My neighbors want to fix up their house. They need a kitchen. They want to replace the fabric curtains with real windows to keep out the cold and fortify the walls and roof of an old adobe house to keep out the rain. They are a household of three generations of women: grandmother is in her late 80’s, mom is in her early 40’s, and the nine-year-old daughter loves to read. She needs new school shoes.
Everyone works hard. Mom makes the some of the best tamales in town. She learned from her mother who learned from hers. She makes them by hand, grinds the corn on the metate then makes a dough, rolls the masa between her palms, presses it on a tortilla press, stuffs the dough with a chicken caught from the yard, fattened with organic corn then cooked, adds a secret family recipe of mole made with chicken broth, tucks it into carefully wrapped corn or banana husks, folded or tied neatly, and steams the packages over a water bath for an hour. Sometimes she makes hundreds. I know she is up every day at four in the morning. I buy these for 40 cents each. Sometimes I buy more than I need.
#1: Pearl, red glass, 10K gold dangle earrings with French wires. $265.
About the only thing of real value they have to sell to raise money for house repairs and construction is heirloom 10k gold jewelry.
#2: Traditional filigree 10k gold with red glass, basket hoops, $185. SOLD to Judy G. Thank You!
I said I would help, so I am posting photos and I will bring the earrings to the U.S. when I leave Oaxaca on April 7 — if you care to make a purchase. Let me know which you like and I will invoice you with PayPal (plus shipping). Because this is a fundraiser and the money goes directly to the family, I will add-on the 3% PayPal fee to your invoice.
#3: Delicate tri-color stones with 10K gold leaf design, small, $65. SOLD to Tami. Thank YOU!
Zapotec women love their delicate filigree gold earrings. It is usually the only adornment they wear. They will receive a small pair of earrings as a gift for a birthday or a baptism, a larger pair for a quinciniera (15th birthday), and then later a more substantial pair as a wedding present.
#4: Dangle with pearls, clear crystal, 10k gold filigree, $175.
Husbands will often give gold earrings as a love token to wives. The size and intricacy of the earrings are a symbol of prosperity and status.
#5: 3-tier dangle, 10K gold and pearls with bow, $175. SOLD to Nancy C. Thank YOU!
Grandma took off her large gold filigree earrings tonight and asked me to sell them for her, too. I said, no. They are very old and I know what they mean to her.
#6: Intense purple, pearls, 10k gold, $250.
Home improvement project for my neighbors.
And, here is a beautiful tri-color bracelet with traditional mesoamerican greca design, inside circumference is eight inches. 10k gold, $300.
#7: 10k gold tri-color bracelet, $300.
The family appreciates your consideration!
Update: Vintage Gold Jewelry Sale and Helping a Family of Women Home Improvement Project
Just want to tell you that yesterday I sold three pairs of earrings in response to the 10k Gold Vintage Oaxaca Jewelry Sale. Plus, we raised $785 in cash gifts! Thank you so much. This amount of money goes a long way in Oaxaca where the average daily wage is 100 pesos or about $8 USD — if there is work.
Several readers wanted to help but didn’t want to buy earrings. They suggested I start a Kickstarter or Indiegogo campaign. Both take a hefty commission if you don’t raise much money. And, there is an immediacy to the family’s construction and home improvement project. The rainy season is starting soon.
So, I invited people to use PayPal to send money that I will convert from dollars to pesos to give to the family.
Want to help with the Home Improvement Project?
Any size gift is important! Send $$ to PayPal. My Account is oaxacaculture@me.com or I can send you an invoice — gift plus 3% PayPal fee.
The response has been wonderful, generous, amazing, and heartfelt. One woman who made a gift said, “I believe hard-working women need to be able to live their lives with windows and shoes. It is a privilege (and a right) that in some few societies women have been able to control more financial resources than in others. I live in one of those societies, but even for us this is a recent development, not reaching back more than few decades. We are all sisters. We need to remember.” Her words express the feelings of many of us.
We know there are many women and families who need help — in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and around the world. It is always important for me to remember I can’t do everything and help every one, but I can think globally and act locally. Each of us can make a difference in someone’s life.
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Posted in Cultural Commentary, Jewelry
Tagged 10k gold, construction, daily wage, home improvement, jewelry, make a gift, Mexico, Oaxaca, Women