forest ring

Add an elegant touch of nature to your look with this beautiful cocktail ring from Bali. Artisan Lenny designs the ring with five carats of sapphire that shimmers from a floral prong setting. Local artisans hand craft the accessory from sterling silver with the intricate vine details decorating the sides of the crown.

Memories from the stunning regional forests come to your mind with this adorable portrait of a quetzal bird. Inspired by Guatemala's natural richness, Gaby Briz and a talented artisan team create this cardboard magnet accented with a lovely composition in green and blue hues. The accessory is also decorated with the Spanish phrase Guau! Guatemala as a nod to the nation's marvelous fauna.

This cocktail ring from Balinese artisan Komang Suastra is named after the village of Celuk, which has produced remarkable silver works for decades. A regal, peaceful face carved from bone is encased in a sterling silver helmet decorated with Balinese jawan style dot motifs. Two faceted blue topaz gems adorn the ring, one at the fore of the helmet and a larger stone at the base.

This beautiful silk shawl combines time-honored techniques with modern appeal that makes a lovely addition to a casual wardrobe. Eye-catching indigo vines and leafy branches feature over a gentle ivory base, with a solid indigo border and neat fringes hanging at either end. Indian designers Rajnandinee and Srabonti present the hand-woven shawl, which is wonderfully soft and drapes beautifully.

The swallow motif has long been popular in authentic Talavera pottery and is usually depicted in cobalt blue, popular in the 16th and 17th centuries. However this bird seems to suggest the quetzal found in the cloud forests of Oaxaca, a state that borders Puebla. Isabelle Collins works in the style and technique of classic Talavera ceramics to create a beautiful ginger jar. This lidded vase is known in Mexico as a tibor; it was brought to Mexico from the Orient by way of the Philippines in the late 1500s.

"We use the same techniques and styles used in 16th-century Puebla. Classic Talavera used only six colors, all of which were natural glazes compounded at home with mineral pigments. We create our homemade paintbrushes using mule hair or horsehair from the mane or tail, according to the thickness desired for our motifs," the artisan confides.

Owners of majestic plumage that adds color to the forests in the Guatemalan region, the quetzal birds are known for carrying the country's vibrant spirit all around its magnificent landscapes. These graceful birds are the main muse for artist Boni, who uses oil on canvas to create this impressionist artwork honoring Guatemala's marvelous fauna, depicting it in a captivating scene.

Titled Ave Nacional Guatemalteca in Spanish, the piece arrives signed and stretched.

Precise geometric motifs alternate with birds in an exquisite design. From talented members of Women United for Artisan Development, the cushion cover is woven by hand on a backstrap loom. Cording defines the borders, and the back is solid grey. "We love birds," the artisans confide. "This design was woven by women who live in Quiché, a forested region in western Guatemala."

Should one of the threads snag, they suggest you pull it back into place from the back of the fabric with a fine crochet hook.