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20 'worthy' jewelry gift ideas from artisans around the world

20 'worthy' jewelry gift ideas from artisans around the world

As we approach this holiday season, you may be on the look-out for some great gifts for the loved ones in your life. To help you with your search, we've handpicked a list of "worthy" jewelry gift ideas. What makes them worthy? First, they are from our very own Upworthy Market, a place to shop for great hand-crafted artisan gifts. At the Upworthy Market, every purchase you make directly supports artisans from around the world. It's a great place to buy interesting items and support the people who created them in the process—a win-win!

These gift ideas are also worthy because each one is a unique, beautiful piece of jewelry—like the Balinese cocktail pearl ring, or the stylish anklet or the millefiori blossom watch made of Murano glass from Venice. Whether you're looking for the perfect pair of earrings for your mom or cannot seem to figure out a quality gift for a friend, this list will help you find the right present for the jewelry lover in your life.

1. Oval Jade Ring

Evoking the ancient Maya, this beautiful and simple solitaire ring is crowned by an oval of apple green Guatemalan jade. This stunning accessory is designed by Zandra Lorena Sajbin, who crafts the ring with a band of sterling silver.

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2. Paradise Palms Necklace

A dreamy tropical paradise with untouched white sand beaches and crystalline lagoons is perfectly symbolized by the twin palms of this pendant necklace from Aoy of Thailand. Artisan crafted from sterling silver, the pendant shines with a high polish finish while the hints of dark oxidation enhance the palms' details. A ball chain with a spring-ring clasp completes the necklace.

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3. Elephant Hook Earrings

Petite elephants are carefully carved of smooth white cow bone by artisan Made Wardika of Bali. The pachyderms swing from sterling silver hooks.

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4. Wave Motif Band Ring

Featuring curving wave patterns, this nautical band ring is designed by Balinese artisan Asmara Putra. He crafts the ring of sterling silver bathed in 18 karat gold, given a high-polish finish.

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5. Twin Dolphin Necklaces

Sleek and agile, twin dolphins leap and play on this pendant necklace presented by Andi Rachmansyah in Bali. The pendant is hand-carved from smooth cow bone and centered on a black cotton cord of adjustable length.

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    6.Pearl Cocktail Ring

    Crowned by an orb of cultured pearl with soft, dyed-pink hues, this Balinese cocktail ring brings a sweet beauty wherever it goes. Designed by Buana, the band is handcrafted of sterling silver with jepun, or frangipani flowers that flank the pearl.

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    7. Flower Stud Earrings

    Hand-carved from bone, two jepun, otherwise known as frangipani flowers, adorn the ears. Balinese artisan Made Wardika creates these stud earrings, adorning the wearer on posts of sterling silver.

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    8. White Turtle Necklace

    A young turtle swims peacefully in cool waters in this unique hand-carved white pendant. Made Wardika of Bali presents this pendant carefully crafted from bone and hung on a dark brown leather cord. This pendant necklace features a sliding knot for adjustable length.

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    9. Kanji Sterling Silver Necklace

    Hanzi are characters used in Chinese writing. As early as the sixth century A.D., many of these characters began to be simplified and adopted into Japanese writing, where they're known as kanji, a term that is more widely used in the West. Artisans in Yiwu, China, create these pendants by using sterling silver and the lost-wax casting method. Each character emulates the sweeping brushstrokes of traditional calligraphy. Choose based on birth month, favorite color, or simply the symbol that resonates with you most.


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    10. Lotus Band Ring

    Realized in darkly oxidized relief, the image of a single lotus flower is featured on this band ring from Bali. Asmara Putra designed the ring, crafted of sterling silver.

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    11.Music Note Stud Earrings

    The sol key, also known as the G-clef, is masterfully designed into button earrings by Thai artisan Wadarat Supasirisuk. Perfect for the music aficionado, these clever post earrings are crafted in sterling silver with polished and oxidized finishes for contrast.

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    12. Toe Ring

    Depicted in low relief, three sterling elephants march around a silver band. Wadarat Supasirisuk presents this toe ring that shows the purposeful pachyderms in silhouette.

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    13. Infinity Stud Earrings

    Highly polished sterling silver takes the shape of the infinity symbol in these stud earrings from Wadarat Supasirisuk of Thailand. The petite earrings rest on sterling posts.

