Laos is the only landlocked country in southeast Asia.

The landscape is geologically diverse, with forested mountains, upland plateaus, and lower plains. The population is equally diverse, and united largely through agriculture, especially the cultivation of rice.  It is bordered by Myanmar and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, and Thailand to the west and southwest. Interactions (both hostile and hospitable) with these neighbours have brought in Buddhist and Hindu practices, shaping the visual, performing, and literary arts of the country, while about a century of French colonization has infused Laos with a European cultural element. In the 20th century Laos was embroiled in World War II, and the Indochina wars, as well as a civil war of its own, from which it emerged as a communist country. 

As you browse our store, look for metal jewelry, handmade by resourceful artisans who cast earrings and bracelets from safely created unexploded ordnance (UXO) and scrap metal left over from the Indo-China war. By purchasing these creative pieces, you are supporting the transformation of conflict remnants into symbols of hope, while sustaining the traditional crafts of the region.