Hilltribe Silver

What is Hilltribe silver and what makes it so special?

Hilltribe silver is actually made entirely by hand, by the Karen tribe. Hill tribes date back to the 12th century from Tibet, but are now mainly in Myanmar and Thailand. The Karen Hilltribe, which numbers about 400,000, is a collection of about 20 tribes living and subsistence farming in rural, remote, highly mountainous and forested Northern Thailand, west of Chiang Mai. Hilltribe silver is special for several important reasons: The silver is 97% - 99.9% pure.

As a result, it resists the tarnish that occurs in sterling silver, which is 92.5% silver and 7.5 % copper (or other alloys) It is the copper that causes the tarnish. Because the Hilltribe silver is so pure, it is heavier and softer than sterling silver. HIlltribe silver looks more lustrous than sterling silver. It actually feels different on your skin. It is still important to store your silver away from sunlight – it will continue to look like new after many years. Below is an example of a bracelet I made of Hilltribe silver almost 20 years ago. I have never cleaned it. If only our faces aged like this……