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    14. Lizard Totem Necklace

    Realistically carved by hand, a small lizard graces this unique artisan-crafted necklace. Made Wardika displays the Balinese reptile on a cord of dark brown leather.

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    15. Fish Stud Earrings

    Commemorating the Age of Aquarius as well as the return of Christ, these symbolic stud earrings are presented by Wadarat Supasirisuk. Thai artisans craft the earrings from sterling silver, featuring the simple and iconic image of a fish.

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      16. Dragon Pendant Necklace

      Framed by the image of a dragon biting its tail, the iconic symbol for the meditative mantra om is realized in high-polish sterling silver. Shivani Choudhary designed this bold and meditative Indian pendant necklace, which is crafted by local artisans.

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      17. Celestial Necklace

      Designed by Vivek Nathany in India, this necklace adds a celestial beauty to any wardrobe. This fantastic necklace circles the neck with two lengths of 22 karat gold-plated sterling silver cable chain; one chain is decorated with star charms while the other is centered by a majestic crescent moon pendant.

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      18. Elephant Charm Anklet

      Tiraphan Hasub crafts a stylish anklet, centering bright brass beads with colorful agate. Symbol of old Siam, an elephant graces this original design. Jingling bells form the clasp, and the anklet is adjustable in length.

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      19. Black Braid Bracelet

      Braided by hand, strands of black leather encircle the wrist in a bracelet for men. Chaloemphon adds ivory and dark brown beads carved of bone to this design. The length can be adjusted by sliding the knot along the cord.

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      20. Blossom Watch

      More than a dozen delicate slivers of Murano millefiori decorate the face of this gold-plated watch. Made in Murano, an island within Venice, Italy, that has been home to master glassmakers since the 13th century, millefiori are created by fusing multicolored glass canes, stretching them to the thinnest possible diameter, and then slicing them to reveal cross-sections that look like flower blossoms. The watch features a snakeskin-textured leather band.

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      Culture

      Young female artist has sold $7 million worth of paintings before she was even 14-years-old

      You can see her talent in her very first painting.

      Autumn de Forest

      Autumn de Forest stands before a sign with her name on it

      When Autumn de Forest was 5, she picked up a paintbrush for the first time. It wasn't long before she was ready to show the world what she could do.

      After a year of practice, the then-6-year-old asked her father if he could get her a booth at a local art-in-the-park program. "People would come up to the booth, and they would talk to my father, and they'd say, 'This is great!'" she said. "Apparently they thought it was Take Your Daughter to Work Day."

      Almost everyone thought the artwork was her father's. And when they found out that tiny Autumn was the artist, people couldn't believe their eyes.


      art, kids, art genius, kid genius Autumn created this piece when she was just 5 years old. Autumn de Forest

      Soon, Autumn rose to national fame.

      When Autumn was 8, she was featured on the Discovery Health Channel. There was a slew of media attention in the years that followed. There was Disney. There was The Today Show. There was Wendy Williams. She was called a child genius, a prodigy, and an expert painter.


      autumn deforest, art, kids, paintingSoon, Autumn rose to national fame.Autumn Deforest


      Suddenly, Autumn de Forest was everywhere.

      But not everyone was so accepting of the young artist and her work. Some people in the art world had ... questions. Sure, she was good for a kid. But was her art actually good? Others wondered if the whole thing might be an elaborate hoax.

      Autumn decided not to listen.

      By 14 she developed a startlingly organized daily routine that went far beyond a 9 to 5.

      Somehow, as the focus on her age begins to wear off, Autumn's work ethic and art only grow stronger. She said that most days, she'd wake up in her parents' Las Vegas home at 7:30 a.m. After breakfast, she'd break out her supplies for a one- or two-hour painting session. From there, she dove into her school work. Most brick-and-mortar schools can't accommodate her travel schedule, so she did the majority of her schooling online.

      Before dinner, it's back into the studio.

      "That session can last much longer, that can be three or four hours when I really get into it," she said. "Then I probably have dinner and go to bed."

      kids, painting, artistic genius, paintings, kid artists Autumn de Forest paints Autumn de Forest


      The results? They speak for themselves.

      Autumn de Forest, painting, art, kids, prodigy An Autumn de Forest painting Autumn de Forest

      Her work has been displayed in galleries and exhibitions all over the world.

      Autumn held a public demonstration before a showing at The Butler Institute of American Art.

