handmade instruments

This charming wind chime from Eleazar Leal in Mexico is styled with a Southwest vibe. Within a barrel-shaped ceramic cactus that has been hand painted with a cozy house, four cactus characters reside. Each saguaro-shaped ceramic figure is painted with a uniquely different look--some have hats, one has braids, another wears a purple dress with hearts on it. The figures hand at different lengths on colorful polyester cords.

Rhythm lives in every shake and strike of this authentic shekere, a percussion instrument that has carried the pulse of West African, Latin American and Caribbean music across centuries. Designed by George Akologo and handcrafted by skilled Ghanaian artisans, this piece begins as a dried calabash gourd that's carefully cleaned and transformed through the painstaking art of hand-knotting cords and threading beads into a net that produces its signature percussive voice. The beauty of this instrument lies in its adaptability: twist the netting to modify the tone, slap it for sharp accents or shake it for rolling rhythms. This shekere is as versatile for modern musicians as it is sacred in Yoruba spiritual ceremonies where it has long held deep cultural significance.

Inspired by the Inca pottery found on the Pisac archaeological site in Peru, Dionisio Quilla designs a beautiful blue ocarina with a llama motif and geometric patterns. This ancient wind instrument has a melodic sound most music aficionados appreciate and love. The handmade ocarina comes with a cord so you can wear it around the neck or carry it anywhere.

Handcrafted from gorgeous ebony wood, the keys of this African xylophone are simply exquisite. Ghana's Ali Mohammed designs this xylophone, its frame made of sese wood with colorful calabash gourds that hang below the keys. Two wood mallets with rubber heads are included with this beautiful instrument.

A popular percussive instrument in Indonesia, the gong is played in Indonesian orchestras. Anak Agung Ary in Bali hand carves these musicians and their gongs from local albesia wood, hand painting the figures in bright colors with a distressed finish.

Welcome wisdom and music into your home with Vidushini's gorgeous painting, which depicts Hindu goddess Saraswati holding an Indian instrument called a veena. The artisan uses bright acrylic to create the Madhubani painting, a graphic style of folk art originating in the Mithila region of India.