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While in Kenya, Alex, Ricky and their touring friends visited the Kazuri Bead Factory. Kazuri means small and beautiful in Swahili. It is hand-painted ceramic jewelry shaped by hand by one of the 300 local women employed by the factory. The beads are kiln fired once, glazed, and fired again before they are used.
The factory was founded by Lady Susan Wood in 1975 as a means to create employment for struggling single mothers. It is located in Karen, named after Karen Blixen of 'Out of Africa' fame, on part of her original farm. The area is just a few miles outside of Nairobi and lies under the Ngong Hills.
Unlike mass-produced goods, Kazuri jewelry is unique and one-of-a kind. The little quirks and trademarks represent the individual people who make the beads, paint them, and give them a soul as well as beauty.
Many Kazuri styles are named after areas, tribes and other features of the Kenyan landscape; evocative names that resonate with the organic nature of the clay that comes from its earth. Each little piece is like a piece of Kenya.
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