      Autumn de Forest, painting, kids, artAn Autumn de Forest painting Autumn de Forest

      In 2015, Autumn received the International Giuseppe Sciacca Award in Painting and Art.

      The award took her to the Vatican for a private showing of her artwork with the pope.


      She's also worked with the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, headed up by former First Lady Michelle Obama.

      Autumn de Forest, the Pope, Pope Francis, painting, artAutumn de Forest stands with the Pope who looks at one of her paintings Autumn de Forest

      As part of the program, de Forest traveled to underprivileged schools around the country and led painting workshops. Oh, and if you're looking for some hard numbers to attach to Autumn's talent, she's got those, too.

      Her paintings raked in over $7 million at auctions by the time she was a teenager — fetching as much as $25,000 each — much of which has gone directly to charities and disaster relief funds.


      At 23-years-old now, what's Autumn de Forest up to lately?

      Autumn de Forest, painting, art, kidsAutumn de Forest works with other young painters Autumn de Forest

      A lot!

      The transition from child prodigy to respected artist has kept her busy.

      In 2017, the Monthaven Arts and Cultural Center in Hendersonville, Tennessee hosted a major solo exhibition for de Forest titled "Her White Room: The Art of Autumn de Forest."

      That same year, de Forest was listed as one of Teen Vogue's "21 Under 21." In her profile she was praised for her talent as well as her commitment to art education.

      "In dis­advantaged schools, they consider the arts an extracur­ricular activity," she told Teen Vogue. "It's devastating, as there could be child prodigies in these schools, but they don't know that they have this God-­given gift because they're not given the opportunity because there's nearly no art programs in schools."

      In 2018, de Forest was featured in the music video for the song "Youth" by best-selling recording artists Shawn Mendes and Khalid. The video highlights exceptional young people working to change the world, including de Forest, Emma González, and Elias and Zion Phoenix.

      The video has over 17 million plays on YouTube.

      And of course, Autumn continues to share her absolutely incredible artwork on Instagram and in shows and exhibitions around the globe.

      The Autumn de Forest Foundation, helps her keep track of the kids she's met throughout the years and to continue to help them with their art careers.

      A portion of the foundation's money goes to a 529 account set up for the students while 10% goes to them directly.

      "A lot of these kids that I work with, they're not very old, they're in second grade, third grade, fourth grade. Maybe in 10 years, they may only have four or five thousand dollars but that could be the difference between them going to college or not," Autumn told Teen Vogue.

      Autumn's incredible rise in the art world is an astonishing feat for someone who's still in her teens. But that accomplishment is easily matched by her generosity and commitment to helping develop tomorrow's prodigies as well.

      For more information, visit the Autumn de Forest Foundation.


      This article originally appeared nine years ago.

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      A 9-year-old girl bravely gave her school board an all-time mic drop on standardized tests

      They didn't expect this kind of talking to.

      assets.rebelmouse.io

      It's not everyday that a video of a local school board meeting ends up with 2.2 million views. In fact, we're not sure it's ever happened before.

      If you need proof standardized testing is setting students up for failure, just ask the students. Sydney Smoot had a bone to pick with the Hernando County School Board. The issue? The Florida Standards Assessment Test, or FSA for short. On March 17, 2015, Sydney bravely stood up at her local school board meeting to share how she felt about the test and why she believes it's failing students and teachers.

      "This testing looks at me as a number. One test defines me as either a failure or a success through a numbered rubric. One test at the end of the year that the teacher or myself will not even see the grade until after the school year is already over. I do not feel that all this FSA testing is accurate to tell how successful I am. It doesn't take in account all of my knowledge and abilities, just a small percentage." — Sydney Smoot

      Can we give this little girl a medal? She was speaking right to our souls with that speech!


      - YouTubewww.youtube.com


      Here's the full transcript of her remarks:

      “Fellow members of the school board, today I will express my concerns about the FSA testing. I consider myself a well-educated young lady. However, with FSA tests my five years of school… do not matter. This testing looks at me as a number. One test defines me as either a failure or a success through a numbered rubric. One test at the end of the year that the teacher or myself will not see the grade [for] until after the school year is already over.

