available for years to come and offer a sustainable income for generations. While wood carving provides the major income for many in the Machakos area, other craftspeople earn a living by further enhancing the products including painting the napkin rings and carving discarded animal bone for the handles of salad serving sets.