Silver Goddess Journey
Silver Goddess Jewellery began as a hobby in 2010 & has now evolved into a thriving small business.
Rachael specialises in Hill Tribe Silver & Semi precious stones & loves creating "off the grid" original designs.
"I’ve loved creating unique art for as long as I can remember. After working in the jewellery industry from the age of 15 both in manufacturing and sales it occurred to me that in the 18 years of being involved in the industry, nothing was changing. There was still the same style of mass produced jewellery that EVERYONE was wearing. Frankly, I was struggling to appreciate it, let alone sell pieces I really didn’t appreciate or like.
It was around this time that I was due to have my 3rd child. I was dabbling in my own creations and creating pieces for friends & family. Many of them urged me to branch out on my own and start my own little business from home… So I took the plunge and have not once looked back."
"I love the colour & texture of Karen Silver. Its at least 97% pure silver, where sterling silver is only 92.5%. It doesn’t discolour like sterling silver & I love the traditions & history behind Karen Silver.
The first generation of Karen silversmiths were taught to carefully handcraft each design from scratch. They learned to give each design a unique appearance only seen in their own creations. From Karen mother and father to Karen son and daughter, they have passed down their silver work skills and traditions. Today, each handmade piece is a unique masterpiece that represents centuries of Karen culture and art.
I will never forget my first trip to a remote Karen Village to visit these amazing artisans at work. Families were sitting under their high set huts..Silver discs were being flattened by karen people pounding with hammers, silver wire was repeatedly pulled through ancient rollers. The amount of hand filing delicate patters was mind blowing.
There is no electricity in some of these villages so forget about any machine made mass produced jewellery here!! The jewelry they create, with such tremendous effort, has enormous consequence to them; not just as objects of value but also as items of classic beauty and symbolic significance… there are no two pieces that are exactly alike; each has its unique, handmade characteristics. It’s wonderful to know I am helping to keep this traditional method of silversmithing alive by supporting their income.
Rachael has a passion for the Karen Culture & travels to Northern Thailand each year to purchase her silver as well as spending as much time as she can in a small rural Karen Hill Tribe village called "Morwahkee". Rachael helps to financially support the locally run school as well as employing women in the village to hand loom traditional cotton scarves on a back strap loom. These scarves as sold back here in Australia & 100% of the profits are given back to the women & their familes.
Rachael also helps to support a small charity "Daughters Rising"... A non for profit organisation that works to prevent sex trafficking in women by empowering "at risk girls".