      I do not feel that all of this FSA testing is accurate to tell how successful I am. It doesn’t take into account all of my knowledge and abilities, just a small percentage. Here are my concerns. First of all, I do not feel good signing a form in the FSA ensuring that you can’t even discuss the test with your parents. I am not comfortable signing something like this I have the right to talk to my parents about any and everything related to school and my education. Second, why am I being forced to take a test that hasn’t even been testing on students here in Florida, so how can it be accurate and valid on what I know? Why are we taking most of the year stressing and prepping for one test at the end of the year when we should be taking tests throughout the year that really measure our abilities?

      My opinion is that we should take a test at the beginning of the year, middle, and end of the school year to accurately measure what we know. The pressure this puts on me and I’m sure most students is not healthy. Why should we have so much stress about one test when we should be learning and having fun in school? With all of this testing in school, more fun things such as recess are being eliminated because of training for the test! So, ladies and gentlemen of the school board, I urge you to put a stop to high-stakes testing today. It’s not fair to the schools, teachers, and students. Parents and students, contact your governor to put a stop to all the standardized testing. Thank you so much for your time.”


      standardized tests, school, education, K-12, Ron DeSantis, FloridaA frustrated student sits at their deskImage via Canva


      Since the FSA was first implemented, it came under intense criticism. Critics said it takes critical funds away from students and does not do as good of a job as national testing standards in helping to prepare young students for higher education or careers after their K-12 school is complete. In 2022, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis officially did away with the FSA program. "Today we come, not to praise the FSA, but to bury it," DeSantis said at the time.

      The FSA was replaced with a progress monitoring system that was meant to reduce testing times and give students more updated progress goals as their education continues throughout the academic year.

      "Instead of having one major test at the end of the year which provided no feedback to students before the summer came, we would do progress monitoring that would monitor progress throughout the school year," DeSantis added. "It would be shorter, it would be more individualized, and it would provide good feedback for students, for teachers, and for parents."

      That's the kind of statement a young Sydney Smoot could get behind. And it's why her words still so powerfully resonate nearly a decade later.

      This article originally appeared 10 years ago. It has since been updated with new information.



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      Artist gives 6 of Disney's most beloved characters a modern twist  to explain today's world

      "I thought transporting them to our modern world could help us see it through new eyes."

      via Tom Ward / Instagram

      Classic Disney characters reimagined for modern times

      Artist Tom Ward has used his incredible illustration techniques to give us some new perspective on modern life through popular Disney characters. "Disney characters are so iconic that I thought transporting them to our modern world could help us see it through new eyes," he told The Metro.

      Tom says he wanted to bring to life "the times we live in and communicate topical issues in a relatable way."

      In Ward's "Alt Disney" series, Prince Charming and Pinocchio have fallen victim to smart phone addiction. Ariel is living in a polluted ocean, and Simba and Baloo have been abused by humans.

      Not all the news is bad though. LeFou form "Beauty and the Beast" has finally come out of the closet and his crush, Gaston, appears to be pretty accepting of the revelation.

      Although, was it really such a shock?

      Ward believes that his illustration of Artur from "Sword and the Stone makes" a particularly strong point. "I also think the message of Arthur from The Sword in the Stone sitting on his phone has some resonance today," he said. "He's too engrossed in his phone to experience other opportunities and realize his true potential in life."

      You can see more of Ward's work on Instagram.

      This article originally appeared eight years ago.

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      Technology

      A student accidentally created a rechargeable battery that she says could last 400 years

      "This thing has been cycling 10,000 cycles and it’s still going." ⚡️⚡️

      Steve Zylius/University of California, Irvine.

      UCI doctoral candidate Mya Le Thai has developed a nanowire-based technology that allows lithium-ion batteries to be recharged hundreds of thousands of times.

      There's an old saying that luck happens when preparation meets opportunity.

      There's no better example of that than a 2016 discovery at the University of California, Irvine, by doctoral student Mya Le Thai. After playing around in the lab, she made a discovery that could lead to a rechargeable battery that could last up to 400 years. That means longer-lasting laptops and smartphones and fewer lithium ion batteries piling up in landfills.

      A team of researchers at UCI had been experimenting with nanowires for potential use in batteries, but found that over time the thin, fragile wires would break down and crack after too many charging cycles. A charge cycle is when a battery goes from completely full to completely empty and back to full again.

