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Antuane and Santos

Antuane and Santos

Handcrafted eco-friendly jewelry in The Andes

"Life brought us together for the vocation we share. We were searching for something that would satisfy the soul, something that excited us and made our imagination soar."

"We're from the city of Lima. We're both extroverted and love to talk with folks. We strive to promote the things we feel deeply about, like art and a love for nature. We try to reflect this in our everyday life and work," Santos says.

"As with all artists, we've had some moments that were complicated. When the economy is bad, we have to scramble to find ways to continue advancing and growing. Since we began in 2002, we've been experimenting with jewelry designs, exploring new methods and sharing ideas in events and places where we've shown our work.

"We evaluated whether eco-friendly handicrafts could perdure because we weren't sure we could make this project work. It seems like the more expensive industrialized products were ahead of the artisan's designs. We've always believed we shouldn't let this happen so with all our strength and effort, we believed we could get past this.

"We believed in ourselves and what we do. When we first began, we sold our designs from a tablecloth spread on the sidewalk. Our materials were those that Mother Nature gave us. It wasn't easy and often we couldn't afford a good breakfast or dinner but we made do with what we had at the time.

"Little by little, things began to change. I believe it was because we never stopped trying and we always had a positive attitude. Even when the circumstances seemed devastating, we were always able to smile despite it all.

"One day, we closed with a big sale. It was excellent. We sold everything we had and, with the money, we had a good breakfast the next morning. It was our first success at selling our jewelry from a cloth on the sidewalk. We felt so proud of having gotten through the tough times. It was a moment of pure happiness — we'd started from zero. We didn't have anything but, with hard work, we were able to find our way in the world of eco-friendly jewelry.

"Our art is a family heritage. Antuané's grandfather in Ayacucho crafted crosses in wood. He was an incredible artist who created ornamental work for churches and tombs throughout the province and his was an innate talent. Ayacucho is known for its art and some of Peru's finest artisans come from this small part of the Andes.

"Life brought us together for the vocation we share. Although we both studied different professional careers, they weren't what we really wanted to do. We were searching for something that would satisfy the soul, something that excited us and made our imagination soar.

"We began attending fairs and craft shows and the jewelry attracted us. But we didn't want to do the same things as other artisans. We decided to focus on eco-friendly designs. We both love nature and our philosophy is to craft accessories that help take care of the planet.

"We convey this message in many ways, from using a dried seed in a pendant or collecting wood scraps to recycle in our jewelry to including handwoven fabrics as an artisan expression.

"We learned a lot on our own as we exchanged our knowledge with other artisans and took short courses from master jewelry artists.

"I love how we can constantly discover new designs as we transform rustic materials that are often overlooked into a piece of jewelry that can be worn. Our greatest challenge is giving a second chance to discarded things and bringing them to life through our designs.

"Our inspiration comes from nature and the ecology. And also from the rich history of such a culturally rich country with its beautiful and exuberant landscapes. What could be better than to capture and convey the best of these blessings and share them with the world!

"Our dream is to develop more eco-friendly markets in the region — in the capital but also in the provinces. We want to share our art and hope to become known for the value we place on nature."

Cause Badges

Empowering Women

Preserving Traditions

50 items by Antuane and Santos

Customer Reviews

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Artist rating

Total reviews

13

Karen

Verified Reviewer

03/13/2021

"Crazy Cute Cat"

Love my cat necklace. That it is made of carved wood is my favorite part. Very well made.

Purchased Item:

Relaxing Stretch, Wood Pendant Necklace of a Cat from Peru

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Deirdre

Verified Reviewer

02/13/2021

"Majestestic Beauty"

Simple yet beautiful craftsmanship I am so please with this piece. It was bought as a birthday gift and nothing is better than a hand made item with such detail!

Purchased Item:

King of the Lions, Hand-Carved Lion Wood Pendant Necklace from Peru

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Gift Occasion:

This was a gift for: Godson
Occasion: birthday

Greg

Verified Reviewer

02/11/2021

"Gift for my wife"

Beautiful, wood carving pendant, with rustic looking, braided chain. It is so beautiful it is hard even to imagine that this was hand carved. My wife loved her gift.

Purchased Item:

Natural Beauty, Long Wood Pendant Necklace

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Susanthri

Verified Reviewer

02/01/2021

"Love it!!"

This has become my new favorite piece of jewelry!! It goes with anything I wear and looks really good on beige turtle neck I have. Nicely done and color is exactly the same!

Best Uses

I wear it for work

Purchased Item:

Modern Target, Oreja de Leon and Ipe Reclaimed Wood Circle Pendant Necklace

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PRJ

From USA

Verified Reviewer

11/03/2020

"A gift for friend!"

My friend loved it. It s a decent size. Well made and looks very cute.

Tags By PRJ

meaningful gift

Best Uses

Casual

Purchased Item:

Relaxing Stretch, Wood Pendant Necklace of a Cat from Peru

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The Original Nethead

From Connecticut, USA

Verified Reviewer

10/13/2020

"Even my cat likes it"

Neatly made, neatly strung. I sell vintage jewelry, but this new piece went into my hoard .. collection, thats the word ... and there it will stay.

Best Uses

Humans owned by cats

Purchased Item:

Relaxing Stretch, Wood Pendant Necklace of a Cat from Peru

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