      But one day, on a whim, Thai coated a set of gold nanowires in manganese dioxide and a Plexiglas-like electrolyte gel.

      batteries, renewable energy, energy, renewable batteries, rechargeable batteries, innovationBatteries being recycled at WRWA, London. Nov ‘21Photo by John Cameron on Unsplash

      "She started to cycle these gel capacitors, and that's when we got the surprise," said Reginald Penner, chair of the university's chemistry department. "She said, 'this thing has been cycling 10,000 cycles and it's still going.' She came back a few days later and said 'it's been cycling for 30,000 cycles.' That kept going on for a month."

      This discovery is mind-blowing because the average laptop battery lasts 300 to 500 charge cycles. The nanobattery developed at UCI made it though 200,000 cycles in three months. That would extend the life of the average laptop battery by about 400 years. The rest of the device would have probably gone kaput decades before the battery, but the implications for a battery that that lasts hundreds of years are pretty startling.

      - YouTubewww.youtube.com

      “Mya was playing around, and she coated this whole thing with a very thin gel layer and started to cycle it,” said Penner added. “She discovered that just by using this gel, she could cycle it hundreds of thousands of times without losing any capacity.”

      “That was crazy,” he added, “because these things typically die in dramatic fashion after 5,000 or 6,000 or 7,000 cycles at most. ”"The big picture is that there may be a very simple way to stabilize nanowires of the type that we studied," Penner said. "If this turns out to be generally true, it would be a great advance for the community." Not bad for just fooling around in the laboratory.

      Since her discovery, Mya Le Thai has gone on to a successful career as the Principal Scientist with the Enevate Corporation,

      This article originally appeared eight years ago.

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      Fatherhood

      Anthony Mackie explains his refreshingly old-school approach to raising his boys to be men

      "In the past 20 years, we've been living through the death of the American male."

      @thepivot/TikTok

      Anthony Mackie explains how he raises his boys to become men.

      While on an episode of The Pivot podcast, Marvel star and father to four sons Anthony Mackie recently took a strong stance regarding masculinity, saying: "In the past 20 years, we've been living through the death of the American male…but I raised my boys to become young men.”

      While that sentence might at first seem like we’re heading into some cringey “alpha male” territory, the Captain America: Brave New World actor also elaborated on the values he instills in sons, like being respectful, having humility, saying “yes sir” or “yes ma'am” and “thank you,” opening the door for women, making sure their mother is "taken care of and provided for.”

      @thepivot Anthony Mackie On The Death Of The American Male #anthonymackie #captainamerica #marvel #foryou#mindset #fatherhood #america #masculinity#fyp ♬ original sound - The Pivot Podcast

      Mackie then provided an example, saying that before leaving for a job, he would make his 15-year-old son the “man of the house,” with the responsibility of making sure the doors were locked and the alarm was on. Because, as Mackie put it, “if I’m not there to protect, he gotta be there to protect.”

      This sentiment reflects a broader shift that many parents are experiencing. While there are certainly many praises to sing about modern practices like gentle parenting, many people are also longing for a return of some “traditional” approaches that are equally beneficial, particularly when it comes to setting helpful boundaries and teaching manners.

      As one viewer put it, “That’s called structure, responsibility, accountability, and direction.”

      But there’s also Mackie’s take on masculinity itself—involving caring for and protecting others, showing up for responsibilities, and embodying true leadership—which people are positively responding to.

      leadership, raising sons, fathers and sons, young menMasculinity doesn't have to be toxic. Photo credit: Canva

      Mackie's take t seems to touch on admirable traits that can go unnoticed by both far left progressives, who wave the flag of “toxic masculinity” (and thus alienate half the population), and the right wing "manfluencers" like Andrew Tate who offer a place for men to be welcomed while promoting actual toxic traits like misogyny, narcissism, and domination.

      “That’s not the masculinity that needs to die. More fathers need to teach this,” one person wrote about Mackie's take.

      Another echoed, “What a beautiful way to articulate being a man.”

      As another viewer noted, parents can of course teach boys these traits while also teaching “emotional intelligence too—vulnerability, honesty, empathy, care. Then the boys will be golden.”

      And just as we can incorporate both new and old parenting styles, we can also integrate some nuance in the way we talk about masculinity. Our conversations surrounding gender roles are constantly in flux, and yet there's a bit of stuckness around this topic—what makes a “real” man, how to be a “good” man, and so on. Mackie’s take put to words what a lot of folks are feeling: that the good parts of masculinity are being erased along with the bad, and that if we really do want the next generation of men to be fully realized, we need to teach them what that looks like.

      Watch the full podcast episode below:

      - YouTubewww.youtube.com

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